changed-files

Effortlessly track all changed files and directories relative to a target branch, the current branch (preceding commit or the last remote commit), multiple branches, or custom commits returning relative paths from the project root using this GitHub action.

Note

• This action solely identifies files that have changed for events such as pull_request*, push, merge_group, release, and many more. However, it doesn't detect pending uncommitted changes created during the workflow execution.

  See: https://github.com/tj-actions/verify-changed-files instead.

Table of contents

• Features 🚀
• Usage 💻
  • On pull_request 🔀
    • Using local .git directory 📁
    • Using Github's API
  • On push ⬆️
  • Other supported events
• Inputs ⚙️
• Useful Acronyms 🧮
• Outputs 📤
• Versioning 🏷️
• Examples 📄
• Real-world usage 🌐
  • Open source projects 📦
  • Scalability Example 📈
• Important Notice ⚠️
• Migration guide 🔄
• Credits 👏
• Report Bugs 🐛
• Contributors ✨

Features 🚀

• Fast execution, averaging 0-10 seconds.
• Leverages either Github's REST API or Git's native diff command to determine changed files.
• Facilitates easy debugging.
• Scales to handle large/mono repositories.
• Supports Git submodules.
• Supports merge queues for pull requests.
• Generates escaped JSON output for running matrix jobs based on changed files.
• Lists changed directories.
  • Limits matching changed directories to a specified maximum depth.
  • Optionally excludes the current directory.
• Writes outputs to a designated .txt or .json file for further processing.
• Restores deleted files to their previous location or a newly specified location.
• Supports fetching a fixed number of commits, which improves performance.
• Compatible with all platforms (Linux, MacOS, Windows).
• Supports GitHub-hosted runners.
• Supports GitHub Enterprise Server.
• Supports self-hosted runners.
• Lists all files and directories that have changed:
  • Between the current pull request branch and the last commit on the target branch.
  • Between the last commit and the current pushed change.
  • Between the last remote branch commit and the current HEAD.
• Restricts change detection to a subset of files and directories:
  • Provides boolean output indicating changes in specific files.
  • Uses Glob pattern matching.
    • Supports Globstar.
    • Supports brace expansion.
    • Supports negation.
  • Uses YAML syntax for specifying patterns.
    • Supports YAML anchors & aliases.
    • Supports YAML multi-line strings.

And many more...

Usage 💻

Important

• Push Events: When configuring actions/checkout, make sure to set fetch-depth to either 0 or 2, depending on your use case.
• Mono Repositories: To avoid pulling the entire branch history, you can utilize the default actions/checkout's fetch-depth of 1 for pull_request events.
• Quoting Multiline Inputs: Avoid using single or double quotes for multiline inputs. The value is already a string separated by a newline character. Refer to the Examples section for more information.
• Credentials Persistence: If fetch-depth is not set to 0, make sure to set persist-credentials to true when configuring actions/checkout.
• Matching Files and Folders: To match all files and folders under a directory, this requires a globstar pattern e.g. dir_name/** which matches any number of subdirectories and files.

Visit the discussions for more information or create a new discussion for usage-related questions.

On pull_request 🔀

Detect changes to all files in a Pull request relative to the target branch or since the last pushed commit.

Using local .git directory 📁

name: CI

on:
  pull_request:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  # ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  # Event `pull_request`: Compare the last commit of the main branch or last remote commit of the PR branch -> to the current commit of a PR branch.
  # ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  changed_files:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest  # windows-latest || macos-latest
    name: Test changed-files
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      # Example 1
      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      - name: Get changed files
        id: changed-files
        uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
        # To compare changes between the current commit and the last pushed remote commit set `since_last_remote_commit: true`. e.g
        # with:
        #   since_last_remote_commit: true 

      - name: List all changed files
        env:
          ALL_CHANGED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files.outputs.all_changed_files }}
        run: |
          for file in ${ALL_CHANGED_FILES}; do
            echo "$file was changed"
          done

      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      # Example 2
      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      - name: Get all changed markdown files
        id: changed-markdown-files
        uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
        with:
          # Avoid using single or double quotes for multiline patterns
          files: |
            **.md
            docs/**.md

