# mxschmitt/action-tmate

Debug your GitHub Actions via SSH by using tmate to get access to the runner system itself.

Repository: https://github.com/mxschmitt/action-tmate
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/action-tmate
Homepage: https://mxschmitt.github.io/action-tmate/
Language: JavaScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: github-actions, github-action, tmate, ssh, debugging, actions, hacktoberfest
Last push: 2026-07-29T11:36:42+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 84/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 95, release rhythm 62, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2567, "days_push": 35, "days_rel": 96, "gap_med": 174, "n_releases_24m": 6}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3578, forks 333 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:10.884846+00:00)

## What it is
A GitHub Action that opens an interactive tmate SSH or web shell session on a GitHub Actions runner so you can debug failing workflows live. It supports conditional, manually-triggered debug sessions and a detached mode that continues the workflow while the session runs.

## Use cases
- debug a failing github actions workflow via ssh
- get a shell on a github actions runner
- interactively debug ci pipeline steps
- conditionally enable ssh debugging in a workflow
- inspect the runner environment during a build
- continue a workflow after an ssh debug session

## When to choose
- a GitHub Actions workflow fails in ways you cannot reproduce locally
- you need to inspect the runner's filesystem, installed tools, or environment live
- you want on-demand debugging via workflow_dispatch without editing workflow files each time

## When to avoid
- your CI runs on self-hosted runners with strict security requirements, since it exposes an SSH endpoint
- workflows handle secrets that could leak through an interactive session
- you only need log output rather than interactive debugging

## Facets
- artifact type: plugin
- maturity: active
- function: ssh, ci-cd, developer-tools, terminal-ui
- domain: developer-tools
- platform: windows, cloud
- tags: github-actions, tmate, ssh-debugging, ci-debugging, workflow-debugging, debugging, devops, command-line, automation, linux, macos, docker

## Member repositories
- mxschmitt/action-tmate (main) score 84

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:10.884846+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:34:01.587256+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/mxschmitt/action-tmate (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:10.884846+00:00, sha c203b5a34fa5)
  - homepage: https://mxschmitt.github.io/action-tmate/ (fetched 2026-08-29T09:27:52.425004+00:00, sha ad1c2ccc3b2b)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.