no-external-job

Rule catalog ID: R012

Targeted pattern scope

GitHub Actions workflow YAML files that call reusable workflows from jobs.<id>.uses.

What this rule reports

This rule reports jobs that invoke reusable workflows via uses instead of defining the job inline.

Why this rule exists

Some repositories prefer every job definition to live in the same workflow file for easier review, debugging, and change impact analysis.

❌ Incorrect

jobs:
  deploy:
    uses: ./.github/workflows/deploy.yml

✅ Correct

jobs:
  deploy:
    name: Deploy
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Deploy
        run: ./scripts/deploy.sh

Additional examples

For larger repositories, this rule is often enabled together with one of the published presets so violations are caught in pull requests before workflow changes are merged.

ESLint flat config example

import githubActions from "eslint-plugin-github-actions-2";

export default [
  {
    files: ["**/*.{yml,yaml}"],
    plugins: {
      "github-actions": githubActions,
    },
    rules: {
      "github-actions/no-external-job": "error",
    },
  },
];

When not to use it

You can disable this rule when its policy does not match your repository standards, or when equivalent enforcement is already handled by another policy tool.

Targeted pattern scope​

What this rule reports​

Why this rule exists​

❌ Incorrect​

✅ Correct​

Additional examples​

ESLint flat config example​

When not to use it​

Further reading​