act reusable workflow (workflow_call) not fully supported locally

By Kaveh Alemi·Latchkey

GitHub can call one workflow from another with uses: owner/repo/.github/workflows/x.yml@ref. act support for reusable workflows is partial: local path calls may work, but remote refs and some inputs/secrets passing do not behave identically.

What this error means

A job with uses: pointing at a reusable workflow fails to resolve, or its inputs/secrets do not pass through, when run under act.

act

Error: could not find workflow 'octo-org/shared/.github/workflows/build.yml@main'
Error: reusable workflow could not be resolved locally

Common causes

Remote reusable workflows are not fetched

act may not resolve a uses: that points to another repository the way GitHub does.

Inputs and secrets passing is incomplete

The with: and secrets: handoff between caller and called workflow may not fully replicate under act.

How to fix it

Test the reusable workflow directly

Run the called workflow file on its own with act, supplying inputs and secrets locally.

Terminal

act -W .github/workflows/build.yml -s GITHUB_TOKEN="$(gh auth token)"

Verify cross-repo calls on GitHub

Reserve remote uses: reusable-workflow validation for GitHub, where the caller/callee wiring is fully implemented.

How to prevent it

Test reusable workflows individually with act, then integrate on GitHub.
Do not assume remote uses: resolves the same locally.
Confirm inputs and secrets passing on GitHub for reusable workflows.

Frequently asked questions

What causes "reusable workflow support is partial"?

act may not resolve a uses: that points to another repository the way GitHub does.

How do I fix reusable workflow support is partial?