      - name: List all changed files markdown files
        if: steps.changed-markdown-files.outputs.any_changed == 'true'
        env:
          ALL_CHANGED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-markdown-files.outputs.all_changed_files }}
        run: |
          for file in ${ALL_CHANGED_FILES}; do
            echo "$file was changed"
          done

      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      # Example 3
      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      - name: Get all test, doc and src files that have changed
        id: changed-files-yaml
        uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
        with:
          files_yaml: |
            doc:
              - '**.md'
              - docs/**
            test:
              - test/**
              - '!test/**.md'
            src:
              - src/**
          # Optionally set `files_yaml_from_source_file` to read the YAML from a file. e.g `files_yaml_from_source_file: .github/changed-files.yml`

      - name: Run step if test file(s) change
        # NOTE: Ensure all outputs are prefixed by the same key used above e.g. `test_(...)` | `doc_(...)` | `src_(...)` when trying to access the `any_changed` output.
        if: steps.changed-files-yaml.outputs.test_any_changed == 'true'  
        env:
          TEST_ALL_CHANGED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files-yaml.outputs.test_all_changed_files }}
        run: |
          echo "One or more test file(s) has changed."
          echo "List all the files that have changed: $TEST_ALL_CHANGED_FILES"
      
      - name: Run step if doc file(s) change
        if: steps.changed-files-yaml.outputs.doc_any_changed == 'true'
        env:
          DOC_ALL_CHANGED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files-yaml.outputs.doc_all_changed_files }}
        run: |
          echo "One or more doc file(s) has changed."
          echo "List all the files that have changed: $DOC_ALL_CHANGED_FILES"

      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      # Example 4
      # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      - name: Get changed files in the docs folder
        id: changed-files-specific
        uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
        with:
          files: docs/*.{js,html}  # Alternatively using: `docs/**`
          files_ignore: docs/static.js

      - name: Run step if any file(s) in the docs folder change
        if: steps.changed-files-specific.outputs.any_changed == 'true'
        env:
          ALL_CHANGED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files-specific.outputs.all_changed_files }}
        run: |
          echo "One or more files in the docs folder has changed."
          echo "List all the files that have changed: $ALL_CHANGED_FILES"

Using Github's API

name: CI

on:
  pull_request:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  # -------------------------------------------------------------
  # Event `pull_request`: Returns all changed pull request files.
  # --------------------------------------------------------------
  changed_files:
    # NOTE:
    # - This is limited to pull_request* events and would raise an error for other events.
    # - A maximum of 3000 files can be returned.
    # - For more flexibility and no limitations see "Using local .git directory" above.

    runs-on: ubuntu-latest  # windows-latest || macos-latest
    name: Test changed-files
    permissions:
      pull-requests: read

    steps:
      - name: Get changed files
        id: changed-files
        uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45

      - name: List all changed files
        env:
          ALL_CHANGED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files.outputs.all_changed_files }}
        run: |
          for file in ${ALL_CHANGED_FILES}; do
            echo "$file was changed"
          done

On push ⬆️

Detect changes to files made since the last pushed commit.

name: CI

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  # -------------------------------------------------------------
  # Using GitHub's API is not supported for push events
  # -------------------------------------------------------------
  # 
  # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  # Using local .git history
  # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  # Event `push`: Compare the preceding remote commit -> to the current commit of the main branch 
  # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  changed_files:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest  # windows-latest || macos-latest
    name: Test changed-files
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0  # OR "2" -> To retrieve the preceding commit.

      - name: Get changed files
        id: changed-files
        uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
      # NOTE: `since_last_remote_commit: true` is implied by default and falls back to the previous local commit.

      - name: List all changed files
        env:
          ALL_CHANGED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files.outputs.all_changed_files }}
        run: |
          for file in ${ALL_CHANGED_FILES}; do
            echo "$file was changed"
          done
      ...

Other supported events

• schedule
• release
• workflow_dispatch
• workflow_run
• merge_group
• issue_comment
• ...and many more

To access more examples, navigate to the Examples section.

If you feel generous and want to show some extra appreciation:

Support this project with a ⭐

Important

• When using files_yaml* inputs:

  • All keys must start with a letter or _ and contain only alphanumeric characters, -, or _.

