preventing-github-actions-loops

To prevent GitHub Actions infinite trigger loops, you must audit interconnected workflows for cyclic trigger paths and implement pre-write guardrails like [skip ci] tags. This process scans .github/workflows/*.yml files to detect and eliminate mutual A→B→A loop paths.

GitHub Actions workflows trigger each other in a loop when automated outputs like pushes or pull requests bypass default infinite loop protection and re-activate interconnected workflows. Scanning .github/workflows/*.yml files identifies these cyclic trigger paths.

The best way to audit GitHub Actions workflows for cyclic trigger paths is a runtime audit workflow that scans existing .github/workflows/*.yml files for hard-to-detect mutual A→B→A loops, validating guard implementation and eliminating cyclic triggers.

To stop an auto-commit workflow from re-triggering itself in GitHub Actions, verify the push event won't re-trigger the same workflow and add a [skip ci] guard. This eliminates the cyclic trigger path and prevents the infinite loop risk.

GitHub's default infinite loop protection can be bypassed by workflow_run and repository_dispatch event triggers. You need to validate guard implementation and scan for cyclic trigger paths between interconnected workflows to eliminate recursive loops.