Project built-in automations minutes usage

[StanFromIreland]

Why are you starting this discussion?

Question

What GitHub Actions topic or product is this about?

Metrics & Insights

Discussion Details

Hello, I am evaluating using the project built-in automations versus a workflow, but I can't seem to find anywhere what impact it would have on our CI minutes, as unfortunately the documentation does not delve into such detail.

If this could be clarified, it would be greatly appreciated.

[Gihchathur]

Hi @StanFromIreland,

Built-in project automations don’t appear to use GitHub Actions minutes, they run inside the Projects service itself, not as workflows. To be 100% sure for your account, you can test with a simple automation and check your Actions minutes usage page, or confirm with GitHub Support.

[ashmeet07]

💸 Project Automations and CI Minutes Usage

GitHub Projects built-in automations do not consume GitHub Actions minutes.

These automations (like moving a card to a column when a Pull Request is closed) are executed internally by the GitHub Projects service and do not spin up an Actions runner. Therefore, they do not count against the free or paid usage minutes allocated for GitHub Actions.

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⚙️ When Minutes ARE Consumed

GitHub Actions minutes are only consumed when you use a dedicated GitHub-hosted runner to execute a workflow file (.yml) in your repository.

Scenario	Usage Impact
Project Built-in Automation	No minutes consumed. Runs within the Projects service.
Workflow Triggered by Project	Minutes consumed. If the project event triggers an actual GitHub Actions workflow that uses a GitHub-hosted runner.
Workflow for CI/CD	Minutes consumed. Any job running on a GitHub-hosted machine.

💡 Clarification

If you are evaluating between:

1. Project Built-in Rule: (e.g., "When PR closed, move card to 'Done'"). Cost: Free.
2. A Workflow with project Trigger: (e.g., A .yml file that runs custom code in response to a project event). Cost: Consumes Actions Minutes.

The built-in project rules are designed to be a free and basic way to automate project tracking without touching your CI/CD budget.