    For example, test or test_key or test-key or _test_key are all valid choices.

Inputs ⚙️

- uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
  id: changed-files
  with:
    # Github API URL.
    # Type: string
    # Default: "${{ github.api_url }}"
    api_url: ''

    # Specify a different base commit 
    # SHA or branch used for 
    # comparing changes 
    # Type: string
    base_sha: ''

    # Exclude changes outside the current 
    # directory and show path names 
    # relative to it. NOTE: This 
    # requires you to specify the 
    # top-level directory via the `path` 
    # input. 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "true"
    diff_relative: ''

    # Output unique changed directories instead 
    # of filenames. NOTE: This returns 
    # `.` for changed files located 
    # in the current working directory 
    # which defaults to `$GITHUB_WORKSPACE`. 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    dir_names: ''

    # Include only directories that have 
    # been deleted as opposed to 
    # directory names of files that 
    # have been deleted in the 
    # `deleted_files` output when `dir_names` is 
    # set to `true`. 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    dir_names_deleted_files_include_only_deleted_dirs: ''

    # Exclude the current directory represented 
    # by `.` from the output 
    # when `dir_names` is set to 
    # `true`. 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    dir_names_exclude_current_dir: ''

    # File and directory patterns to 
    # include in the output when 
    # `dir_names` is set to `true`. 
    # NOTE: This returns only the 
    # matching files and also the 
    # directory names. 
    # Type: string
    dir_names_include_files: ''

    # Separator used to split the 
    # `dir_names_include_files` input 
    # Type: string
    # Default: "\n"
    dir_names_include_files_separator: ''

    # Limit the directory output to 
    # a maximum depth e.g `test/test1/test2` 
    # with max depth of `2` 
    # returns `test/test1`. 
    # Type: string
    dir_names_max_depth: ''

    # Escape JSON output.
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "true"
    escape_json: ''

    # Exclude changes to submodules.
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    exclude_submodules: ''

    # Fail when the initial diff 
    # fails. 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    fail_on_initial_diff_error: ''

    # Fail when the submodule diff 
    # fails. 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    fail_on_submodule_diff_error: ''

    # Fetch additional history for submodules.
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    fetch_additional_submodule_history: ''

    # Depth of additional branch history 
    # fetched. NOTE: This can be 
    # adjusted to resolve errors with 
    # insufficient history. 
    # Type: string
    # Default: "25"
    fetch_depth: ''

    # Maximum number of retries to 
    # fetch missing history. 
    # Type: string
    # Default: "20"
    fetch_missing_history_max_retries: ''

    # File and directory patterns used 
    # to detect changes (Defaults to the entire repo if unset). NOTE: 
    # Multiline file/directory patterns should not 
    # include quotes. 
    # Type: string
    files: ''

    # Source file(s) used to populate 
    # the `files` input. 
    # Type: string
    files_from_source_file: ''

    # Separator used to split the 
    # `files_from_source_file` input. 
    # Type: string
    # Default: "\n"
    files_from_source_file_separator: ''

    # Ignore changes to these file(s). 
    # NOTE: Multiline file/directory patterns should 
    # not include quotes. 
    # Type: string
    files_ignore: ''

    # Source file(s) used to populate 
    # the `files_ignore` input 
    # Type: string
    files_ignore_from_source_file: ''

    # Separator used to split the 
    # `files_ignore_from_source_file` input 
    # Type: string
    # Default: "\n"
    files_ignore_from_source_file_separator: ''

    # Separator used to split the 
    # `files_ignore` input 
    # Type: string
    # Default: "\n"
    files_ignore_separator: ''

    # YAML used to define a 
    # set of file patterns to 
    # ignore changes 
    # Type: string
    files_ignore_yaml: ''

    # Source file(s) used to populate 
    # the `files_ignore_yaml` input. Example: https://github.com/tj-actions/changed-files/blob/main/test/changed-files.yml 
    # Type: string
    files_ignore_yaml_from_source_file: ''

    # Separator used to split the 
    # `files_ignore_yaml_from_source_file` input 
    # Type: string
    # Default: "\n"
    files_ignore_yaml_from_source_file_separator: ''

