A scheduled GitHub Actions workflow is not guaranteed to start at its exact cron minute. GitHub says high Actions workload can delay schedule events, especially at the start of an hour, and some queued jobs may be dropped when load is sufficiently high. If no run appears at all, check the workflow’s default-branch location, schedule syntax, timezone, and enabled status.
First, check whether GitHub created a run
Open the repository’s Actions tab and inspect the workflow’s run history. A run that appears late points to a scheduling delay; a run that exists but failed or was cancelled is an execution problem, not evidence that the schedule failed to fire. If there is no run for the expected time, work through the configuration checks below.
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Could Actions load have delayed or dropped the run?
GitHub documents that schedule events can be delayed during periods of high workflow-run load, particularly around the start of each hour. If load is sufficiently high, some queued jobs can be dropped. GitHub does not promise that a scheduled workflow will begin at the exact time in its cron expression.
To reduce the chance of delay, choose a different minute within the hour rather than scheduling at minute 0. For example, a schedule at minute 17 or 43 avoids the top-of-hour minute; it is a mitigation, not a guarantee of punctual execution. See GitHub’s schedule event documentation and workflow troubleshooting guidance.
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Is the workflow file on the default branch?
A scheduled workflow runs only on the repository’s default branch, and its workflow file must exist on that branch. GitHub uses the latest commit on the default branch for the scheduled run. A schedule committed only to a feature branch will not trigger.
If the repository’s default branch has changed, confirm that the workflow file is present on the newly selected default branch. The branch requirement is documented in GitHub’s schedule event reference.
Has the workflow been disabled?
In the repository’s Actions area, check the workflow’s status. A workflow can be disabled manually and re-enabled through the GitHub UI, REST API, or GitHub CLI. The CLI commands are gh workflow disable and gh workflow enable; consult GitHub’s workflow enablement guide for the available controls.
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Does the cron expression or timezone match your expectation?
GitHub schedules use five-field POSIX cron syntax. The default timezone is UTC, so a schedule intended as a local time may appear to run at an unexpected hour. GitHub supports specifying an IANA timezone when you need timezone-aware scheduling. The shortest supported interval is once every five minutes.
GitHub does not support the non-standard shortcuts @yearly, @monthly, @weekly, @daily, @hourly, or @reboot. Review the expression and timezone in the workflow’s on: configuration against the official schedule syntax and timezone reference.
Daylight saving time can also affect a local-time schedule. In an IANA timezone, if a spring-forward transition skips the hour your schedule targets, GitHub advances it to the next valid time.
A short diagnostic order
- Check the Actions run history to establish whether a run was created.
- Confirm the workflow file is on the current default branch.
- Check whether the workflow is enabled, including whether public-repository inactivity or fork defaults apply.
- Validate the five-field cron expression, timezone, and minimum interval.
- If the workflow is correctly configured but runs late, move its scheduled minute away from the start of the hour.
These checks identify common documented causes, but they cannot establish why a particular repository missed a run without its workflow file and run history.
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