require-checkout-before-local-action

Rule catalog ID: R025

Targeted pattern scope

GitHub Actions workflow YAML files that use repository-local step actions with uses: ./....

What this rule reports

This rule reports step-level local action references that appear before any actions/checkout step in the same job.

Why this rule exists

GitHub's workflow syntax requires checking out the repository before using a local action path. Without that checkout step, the action directory does not exist in the workspace and the workflow will fail at runtime.

❌ Incorrect

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: ./.github/actions/setup-project

✅ Correct

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
      - uses: ./.github/actions/setup-project

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/require-checkout-before-local-action": "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​