    # Separator used to split the 
    # `files` input 
    # Type: string
    # Default: "\n"
    files_separator: ''

    # YAML used to define a 
    # set of file patterns to 
    # detect changes 
    # Type: string
    files_yaml: ''

    # Source file(s) used to populate 
    # the `files_yaml` input. Example: https://github.com/tj-actions/changed-files/blob/main/test/changed-files.yml 
    # Type: string
    files_yaml_from_source_file: ''

    # Separator used to split the 
    # `files_yaml_from_source_file` input 
    # Type: string
    # Default: "\n"
    files_yaml_from_source_file_separator: ''

    # Include `all_old_new_renamed_files` output. Note this 
    # can generate a large output 
    # See: #501. 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    include_all_old_new_renamed_files: ''

    # Output list of changed files 
    # in a JSON formatted string 
    # which can be used for 
    # matrix jobs. Example: https://github.com/tj-actions/changed-files/blob/main/.github/workflows/matrix-example.yml 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    json: ''

    # Output changed files in a 
    # format that can be used 
    # for matrix jobs. Alias for 
    # setting inputs `json` to `true` 
    # and `escape_json` to `false`. 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    matrix: ''

    # Apply the negation patterns first. 
    # NOTE: This affects how changed 
    # files are matched. 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    negation_patterns_first: ''

    # Split character for old and 
    # new renamed filename pairs. 
    # Type: string
    # Default: " "
    old_new_files_separator: ''

    # Split character for old and 
    # new filename pairs. 
    # Type: string
    # Default: ","
    old_new_separator: ''

    # Directory to store output files.
    # Type: string
    # Default: ".github/outputs"
    output_dir: ''

    # Output renamed files as deleted 
    # and added files. 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    output_renamed_files_as_deleted_and_added: ''

    # Specify a relative path under 
    # `$GITHUB_WORKSPACE` to locate the repository. 
    # Type: string
    # Default: "."
    path: ''

    # Use non-ASCII characters to match 
    # files and output the filenames 
    # completely verbatim by setting this 
    # to `false` 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "true"
    quotepath: ''

    # Recover deleted files.
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    recover_deleted_files: ''

    # Recover deleted files to a 
    # new destination directory, defaults to 
    # the original location. 
    # Type: string
    recover_deleted_files_to_destination: ''

    # File and directory patterns used 
    # to recover deleted files, defaults 
    # to the patterns provided via 
    # the `files`, `files_from_source_file`, `files_ignore` and 
    # `files_ignore_from_source_file` inputs or all deleted 
    # files if no patterns are 
    # provided. 
    # Type: string
    recover_files: ''

    # File and directory patterns to 
    # ignore when recovering deleted files. 
    # Type: string
    recover_files_ignore: ''

    # Separator used to split the 
    # `recover_files_ignore` input 
    # Type: string
    # Default: "\n"
    recover_files_ignore_separator: ''

    # Separator used to split the 
    # `recover_files` input 
    # Type: string
    # Default: "\n"
    recover_files_separator: ''

    # Apply sanitization to output filenames 
    # before being set as output. 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "true"
    safe_output: ''

    # Split character for output strings.
    # Type: string
    # Default: " "
    separator: ''

    # Specify a different commit SHA 
    # or branch used for comparing 
    # changes 
    # Type: string
    sha: ''

    # Get changed files for commits 
    # whose timestamp is older than 
    # the given time. 
    # Type: string
    since: ''

    # Use the last commit on 
    # the remote branch as the 
    # `base_sha`. Defaults to the last 
    # non-merge commit on the target 
    # branch for pull request events 
    # and the previous remote commit 
    # of the current branch for 
    # push events. 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    since_last_remote_commit: ''

    # Skip initially fetching additional history 
    # to improve performance for shallow 
    # repositories. NOTE: This could lead 
    # to errors with missing history. 
    # It's intended to be used 
    # when you've fetched all necessary 
    # history to perform the diff. 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    skip_initial_fetch: ''

    # Tags pattern to ignore.
    # Type: string
    tags_ignore_pattern: ''

    # Tags pattern to include.
    # Type: string
    # Default: "*"
    tags_pattern: ''

    # GitHub token used to fetch 
    # changed files from Github's API. 
    # Type: string
    # Default: "${{ github.token }}"
    token: ''

