no-top-level-env

Rule catalog ID: R013

Targeted pattern scope

GitHub Actions workflow YAML files that declare env at the top level.

What this rule reports

This rule reports workflows that define a top-level env block.

Why this rule exists

Top-level environment variables affect every job and can hide which parts of a workflow actually depend on a variable. Narrower scoping keeps workflow behavior easier to audit.

❌ Incorrect

env:
  NODE_ENV: production

✅ Correct

jobs:
  build:
    name: Build
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    env:
      NODE_ENV: production

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-top-level-env": "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​