ARC "githubConfigSecret not found" in CI

By Kaveh Alemi·Latchkey

The scale set points githubConfigSecret at a Kubernetes secret that is missing from the runner namespace. Without it the listener has no credentials and cannot register runners.

What this error means

The controller or listener reports the referenced secret is not found, or the pod stays in CreateContainerConfigError because the secret it mounts does not exist.

Error: secret "pre-defined-secret" not found
  (referenced by githubConfigSecret in namespace arc-runners)

Common causes

The secret is in the wrong namespace

The secret must live in the same namespace as the scale set; a secret created elsewhere is not found.

The secret name does not match the value

githubConfigSecret names a secret that was never created or is spelled differently.

How to fix it

Create the secret in the runner namespace

1. Create the App or PAT secret in the same namespace as the scale set.
2. Set githubConfigSecret to that exact secret name.
3. Reinstall the scale set and confirm the listener authenticates.

kubectl create secret generic pre-defined-secret \
  --namespace arc-runners \
  --from-literal=github_token=<PAT>

Reference the secret by name in values

Point githubConfigSecret at the created secret name so the chart mounts it.

githubConfigSecret: pre-defined-secret

How to prevent it

• Create githubConfigSecret in the scale set namespace before install.
• Keep the secret name and the values reference identical.
• Manage the secret with the same tooling that deploys the scale set.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• GitHub Actions documentation