    # Get changed files for commits 
    # whose timestamp is earlier than 
    # the given time. 
    # Type: string
    until: ''

    # Use POSIX path separator `/` 
    # for output file paths on 
    # Windows. 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    use_posix_path_separator: ''

    # Force the use of Github's 
    # REST API even when a 
    # local copy of the repository 
    # exists 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    use_rest_api: ''

    # Write outputs to the `output_dir` 
    # defaults to `.github/outputs` folder. NOTE: 
    # This creates a `.txt` file 
    # by default and a `.json` 
    # file if `json` is set 
    # to `true`. 
    # Type: boolean
    # Default: "false"
    write_output_files: ''

Useful Acronyms 🧮

Acronym	Meaning
A	Added
C	Copied
M	Modified
D	Deleted
R	Renamed
T	Type changed
U	Unmerged
X	Unknown

Important

• When using files_yaml* inputs:

  • it's required to prefix all outputs with the key to ensure that the correct outputs are accessible.

    For example, if you use test as the key, you can access outputs like added_files, any_changed, and so on by prefixing them with the key test_added_files or test_any_changed etc.

Outputs 📤

OUTPUT	TYPE	DESCRIPTION
added_files	string	Returns only files that are Added (A).
added_files_count	string	Returns the number of added_files
all_changed_and_modified_files	string	Returns all changed and modified files i.e. a combination of (ACMRDTUX)
all_changed_and_modified_files_count	string	Returns the number of all_changed_and_modified_files
all_changed_files	string	Returns all changed files i.e. a combination of all added, copied, modified and renamed files (ACMR)
all_changed_files_count	string	Returns the number of all_changed_files
all_modified_files	string	Returns all changed files i.e. a combination of all added, copied, modified, renamed and deleted files (ACMRD).
all_modified_files_count	string	Returns the number of all_modified_files
all_old_new_renamed_files	string	Returns only files that are Renamed and lists their old and new names. NOTE: This requires setting include_all_old_new_renamed_files to true. Also, keep in mind that this output is global and wouldn't be nested in outputs generated when the *_yaml_* input is used. (R)
all_old_new_renamed_files_count	string	Returns the number of all_old_new_renamed_files
any_changed	string	Returns true when any of the filenames provided using the files* or files_ignore* inputs have changed. This defaults to true when no patterns are specified. i.e. includes a combination of all added, copied, modified and renamed files (ACMR).
any_deleted	string	Returns true when any of the filenames provided using the files* or files_ignore* inputs have been deleted. This defaults to true when no patterns are specified. (D)
any_modified	string	Returns true when any of the filenames provided using the files* or files_ignore* inputs have been modified. This defaults to true when no patterns are specified. i.e. includes a combination of all added, copied, modified, renamed, and deleted files (ACMRD).
changed_keys	string	Returns all changed YAML keys when the files_yaml input is used. i.e. key that contains any path that has either been added, copied, modified, and renamed (ACMR)
copied_files	string	Returns only files that are Copied (C).
copied_files_count	string	Returns the number of copied_files
deleted_files	string	Returns only files that are Deleted (D).
deleted_files_count	string	Returns the number of deleted_files
modified_files	string	Returns only files that are Modified (M).
modified_files_count	string	Returns the number of modified_files
modified_keys	string	Returns all modified YAML keys when the files_yaml input is used. i.e. key that contains any path that has either been added, copied, modified, and deleted (ACMRD)
only_changed	string	Returns true when only files provided using the files* or files_ignore* inputs have changed. i.e. includes a combination of all added, copied, modified and renamed files (ACMR).
only_deleted	string	Returns true when only files provided using the files* or files_ignore* inputs have been deleted. (D)
only_modified	string	Returns true when only files provided using the files* or files_ignore* inputs have been modified. (ACMRD).
other_changed_files	string	Returns all other changed files not listed in the files input i.e. includes a combination of all added, copied, modified and renamed files (ACMR).
other_changed_files_count	string	Returns the number of other_changed_files
other_deleted_files	string	Returns all other deleted files not listed in the files input i.e. a combination of all deleted files (D)
other_deleted_files_count	string	Returns the number of other_deleted_files
other_modified_files	string	Returns all other modified files not listed in the files input i.e. a combination of all added, copied, modified, and deleted files (ACMRD)
other_modified_files_count	string	Returns the number of other_modified_files
renamed_files	string	Returns only files that are Renamed (R).
renamed_files_count	string	Returns the number of renamed_files
type_changed_files	string	Returns only files that have their file type changed (T).
type_changed_files_count	string	Returns the number of type_changed_files
unknown_files	string	Returns only files that are Unknown (X).
unknown_files_count	string	Returns the number of unknown_files
unmerged_files	string	Returns only files that are Unmerged (U).
unmerged_files_count	string	Returns the number of unmerged_files

