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Introduction: Big Shift Coming to GitHub Actions Runner APIs
GitHub has announced a significant upcoming change to its Actions runner APIs that will directly affect developers and organizations relying on self-hosted or larger hosted runner instances. Starting July 3rd, 2025, GitHub will remove the visibility of larger hosted runner instances from a key API endpoint. While this update aims to align the API with existing documentation, it also means developers and CI/CD pipelines relying on this data will need to make critical adjustments. Here’s everything you need to know.
the Original
GitHub is preparing to roll out a breaking change that will affect the behavior of its orgs/{org}/actions/runners API endpoint. Currently, this API displays both self-hosted runners and larger hosted runner instances. However, beginning on July 3rd, 2025, GitHub will remove support for listing larger hosted runners in this endpoint. After this date, the endpoint will only show self-hosted runners, fully aligning the API’s output with GitHub’s current documentation.
This change is particularly relevant for developers and DevOps engineers who depend on automated scripts or tools that parse this API to gather information on runner availability and capacity. Larger hosted runnersâtypically used for more resource-intensive workflowsâwill no longer be visible through this API, which may lead to confusion or errors if systems are not updated accordingly.
Organizations will need to audit their current automation processes, update any dashboards or monitoring systems that consume this endpoint, and prepare for the change to ensure business continuity. While the removal does not affect the use of the runners themselves, the loss of visibility into larger hosted runners via this API could lead to misaligned assumptions in infrastructure management or job queuing systems.
By enforcing consistency between the API and the documentation, GitHub aims to reduce ambiguity. However, this shift emphasizes the need for developers to not only rely on API output but also consistently monitor release notes and platform changes.
In essence, this is not just a cosmetic or back-end tweakâitâs a structural change that could break workflows for those unprepared. Developers should act now to future-proof their CI/CD pipelines before the July 2025 deadline.
đĄ What Undercode Say:
Why This Change Matters
The upcoming removal of larger hosted runners from the GitHub Actions API highlights an increasingly standardized and streamlined approach from GitHub. From an engineering perspective, the change is logical: documentation and actual behavior must be consistent. However, the broader implications are worth exploring.
Impact on CI/CD Pipelines
For DevOps teams relying on the visibility of all runner types, this change introduces a blind spot. The inability to programmatically access larger hosted runner data means automation systems that distribute workloads based on runner availability may need redesigning. This is especially relevant for organizations using matrix builds or parallel workflows.
Infrastructure Planning Challenges
Previously, having visibility into hosted runner availability allowed teams to make dynamic decisions about workflow scaling or fallback procedures. Now, infrastructure teams may need to rely on alternative methods or internal documentation to keep track of these runners, which could increase complexity and reduce agility.
Monitoring and Automation Adjustments
Automated monitoring dashboards that include API-based runner metrics will no longer show the full picture. Expect gaps in logs and discrepancies in usage metrics if tools arenât updated. This will force teams to either integrate additional tools or modify how they interpret GitHub API data.
Why This May Be a Good Thing
This change also encourages API discipline. Too many users rely on undocumented or poorly supported API behaviors, which can break unexpectedly. By enforcing documentation compliance, GitHub helps developers build more resilient systems.
Alternative Strategies
Organizations can mitigate the change by:
Using GitHubâs usage reports or billing dashboards to track hosted runner consumption.
Implementing internal tagging or labeling systems to manage runner allocation outside the GitHub API.
Shifting towards more robust event-driven architecture where runner usage is logged via GitHub webhooks or workflow dispatch events.
The Road Ahead for GitHub Actions
This change may be a small piece of a broader evolution. GitHub Actions is maturing quickly, and such updates suggest a movement toward more granular access controls and visibility toolsâpotentially even a tiered API access model or enhanced analytics offerings for enterprises.
â Fact Checker Results
â
Claim: GitHub will remove larger hosted runner visibility from the orgs/{org}/actions/runners API.
âď¸ True â Confirmed by GitHub for July 3rd, 2025.
â Misconception: Hosted runners will no longer be usable.
â False â Hosted runners remain available; only visibility via API is affected.
â
Claim: The change aligns API behavior with documentation.
âď¸ True â GitHub aims for consistency between API output and documented behavior.
đŽ Prediction
By late 2025, we predict GitHub will introduce enhanced observability tools or separate endpoints specifically for hosted runners to address user demands. Enterprise users may also gain access to premium monitoring dashboards or receive real-time runner analytics. The trend indicates GitHub is moving toward modular, transparent, and documented CI/CD architecture, reducing legacy dependencies and untracked API behaviors.
References:
Reported By: github.blog
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