GitHub Actions "Path Validation Error" / Cache Path Does Not Exist

actions/cache warns or errors because the path it should cache does not exist when the post step runs, or the save and restore paths differ, so nothing useful is stored or restored.

What this error means

The cache step logs that the path does not exist or that there is nothing to cache, and later runs always miss because the saved cache was empty or stored under a different path.

Warning: Path Validation Error: Path(s) specified in the action for
caching do(es) not exist, hence no cache is being saved.

Common causes

Path absent at save time

If the directory to cache was never created (build did not run, or wrong location), the post-job save finds nothing and stores an empty/no cache.

Save and restore paths differ

The path in the cache step must be identical on save and restore. A different path or a step that moves files breaks the round trip.

How to fix it

Cache an existing, consistent path

Ensure the path exists before the job ends and use the same path for save and restore.

- uses: actions/cache@v4
  with:
    path: |
      ~/.cache/pip
      .venv
    key: py-${{ hashFiles('requirements.txt') }}

Make sure the path is populated

1. Run the install/build that creates the directory before the post-job save.
2. Use the same absolute or workspace-relative path on both ends.
3. Avoid caching a path a later step deletes or relocates.

How to prevent it

• Cache directories that exist by the end of the job.
• Keep the path identical between save and restore.
• Populate the cached path before the job completes.

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