The GitHub Actions optimization catalog

Every CI rule StarSling checks, as a page you can read and a catalog your coding agent can fetch. Each rule names how it is detected, the fix, and how to verify it.

20 rules in 4 categories

For coding agents

One compact JSON manifest lists every rule with its stable id, category, detection mode, and page URLs: /github-actions/catalog.json. This page mirrors to plain markdown at /github-actions/optimizations.md, and every rule page mirrors to its own .md.

Performance

Caching, sharding, scoping, and scheduling: the rules that decide how fast a run finishes.

Reliability

Timeouts and service readiness: the rules that keep runs from hanging or flaking.

Cost

The rules that stop CI from spending minutes and reviewer time it does not need.

Security

Permissions, pinning, secrets, and fork safety: the rules that close attack paths through CI.

Audit your repository

Hand this prompt to your coding agent to run the whole catalog against your repository.

Prompt for your coding agent
Fetch https://starsling.dev/github-actions/catalog.json and read it. For each rule whose detectionMode is "static", fetch the markdown URL and run the page's detection steps against this repository. List every rule that applies, ordered by likely impact, with the file and line behind each finding. For "runtime" rules, list what run history you would need from the GitHub Actions API. Then propose fixes for the top findings and open them as a reviewable PR; do not apply changes blindly.

Last updated 2026-08-20