Workflows using Cypress Cloud fail in fork

[MikeMcC399]

Where to find the issue

• .github/workflows/example-custom-ci-build-id.yml
• .github/workflows/example-recording.yml

Describe the issue

If Actions are enabled in a fork, then pushing to the master branch of a fork of https://github.com/cypress-io/github-action owned by a community member causes action errors from:

• example-custom-ci-build-id
• example-recording

The following errors are shown:

• "Could not find Cypress test run results"
• "You passed the --record flag but did not provide us your Record Key."

Steps to reproduce

User does not have edit access to repository https://github.com/cypress-io workflows (see GitHub help Accessing your secrets).

1. Create a fork of https://github.com/cypress-io/github-action
2. Clone the fork to local system
3. upstream points to https://github.com/cypress-io/github-action, origin points to fork
4. push to master branch on origin
5. View action logs and note failures:
   • https://github.com/<fork-owner>/github-action/actions/workflows/example-custom-ci-build-id.yml?query=branch%3Amaster
   • https://github.com/<fork-owner>/github-action/actions/workflows/example-recording.yml?query=branch%3Amaster

Expectation

The workflows example-custom-ci-build-id and example-recording should not report additional workflow failures caused by pushing to master in a fork for external contributors who are not members of the https://github.com/cypress-io/ organization, compared to a Member pushing to https://github.com/cypress-io/github-action/tree/master.

Workaround

Disable the workflows:

• .github/workflows/example-custom-ci-build-id.yml
• .github/workflows/example-recording.yml

in the fork to prevent failures. See GitHub help: Disabling and enabling a workflow.

Analysis

The following two workflows show the error "You passed the --record flag but did not provide us your Record Key."

• example-custom-ci-build-id
• example-recording

A Fork owner has no access to secrets.EXAMPLE_RECORDING_KEY of the public Cypress Cloud project 3tb7jn.

The projectId is hardcoded into the corresponding Cypress config file e.g.

github-action/examples/v9/recording/cypress.json

Line 5 in 78da0ec

"projectId": "3tb7jn"

Alternative suggestions

Skip recording in fork

Skip running the recording workflow in a fork by adding the following:

if: github.repository == 'cypress-io/github-action'

See GitHub documentation Example: Only run job for specific repository

This could be applied to the two affected workflows.

Skip recording if secrets not defined

If secrets.EXAMPLE_RECORDING_KEY is not defined, then the recording workflows could be skipped.

Allow use of alternate Cypress Cloud project

Add secrets.EXAMPLE_PROJECT_ID to both affected workflows and set the environment variable CYPRESS_PROJECT_ID using this secret (see Project ID). The environment variable overrides any Project ID stored in the Cypress configuration file.

Add README documentation how to use this.

[MikeMcC399]

• PR Record to Cypress Cloud in fork #694 submitted to resolve this issue

[MikeMcC399]

• GitHub has now introduced Configuration variables.

• Since the Cypress Cloud Project ID can be considered as non-sensitive configuration data, it can now be stored in an Action variable, instead of in an Action secret. The existing PR Record to Cypress Cloud in fork #694 is modified accordingly.

[MikeMcC399]

Unfortunately I overlooked that Configuration variables are available in public beta only. I will modify my suggestion to use Action secrets instead and leave a migration to Configuration variables open for a future enhancement.

[MikeMcC399]

• I have closed the original PR Record to Cypress Cloud in fork #694 and replaced it with PR feat: allow recording in fork with secrets #751

[MikeMcC399]

• PR feat: allow recording in fork with secrets #751 implements this feature in release v5.2.0.