valid-timeout-minutes

Rule catalog ID: R017

Targeted pattern scope

GitHub Actions workflow YAML files that set timeout-minutes on jobs or steps.

What this rule reports

This rule reports literal timeout-minutes values that are not positive integers or that fall outside the configured allowed range.

Why this rule exists

Timeout values are operational safety limits. Invalid or out-of-policy values can lead to stuck runners, wasted compute, or unexpectedly long execution windows.

❌ Incorrect

jobs:
  build:
    name: Build
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    timeout-minutes: 0

✅ Correct

jobs:
  build:
    name: Build
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    timeout-minutes: 30

jobs:
  build:
    name: Build
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    timeout-minutes: ${{ fromJSON(vars.JOB_TIMEOUT_MINUTES) }}

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/valid-timeout-minutes": "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​