GitHub Actions "actions/upload-artifact@v3 is deprecated"

By Kaveh Alemi·Latchkey

The v3 artifact actions run on a backend that has been retired. Workflows still pinned to upload-artifact@v3 are warned and eventually fail and must move to v4.

What this error means

Jobs annotate with a deprecation notice for actions/upload-artifact@v3, and after the brownout the step fails outright instead of uploading.

Error: This request has been automatically failed because it uses a deprecated version of `actions/upload-artifact: v3`.

Common causes

Workflow pinned to v3

The step still references actions/upload-artifact@v3 (or download-artifact@v3), which is no longer served.

Transitive v3 use in a reusable workflow

A called reusable workflow or composite action still uses v3 internally.

How to fix it

Migrate to v4

1. Bump upload-artifact and download-artifact to @v4.
2. Note v4 artifacts are immutable and per-job-unique; adjust names accordingly.
3. Update any reusable workflows / composite actions that still use v3.

- uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
  with:
    name: dist-${{ github.job }}
    path: dist/

How to prevent it

• Track action deprecation notices and migrate before brownouts.
• Pin artifact actions to a supported major version.
• Audit reusable workflows for transitive deprecated actions.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• GitHub Actions documentation
• Workflow syntax for GitHub Actions