Versioning 🏷️

This GitHub Action follows the principles of Semantic Versioning for versioning releases.

The format of the version string is as follows:

• major: indicates significant changes or new features that may not be backward compatible.

• minor: indicates minor changes or new features that are backward compatible.

• patch: indicates bug fixes or other small changes that are backward compatible.

Examples 📄

Get all changed files in the current branch

...
    - name: Get changed files
      id: changed-files
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
...

Get all changed files without escaping unsafe filename characters

...
    - name: Get changed files
      id: changed-files
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
      with:
        safe_output: false # set to false because we are using an environment variable to store the output and avoid command injection.

    - name: List all added files
      env:
        ADDED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files.outputs.added_files }}
      run: |
        for file in ${ADDED_FILES}; do
          echo "$file was added"
        done
...

Get all changed files and use a comma separator

...
    - name: Get all changed files and use a comma separator in the output
      id: changed-files
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
      with:
        separator: ","
...

See inputs for more information.

Get all changed files and list all added files

...
    - name: Get changed files
      id: changed-files
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45

    - name: List all added files
      env:
        ADDED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files.outputs.added_files }}
      run: |
        for file in ${ADDED_FILES}; do
          echo "$file was added"
        done
...

See outputs for a list of all available outputs.

Get all changed files and optionally run a step if a file was modified

...
    - name: Get changed files
      id: changed-files
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45

    - name: Run a step if my-file.txt was modified
      if: contains(steps.changed-files.outputs.modified_files, 'my-file.txt')
      run: |
        echo "my-file.txt file has been modified."
...

See outputs for a list of all available outputs.

Get all changed files and write the outputs to a txt file

...

   - name: Get changed files and write the outputs to a Txt file
     id: changed-files-write-output-files-txt
     uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
     with:
       write_output_files: true

   - name: Verify the contents of the .github/outputs/added_files.txt file
     run: |
       cat .github/outputs/added_files.txt
...

Get all changed files and write the outputs to a json file

...
   - name: Get changed files and write the outputs to a JSON file
     id: changed-files-write-output-files-json
     uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
     with:
       json: true
       write_output_files: true

   - name: Verify the contents of the .github/outputs/added_files.json file
     run: |
       cat .github/outputs/added_files.json
...

Get all changed files using a list of files

...
    - name: Get changed files
      id: changed-files
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
      with:
        files: |
          my-file.txt
          *.sh
          *.png
          !*.md
          test_directory/**
          **/*.sql
...

See inputs for more information.

Get all changed files using a list of files and take action based on the changes

...
    - name: Get changed files
      id: changed-files-specific
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
      with:
        files: |
          my-file.txt
          *.sh
          *.png
          !*.md
          test_directory/**
          **/*.sql

    - name: Run step if any of the listed files above change
      if: steps.changed-files-specific.outputs.any_changed == 'true'
      run: |
        echo "One or more files listed above has changed."

    - name: Run step if only the files listed above change
      if: steps.changed-files-specific.outputs.only_changed == 'true'
      run: |
        echo "Only files listed above have changed."

    - name: Run step if any of the listed files above is deleted
      if: steps.changed-files-specific.outputs.any_deleted == 'true'
      env:
        DELETED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files-specific.outputs.deleted_files }}
      run: |
        for file in ${DELETED_FILES}; do
          echo "$file was deleted"
        done

    - name: Run step if all listed files above have been deleted
      if: steps.changed-files-specific.outputs.only_deleted == 'true'
      env:
        DELETED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files-specific.outputs.deleted_files }}
      run: |
        for file in ${DELETED_FILES}; do
          echo "$file was deleted"
        done
...

