GitHub Actions scheduled workflows can fail silently. Add one step to get alerts when they don't run.
GitHub automatically disables scheduled workflows after 60 days of repository inactivity. No warning, no notification.
During high load periods, scheduled workflows can be delayed significantly or skipped entirely.
A failed workflow creates a red X in your repo, but no email or alert unless you're actively watching.
API tokens and secrets expire. Your workflow keeps trying, keeps failing, and you don't notice.
You can check the Actions tab, but you won't. External monitoring catches failures before they matter.
Use the official CronSignal GitHub Action for the easiest setup.
name: Daily Report
on:
schedule:
- cron: '0 9 * * *' # Every day at 9 AM UTC
jobs:
generate-report:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- name: Generate report
run: ./scripts/generate-report.sh
# Add this step at the end
- name: Ping CronSignal
if: always()
uses: CronSignal/ping-action@v1
env:
JOB_STATUS: ${{ job.status }}
with:
check-id: ${{ secrets.CRONSIGNAL_CHECK_ID }}
ping-on-failure: failCreate a CronSignal monitor with the same schedule as your workflow. Copy the check ID from your dashboard.
Add your check ID as a repository secret named CRONSIGNAL_CHECK_ID.
Add the ping step. if: always() ensures it runs even when previous steps fail. CronSignal expects a ping on schedule — no ping means you get an alert.
How failure detection works: With ping-on-failure: fail, the Action sends an immediate failure signal when your job fails. With the default (skip), no ping is sent and CronSignal alerts after the grace period. Either way, you're covered.
If you prefer not to use the Action, a simple curl works too:
- name: Ping CronSignal
if: success()
run: curl -fsS https://api.cronsignal.io/ping/${{ secrets.CRONSIGNAL_CHECK_ID }}
Add CRONSIGNAL_CHECK_ID in your repo's Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
Use the same cron syntax as your workflow. We understand GitHub's schedule format.
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