GitHub Actions pull_request run excluded on draft PRs

By Kaveh Alemi·Latchkey

By default a pull_request workflow runs for draft PRs too, but teams often gate jobs to skip drafts. If a job is conditioned on the PR not being a draft, it will not run until the PR is marked ready - which can look like a missing required check.

What this error means

Checks do not run on a draft PR, or required checks stay pending until the PR leaves draft.

This workflow run was skipped for the draft pull request.
The job condition excludes draft pull requests (github.event.pull_request.draft == true).

Common causes

Job gated on draft state

An if condition skips the job while github.event.pull_request.draft is true.

Expectation mismatch on required checks

A required check that is skipped on drafts leaves merge blocked until the PR is ready.

How to fix it

Gate intentionally and mark ready when needed

1. To skip drafts, condition the job on the draft flag explicitly.
2. Mark the PR Ready for review to trigger the gated checks.
3. Use the ready_for_review event type if you want runs precisely when drafts become ready.

on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, synchronize, ready_for_review]
jobs:
  test:
    if: github.event.pull_request.draft == false

How to prevent it

• Decide deliberately whether required checks should run on drafts.
• Use ready_for_review to trigger when a draft becomes ready.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• GitHub Actions documentation
• Workflow syntax for GitHub Actions