See outputs for a list of all available outputs.

Get all changed files using a source file or list of file(s) to populate to files input

...
    - name: Get changed files using a source file or list of file(s) to populate to files input.
      id: changed-files-specific-source-file
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
      with:
        files_from_source_file: test/changed-files-list.txt
...

See inputs for more information.

Get changed files using a source file or list of file(s) to populate to files input and optionally specify more files

...
    - name: Get changed files using a source file or list of file(s) to populate to files input and optionally specify more files.
      id: changed-files-specific-source-file-and-specify-files
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
      with:
        files_from_source_file: |
          test/changed-files-list.txt
        files: |
          test.txt
...

See inputs for more information.

Get all changed files using a different SHA

...
    - name: Get changed files using a different SHA
      id: changed-files
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
      with:
        sha: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }}
...

See inputs for more information.

Get all changed files using a different base SHA

...
    - name: Get changed files using a different base SHA
      id: changed-files
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
      with:
        base_sha: ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.sha }}
...

See inputs for more information.

Get all changed files between the previous tag and the current tag

...
on:
  push:
    tags:
      - 'v*'

jobs:
  release:
    name: Release
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout
        uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0

      - name: Get changed files
        id: changed-files
        uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45

      - name: List changed files
        env:
          ALL_CHANGED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files.outputs.all_changed_files }}
        run: |
          echo "List all the files that have changed: $ALL_CHANGED_FILES"

      - name: Get changed files in the .github folder
        id: changed-files-specific
        uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
        with:
          files: .github/**

      - name: Run step if any file(s) in the .github folder change
        if: steps.changed-files-specific.outputs.any_changed == 'true'
        env:
          ALL_CHANGED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files-specific.outputs.all_changed_files }}
        run: |
          echo "One or more files in the .github folder has changed."
          echo "List all the files that have changed: $ALL_CHANGED_FILES"
...

See inputs for more information.

Get all changed files for a repository located in a different path

...
    - name: Checkout into dir1
      uses: actions/checkout@v4
      with:
        fetch-depth: 0
        path: dir1

    - name: Run changed-files with defaults in dir1
      id: changed-files-for-dir1
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
      with:
        path: dir1

    - name: List all added files in dir1
      env:
        ADDED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-files-for-dir1.outputs.added_files }}
      run: |
        for file in ${ADDED_FILES}; do
          echo "$file was added"
        done
...

See inputs for more information.

Get all changed files with non-äšćįí characters i.e (Filename in other languages)

...
    - name: Run changed-files with quotepath disabled
      id: changed-files-quotepath
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
      with:
        quotepath: "false"

    - name: Run changed-files with quotepath disabled for a specified list of file(s)
      id: changed-files-quotepath-specific
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
      with:
        files: test/test-è.txt
        quotepath: "false"
...

See inputs for more information.

Get all changed files using the last successful commit of the base branch

• Push event

  ...
        - name: Get branch name
          id: branch-name
          uses: tj-actions/branch-names@v6
  
        - uses: nrwl/nx-set-shas@v3
          id: last_successful_commit_push
          with:
            main-branch-name: ${{ steps.branch-name.outputs.current_branch }} # Get the last successful commit for the current branch.
            workflow-id: 'test.yml'
  
        - name: Run changed-files with the commit of the last successful test workflow run
          id: changed-files-base-sha-push
          uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
          with:
            base_sha: ${{ steps.last_successful_commit_push.outputs.base }}
  ...

• Pull request events

  ...
        - name: Get branch name
          id: branch-name
          uses: tj-actions/branch-names@v5
  
        - uses: nrwl/nx-set-shas@v3
          id: last_successful_commit_pull_request
          with:
            main-branch-name: ${{ steps.branch-name.outputs.base_ref_branch }} # Get the last successful commit on the master or main branch
            workflow_id: 'test.yml'
  
        - name: Run changed-files with the commit of the last successful test workflow run on the main branch
          id: changed-files-base-sha-pull-request
          uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
          with:
            base_sha: ${{ steps.last_successful_commit_pull_request.outputs.base }}
  ...

