Quick Start

Get ActionsManager running in under 5 minutes.

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Beta notice: ActionsManager Self-Hosted is currently a free beta preview for testing, evaluation, and feedback. The beta is provided as-is, without warranty or production-readiness guarantee.

Prerequisites

• Docker 20.10+ or Podman 3.0+
• Linux or macOS
• 4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended)
• 10 GB available disk space
• A GitHub account with repositories to manage

Step 1: Start the Container

Run ActionsManager as a single self-hosted container on port 8080:

# Generate a stable SECRET_KEY once and reuse it on every start:
# SECRET_KEY=$(openssl rand -hex 32)
docker run -d \
  --name actions-manager \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -v actions-manager-data:/app/data \
  -e INSTALLATION_MODE=self-hosted \
  -e SECRET_KEY=<your_generated_key> \
  -e ALLOW_INSECURE_HTTP=true \
  ghcr.io/greywolflabs/actions-manager:latest

ALLOW_INSECURE_HTTP=true is required because this command serves the app over plain HTTP: ActionsManager refuses to start on a non-loopback http:// address without it, and blocks PAT login over non-local HTTP. Drop it once you put ActionsManager behind HTTPS — see HTTPS Setup.

Step 2: Open the Interface

Open http://localhost:8080 in your browser. You will see the ActionsManager sign-in page.

Step 3: Sign In

Choose one of the two authentication methods:

Option A — Personal Access Token (fastest):

1. Click Sign in with Personal Access Token
2. Paste a GitHub PAT with the required permissions (see PAT Setup)
3. Click Sign In

Option B — GitHub OAuth:

1. Create a GitHub OAuth App and configure it (see OAuth Setup)
2. Pass the OAuth credentials as environment variables when starting the container
3. Click Log in with GitHub

Caution

Do not place a personal PAT in the Docker command line or shell history. Start the container first, then enter the token in the UI.

Step 4: Create Your First Project

First time signing in? ActionsManager shows a short welcome screen before the dashboard, offering a guided tour that walks you through creating a project, adding a workflow, and delivering it as a pull request. Choose Show me around to take it, or Not now to go straight to the dashboard. You can start it again later from Restart tour in the user menu.

1. Click New Project in the dashboard, or the dashed New project box after your last project
2. Choose a project type:
   • Caller Workflow Project — manages repositories that call reusable workflows
   • Reusable Workflow Project — manages a shared workflow producer repository
3. Select repository visibility (public or private) and add repositories to your project
4. Review the resource naming settings — keep Prefix Mode enabled unless you intentionally want unmanaged filenames
5. Open the new project and click Add Workflow to create your first workflow

For a detailed screenshot walkthrough of every step from sign-in through saving your first local draft, see First Workflow Walkthrough.

Next Steps

• First Workflow Walkthrough — screenshot guide from PAT login to first draft save
• Full Installation Guide — detailed setup options
• GitHub PAT Setup — create and configure a PAT
• GitHub OAuth Setup — configure OAuth login
• Projects — understand the project model
• Drift Detection — keep repositories in sync