GitHub Actions "No files were found with the provided path"

upload-artifact resolved its path against the workspace and found zero matching files, so it warns (or errors with if-no-files-found: error) and uploads nothing, usually a wrong or premature path.

What this error means

The upload step warns "No files were found with the provided path: <path>. No artifacts will be uploaded." Downstream downloads then find nothing.

Warning: No files were found with the provided path: dist/. No artifacts will be uploaded.

Common causes

Build output not where expected

The build wrote to a different directory than the upload path, or the build step failed before producing output.

Wrong working directory or glob

The path is relative to the wrong directory, or the glob does not match the actual filenames.

How to fix it

Point the path at real output

1. List the directory before upload to confirm files exist.
2. Make the path relative to the correct working directory.
3. Set if-no-files-found: error to fail fast on an empty match.

- uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
  with:
    name: dist
    path: dist/**
    if-no-files-found: error

How to prevent it

• Verify build output exists before uploading.
• Use if-no-files-found: error to catch empty uploads.
• Keep upload paths in sync with build output dirs.

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