Uptick CI Patterns

This skill provides guidance for GitHub Actions following Uptick's security-first patterns from uptick/actions.

Core Principles

Security-First Approach

Avoid external action dependencies where possible. External actions are security risks that can steal credentials. Implement functionality through Python and bash scripts using built-in libraries only.

Standardization

Use reusable workflows to ensure consistency across the organization. Make it easy to do the right thing and easy to update all pipelines.

Action Pinning with Ratchet

Pin all actions to SHA for immutability using Ratchet:

# Install ratchet
go install github.com/sethvargo/ratchet@latest

# Pin all actions in workflows
ratchet pin .github/workflows/*.yaml

# Update pinned versions to latest
ratchet update .github/workflows/*.yaml

Pinned format:

uses: 'actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683' # ratchet:actions/checkout@v4

Excluding reusable workflows: Use # ratchet:exclude to exclude Uptick reusable workflows from pinning (they are maintained centrally):

uses: uptick/actions/.github/workflows/ci.yaml@main  # ratchet:exclude

Uptick Reusable Workflows

1. CI Pipeline (ci.yaml)

The "God CI Pipeline" supporting 90% of standard use cases:

name: CI
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  ci:
    uses: uptick/actions/.github/workflows/ci.yaml@main  # ratchet:exclude
    with:
      python: true
      uv: true
      mise: true
      aws: true
      command: "mise run ci"
    secrets: inherit

Key features:

• Python/uv installation and caching
• Mise for task running
• Node.js/pnpm support
• AWS OIDC authentication (no long-lived credentials)
• Docker image building and ECR push
• Tickforge deployment bumping

See references/uptick-workflows.md for complete input options.

2. Claude PR Review (claude_review.yaml)

Automated code review on pull requests:

name: Claude Review
on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened, ready_for_review]

jobs:
  review:
    uses: uptick/actions/.github/workflows/claude_review.yaml@main  # ratchet:exclude
    secrets:
      CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN }}

Reviews focus on: code quality, security vulnerabilities, performance, test coverage.

3. Claude Mention (claude_mention.yaml)

Interactive AI assistant triggered by @claude mentions:

name: Claude Mention
on:
  issue_comment:
    types: [created]
  pull_request_review_comment:
    types: [created]

jobs:
  mention:
    uses: uptick/actions/.github/workflows/claude_mention.yaml@main  # ratchet:exclude
    secrets:
      CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN }}

Workflow Patterns

AWS OIDC Authentication

Never use long-lived AWS credentials. Configure OIDC:

with:
  aws: true
  aws-region: ap-southeast-2
  aws-iam-role-arn: arn:aws:iam::ACCOUNT:role/github-actions-role

Running Tests with Mise

Use mise for consistent task execution:

with:
  mise: true
  command: "mise run test"

Common mise tasks in mise.toml:

[tasks.ci]
run = "mise run lint && mise run test"

[tasks.test]
run = "uv run pytest"

[tasks.lint]
run = "uv run ruff check ."

Docker Build + Tickforge Deployment

Build and push Docker images, then trigger Tickforge deployment:

with:
  docker-enabled: true
  docker-repository: ACCOUNT.dkr.ecr.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/my-app
  docker-image-platforms: "linux/amd64,linux/arm64"
  bump-app: my-app  # Triggers Tickforge deployment

The bump-app input triggers a deployment bump in Tickforge after the Docker image is pushed.

Caching Strategy

The CI workflow automatically caches:

• uv dependencies (based on uv.lock)
• pnpm dependencies
• Mise tools

Compliance Checklist

When setting up CI for a repository:

1. Pin all actions - Run ratchet pin .github/workflows/*.yaml
2. Exclude reusable workflows - Add # ratchet:exclude to uptick/actions references
3. Use Uptick reusable workflows - Prefer uptick/actions over custom workflows
4. No external actions - Implement custom logic in scripts, not third-party actions
5. AWS OIDC only - Never commit long-lived AWS credentials
6. Enable Claude review - Add claude_review.yaml for automated PR feedback

Additional Resources

Reference Files

For detailed configuration options:

• references/uptick-workflows.md - Complete CI workflow inputs and secrets
• references/ratchet-guide.md - Ratchet commands and patterns

Example Files

Working examples in examples/:

• ci-python-uv.yaml - Python project with uv and mise
• ci-docker-tickforge.yaml - Docker build with Tickforge deployment