How to Reuse a Workflow With workflow_call in GitHub Actions

workflow_call turns a workflow into a callable unit other workflows invoke like an action.

Define on.workflow_call with inputs and secrets in the reusable file, then reference it from a caller job via uses: owner/repo/.github/workflows/file.yml@ref.

Steps

• Add on.workflow_call with inputs: and secrets: to the reusable workflow.
• In the caller, set uses: to the workflow path and @ref.
• Pass values with with: and forward secrets with secrets:.

Caller workflow

jobs:
  call-build:
    uses: my-org/ci/.github/workflows/build.yml@main
    with:
      node-version: '20'
    secrets:
      NPM_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}

Gotchas

• Reusable workflows can nest up to four levels deep.
• Use secrets: inherit to forward all caller secrets without listing each.

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