| description | Use when validating GitHub Actions workflows for Google Cloud and Vertex AI deployments. Trigger with phrases like "validate github actions", "setup workload identity federation", "github actions security", "deploy agent with ci/cd", or "automate vertex ai deployment". Enforces Workload Identity Federation (WIF), validates OIDC permissions, ensures least privilege IAM, and implements security best practices. |
| allowed-tools | Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, Bash(git:*), Bash(gcloud:*) |
| name | gh-actions-validator |
| license | MIT |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| author | Jeremy Longshore <jeremy@intentsolutions.io> |
Prerequisites
Before using this skill, ensure:
- GitHub repository with Actions enabled
- Google Cloud project with billing enabled
- gcloud CLI authenticated with admin permissions
- Understanding of Workload Identity Federation concepts
- GitHub repository secrets configured
- Appropriate IAM roles for CI/CD automation
Instructions
- Audit Existing Workflows: Scan .github/workflows/ for security issues
- Validate WIF Usage: Ensure no JSON service account keys are used
- Check OIDC Permissions: Verify id-token: write is present
- Review IAM Roles: Confirm least privilege (no owner/editor roles)
- Add Security Scans: Include secret detection and vulnerability scanning
- Validate Deployments: Add post-deployment health checks
- Configure Monitoring: Set up alerts for deployment failures
- Document WIF Setup: Provide one-time WIF configuration commands
Output
Secure Workflow Template:
# {baseDir}/.github/workflows/deploy-vertex-ai.yml
name: Deploy Vertex AI Agent
on:
push:
branches: [main]
paths: ['agent/**']
permissions:
contents: read
id-token: write # REQUIRED for WIF
jobs:
deploy:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- name: Authenticate to GCP (WIF)
uses: google-github-actions/auth@v2
with:
workload_identity_provider: ${{ secrets.WIF_PROVIDER }}
service_account: ${{ secrets.WIF_SERVICE_ACCOUNT }}
- name: Deploy to Vertex AI
run: |
gcloud ai agents deploy \
--project=${{ secrets.GCP_PROJECT_ID }} \
--region=us-central1
- name: Validate Deployment
run: |
python scripts/validate-deployment.py
WIF Setup Commands:
# One-time WIF configuration
gcloud iam workload-identity-pools create github-pool \
--location=global \
--display-name="GitHub Actions Pool"
gcloud iam workload-identity-pools providers create-oidc github-provider \
--location=global \
--workload-identity-pool=github-pool \
--issuer-uri="https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com" \
--attribute-mapping="google.subject=assertion.sub,attribute.repository=assertion.repository"
Security Validation Checks:
# {baseDir}/.github/workflows/security-check.yml
name: Security Validation
on: [pull_request, push]
permissions:
contents: read
security-events: write
jobs:
security:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- name: Scan for secrets
uses: trufflesecurity/trufflehog@main
- name: Vulnerability scan
uses: aquasecurity/trivy-action@master
- name: Validate no JSON keys
run: |
if find . -name "*service-account*.json"; then
echo "ERROR: Service account keys detected"
exit 1
fi
- name: Validate WIF usage
run: |
if grep -r "credentials_json" .github/workflows/; then
echo "ERROR: Use WIF instead of JSON keys"
exit 1
fi
Error Handling
WIF Authentication Failed
- Error: "Failed to generate Google Cloud access token"
- Solution: Verify WIF provider and service account email are correct
OIDC Token Error
- Error: "Unable to get ACTIONS_ID_TOKEN_REQUEST_URL env variable"
- Solution: Add
id-token: writepermission to workflow
IAM Permission Denied
- Error: "does not have required permission"
- Solution: Grant service account minimum required roles (run.admin, aiplatform.user)
Attribute Condition Failed
- Error: "Token does not match attribute condition"
- Solution: Update attribute mapping to include repository restriction
Deployment Validation Failed
- Error: "Agent not in RUNNING state"
- Solution: Check agent configuration and deployment logs
Resources
- Workload Identity Federation: https://cloud.google.com/iam/docs/workload-identity-federation
- GitHub OIDC: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/deployment/security-hardening-your-deployments
- Vertex AI Agent Engine: https://cloud.google.com/vertex-ai/docs/agent-engine
- google-github-actions/auth: https://github.com/google-github-actions/auth
- WIF setup guide in {baseDir}/docs/wif-setup.md