Warning

This setting overrides the commit sha used by setting since_last_remote_commit to true. It is recommended to use either solution that works for your use case.

See inputs for more information.

Get all changed files but only return the directory names

...
    - name: Run changed-files with dir_names
      id: changed-files-dir-names
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
      with:
        dir_names: "true"
...

See inputs for more information.

Get all changed files and return JSON formatted outputs

...
    - name: Run changed-files with JSON output
      id: changed-files-json
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
      with:
        json: "true"
...

See inputs for more information.

Get all changed files by commits pushed in the past

...
    - name: Get changed-files since 2022-08-19
      id: changed-files-since
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
      with:
        since: "2022-08-19"

    - name: Get changed-files until 2022-08-20
      id: changed-files-until
      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v45
      with:
        until: "2022-08-20"
...

See inputs for more information.

Real-world usage 🌐

Open source projects 📦

• vitejs/vite: uses tj-actions/changed-files to automate testing

• qgis/QGIS: uses tj-actions/changed-files to automate spell checking

• coder/code-server: uses tj-actions/changed-files to automate detecting changes and run steps based on the outcome

• tldr-pages/tldr: uses tj-actions/changed-files to automate detecting spelling errors

• nodejs/docker-node: uses tj-actions/changed-files to generate matrix jobs based on changes detected

• refined-github: uses tj-actions/changed-files to automate test URL validation in added/edited files

• aws-doc-sdk-examples: uses tj-actions/changed-files to automate testing

• nhost: uses tj-actions/changed-files to automate testing based on changes detected

• qmk_firmware uses tj-actions/changed-files to run linters

• argo-cd uses tj-actions/changed-files to detect changed frontend or backend files

• argo-workflows uses tj-actions/changed-files to run specific jobs based on changes detected

And many more...

Scalability Example 📈

Important Notice ⚠️

Important

• Spaces in file names can introduce bugs when using bash loops. See: #216 However, this action will handle spaces in file names, with a recommendation of using a separator to prevent any hidden issues.

  

Migration guide 🔄

With the switch from using grep's Extended regex to match files to the natively supported workflow glob pattern matching syntax introduced in v13 you'll need to modify patterns used to match files.

...
      - name: Get specific changed files
        id: changed-files-specific
        uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v24
        with:
          files: |
-            \.sh$
-            .(sql|py)$
-            ^(dir1|dir2)
+            **/*.{sh,sql,py}
+            {dir1,dir2}/**

• Free software: MIT license

Credits 👏

This package was created with cookiecutter-action.

• tj-actions/auto-doc
• tj-actions/verify-changed-files
• tj-actions/demo
• tj-actions/demo2
• tj-actions/demo3
• tj-actions/release-tagger

Report Bugs 🐛

Report bugs at https://github.com/tj-actions/changed-files/issues.

If you are reporting a bug, please include:

• Your operating system name and version.
• All essential details about your workflow that might be helpful in troubleshooting. (NOTE: Ensure that you include full log outputs with debugging enabled)
• Detailed steps to reproduce the bug.

Contributors ✨

Thanks goes to these wonderful people (emoji key):

Josh Soref 📖	Nick Landers 💻	Krasimir Nikolov 💻 📖	Ivan Pizhenko 💻 📖	talva-tr 💻	Ikko Ashimine 📖	James 📖
James Cheng 📖	Masaya Suzuki 💻	fagai 📖	Constantine Peresypkin 💻	Mathieu Dupuy 📖	Joe Moggridge 📖	Charles Santos 💻
Kostiantyn Korniienko 📖	Logan Pulley 💻	Kenji Miyake 💻	adonisgarciac 💻 📖	Chiel Fernhout 📖	Alberto Perdomo 📖	Arthur 🐛 💻
Rodrigo Fior Kuntzer 💻 ⚠️ 🐛	Aleksey Levenstein 📖	Daniel Hill 📖	KeisukeYamashita 📖	Aravind 💻 🐛	Lukas Pfahler 💻

This project follows the all-contributors specification. Contributions of any kind welcome!