GitHub Actions reusable workflow "with:" input type mismatch
A reusable workflow declares each input with a type (string, boolean, number). Passing a value of the wrong type via with - most often a quoted string where a boolean is expected - fails validation.
What this error means
The caller fails to start the reusable workflow, reporting that a with input does not match the declared type.
github-actions
##[error]Invalid value. Input 'deploy' expects type 'boolean' but was provided 'true' as a string.Common causes
Boolean passed as a quoted string
A with value like "true" (quoted) is a string, but the input is typed boolean, so validation rejects it.
Expression result type differs from declared type
An interpolated value resolves to a string while the input expects number or boolean.
How to fix it
Match the value type to the input type
- Pass booleans unquoted and numbers as numeric literals.
- When using an expression, ensure it yields the declared type (wrap with fromJSON or a comparison if needed).
- Re-run.
.github/workflows/ci.yml
jobs:
call:
uses: ./.github/workflows/deploy.yml
with:
deploy: true # boolean, unquoted
replicas: 3 # numberHow to prevent it
- Pass with values in the declared input type; do not quote booleans or numbers.
- Declare explicit input types in workflow_call so mismatches fail early.
Related guides
GitHub Actions needs context outputs are undefinedFix the GitHub Actions error where a downstream job reads needs.<job>.outputs.<name> and gets undefined becau…
GitHub Actions composite action cannot access secrets directlyFix the GitHub Actions error where a composite action references the secrets context directly, which is not a…