Automatically updating git submodules using GitHub Actions
Implementation Strategies
1. Repository Dispatch Method
For repositories you control, use repository_dispatch to trigger updates:
Submodule Repository Workflow (triggers on push):
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21 | name: Dispatch Update
on:
push:
branches:
- master
jobs:
notify-infrastructure:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- name: Notify parent-repo
uses: peter-evans/repository-dispatch@v3
with:
token: ${{ secrets.PAT }}
repository: owner/parent-repo
event-type: submodule-update
client-payload: |
{
"repository": "${{ github.repository }}"
}
|
Parent Repository Workflow (receives dispatch):
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49 | name: Update Submodules
on:
repository_dispatch:
types: [submodule-update]
jobs:
update-submodule:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- name: Checkout infrastructure
uses: actions/checkout@v4
with:
token: ${{ secrets.PAT }}
submodules: true
- name: Update submodule
run: |
REPO_NAME=$(echo "${{ github.event.client_payload.repository }}" | cut -d'/' -f2)
if [ "$REPO_NAME" = "xxx" ]; then
SUBMODULE_PATH="xxx"
elif [ "$REPO_NAME" = "yyy" ]; then
SUBMODULE_PATH="yyy"
else
echo "Unknown repository: $REPO_NAME"
exit 1
fi
echo "Updating submodule: $SUBMODULE_PATH"
cd $SUBMODULE_PATH
git fetch origin
git checkout origin/master
cd ../..
- name: Commit submodule update
run: |
REPO_NAME=$(echo "${{ github.event.client_payload.repository }}" | cut -d'/' -f2)
if [ "$REPO_NAME" = "xxx" ]; then
SUBMODULE_PATH="xxx"
else
SUBMODULE_PATH="yyy"
fi
git config --local user.email "huy.duongdinh@gmail.com"
git config --local user.name "Huy Duong"
git add $SUBMODULE_PATH
git commit -m "chore: update $REPO_NAME submodule to latest" || exit 0
git push
|