Semgrep CE scan workflow (pwndoc/pwndoc)

The Semgrep CE scan workflow from pwndoc/pwndoc, explained and optimized by Latchkey.

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Source: pwndoc/pwndoc.github/workflows/semgrep.ymlLicense MITView source

What it does

This is the Semgrep CE scan workflow from the pwndoc/pwndoc repository, a real project running GitHub Actions. It is shown here with attribution under its MIT license.

Below, Latchkey shows a faster, safer version produced by its optimization engine.

The workflow

workflow (.yml)

# Name of this GitHub Actions workflow.
name: Semgrep CE scan

on:
  # Scan changed files in PRs (diff-aware scanning):
  pull_request: {}
  # Scan on-demand through GitHub Actions interface:
  workflow_dispatch: {}
  # Scan mainline branches and report all findings:
  push:
    branches: ["master", "main"]
  # Schedule the CI job (this method uses cron syntax):
  schedule:
    - cron: '20 17 * * *' # Sets Semgrep to scan every day at 17:20 UTC.
    # It is recommended to change the schedule to a random time.

permissions:
  contents: read

jobs:
  semgrep:
    # User definable name of this GitHub Actions job.
    name: semgrep-oss/scan
    # If you are self-hosting, change the following `runs-on` value: 
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    container:
      # A Docker image with Semgrep installed. Do not change this.
      image: semgrep/semgrep

    # Skip any PR created by dependabot to avoid permission issues:
    if: (github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]')

    steps:
      # Fetch project source with GitHub Actions Checkout. Use either v3 or v4.
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      # Run the "semgrep scan" command on the command line of the docker image.
      - run: semgrep scan --config auto

The same workflow, on Latchkey

Removes redundant runs and caps runaway jobs. Added and changed lines are highlighted.

# Name of this GitHub Actions workflow.
name: Semgrep CE scan
 
on:
  # Scan changed files in PRs (diff-aware scanning):
  pull_request: {}
  # Scan on-demand through GitHub Actions interface:
  workflow_dispatch: {}
  # Scan mainline branches and report all findings:
  push:
    branches: ["master", "main"]
  # Schedule the CI job (this method uses cron syntax):
  schedule:
    - cron: '20 17 * * *' # Sets Semgrep to scan every day at 17:20 UTC.
    # It is recommended to change the schedule to a random time.
 
permissions:
  contents: read
 
concurrency:
  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
  cancel-in-progress: true
 
jobs:
  semgrep:
    timeout-minutes: 30
    # User definable name of this GitHub Actions job.
    name: semgrep-oss/scan
    # If you are self-hosting, change the following `runs-on` value: 
    runs-on: latchkey-small
 
    container:
      # A Docker image with Semgrep installed. Do not change this.
      image: semgrep/semgrep
 
    # Skip any PR created by dependabot to avoid permission issues:
    if: (github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]')
 
    steps:
      # Fetch project source with GitHub Actions Checkout. Use either v3 or v4.
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      # Run the "semgrep scan" command on the command line of the docker image.
      - run: semgrep scan --config auto

What changed

Run on Latchkey managed runners with one line (runs-on), which apply the fixes below automatically and self-heal transient failures. This example uses latchkey-small; pick the runner size that fits the job.
Cancel superseded runs when a branch or PR gets a newer push.
Add a job timeout so a hung step cannot burn hours of runner time.

This workflow runs 1 job per trigger. On Latchkey the same minutes cost up to 58% less than GitHub-hosted, with zero queue time.

Actions used in this workflow

actions/checkout