Renovate "Repository is disabled" skip in CI

By Kaveh Alemi·Latchkey

Renovate skips a repository it considers disabled. This happens when the config sets enabled: false, the repository is archived, or a previous onboarding was declined, so Renovate takes no action and logs the skip.

What this error means

Renovate logs "Repository is disabled - skipping" (or "archived - skipping") and opens no PRs or onboarding PR for that repo.

INFO: Repository is disabled - skipping
  repository: myorg/service-api

Common causes

enabled is set to false in config

A repository or preset config sets "enabled": false, which tells Renovate to skip the repo entirely.

The repository is archived or onboarding was declined

Archived repos are skipped, and a closed/declined onboarding PR can leave the repo marked as disabled.

How to fix it

Re-enable the repository

1. Set "enabled": true (or remove the enabled: false) in renovate.json.
2. Unarchive the repo if it was archived.
3. Re-run onboarding if a prior onboarding PR was declined.

{
  "$schema": "https://docs.renovatebot.com/renovate-schema.json",
  "enabled": true
}

Check inherited config

A shared preset may disable the repo. Confirm no extended preset sets enabled: false for this repository.

How to prevent it

• Keep enabled: true unless you intend to pause a repo.
• Review inherited presets for repo-disabling settings.
• Re-run onboarding after unarchiving a repository.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• GitHub Actions documentation