GitHub Actions ncipollo/release-action "tag already exists"

By Kaveh Alemi·Latchkey

ncipollo/release-action creates a release for a tag. If a release or tag with that name already exists and allowUpdates is not enabled, the create call is rejected as a duplicate.

What this error means

A release-action step fails saying the release or tag already exists, typically on a re-run or when the tag was created elsewhere.

Error: Validation Failed: {"resource":"Release","code":"already_exists","field":"tag_name"}

Common causes

Duplicate tag from a re-run

Re-running a release workflow for the same tag hits an existing release.

Tag created out of band

A tag already pushed manually or by another job conflicts with the new release.

How to fix it

Allow updates or use a unique tag

1. Set allowUpdates: true to update the existing release instead of failing.
2. Or compute a unique tag per run.
3. Use replacesArtifacts: true if re-uploading assets.

- uses: ncipollo/release-action@v1
  with:
    tag: ${{ github.ref_name }}
    allowUpdates: true

How to prevent it

• Enable allowUpdates for idempotent release jobs.
• Avoid creating the tag manually if the action will create it.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• GitHub Actions documentation
• Workflow syntax for GitHub Actions