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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Use workflow-level concurrency to cancel outdated pull-request checks, and job-level concurrency with queue: max when a deployment target must process a backlog without replacing pending releases. The right group key defines exactly which runs share that behavior.
How GitHub Actions concurrency works
A concurrency group is a shared key that limits matching work to one running item at a time. You can set it at the workflow level or on an individual job. By default, a group retains only one pending run or job: when another item enters the group, it replaces the previous pending item. See GitHub’s concurrency overview.
Workflow-level concurrency
Place concurrency beside on and jobs to gate entire workflow runs. This is useful when a newer run makes the whole older run unnecessary, such as pull-request validation after another commit arrives.
Job-level concurrency
Place concurrency inside a job to serialize only that job. Other jobs in the same workflow, such as tests or packaging, can continue without waiting for the deployment lock. This is often the better scope when only a shared deployment target must be protected.
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Cancel outdated pull-request checks
For checks where only the latest commit matters, set a branch-specific group and cancel the active run when a newer run joins it. For a workflow handling pull requests and pushes to main:
name: CI
on:
pull_request:
push:
branches: [main]
concurrency:
group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.head_ref || github.ref }}
cancel-in-progress: truegithub.head_ref identifies the source branch for a pull-request event, but is not defined for every event. The fallback to github.ref gives the push event a group value too. Including github.workflow helps keep different workflows from sharing a group unintentionally. Confirm that runs of this same workflow on the same branch are meant to replace one another before enabling cancellation.
If a workflow runs only on pull requests, GitHub’s documented pattern can use github.head_ref || github.run_id when a unique fallback is wanted. The run ID prevents unrelated events without a pull-request branch from being grouped together.
Serialize deployments without discarding pending releases
For a deployment that must finish and should not lose queued work, put concurrency on the deployment job and use queue: max. Key the group to the destination so deployments to the same target wait behind one another:
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on:
push:
branches: [main]
jobs:
deploy:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
environment: production
concurrency:
group: production-deploy
queue: max
steps:
- name: Deploy
run: ./deploy.shCurrent GitHub workflow syntax documents up to 100 pending workflow runs or jobs per group with queue: max. When the group reaches that capacity, additional work is canceled. The queue does not promise strict event-dispatch order: GitHub processes work according to when it started waiting, and says ordering is not guaranteed because those waiting start times can vary.
queue: max cannot be combined with cancel-in-progress: true. If you leave out the queue policy, the default keeps only one pending item, so a newer deployment can replace an older pending deployment. That latest-pending behavior may suit disposable preview environments, but not releases that all need to run.
Concurrency and environment protections do different jobs
Concurrency prevents overlapping work for a group. A GitHub Actions environment can separately apply deployment controls such as required reviewers, branch restrictions, and access to environment secrets. Configure both when needed; an environment does not replace the concurrency lock. See GitHub’s deployment controls documentation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose a group key that matches the work
- Pull-request checks: identify the workflow and branch so commits on that branch supersede stale checks without colliding with unrelated workflows.
- Production deployments: use a stable key for the production target, such as
production-deploy, so every job deploying there shares the same lock. - Separate environments: include the target identity in the key, such as staging versus production, if they should proceed independently.
Group names are case-insensitive, and groups are shared within a repository. Two workflows using the same group can therefore interact even if they have different names elsewhere. Choose distinctive keys unless cross-workflow coordination is intentional. The workflow syntax reference documents the case-insensitive behavior.
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GitHub provides REST API endpoints for inspecting and managing Actions concurrency groups. Use the REST API reference when you need to examine group state programmatically or manage groups through automation.
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