Hosted runner runtime
GitHub Actions Node 24 JavaScript actions runner runtime node20 native loader incompatibility
The action worked under Node 20 but crashes before user steps with a native/loader incompatibility.
Agent Quick Fix
Repair against the current GitHub Actions runner contract, then keep the change narrow and source-backed.
Product: GitHub Actions runner
Current-contract area: JavaScript action breaks when GitHub forces Node 24 host runtime
Likely root cause: The action worked under Node 20 but crashes before user steps with a native/loader incompatibility.
Repair direction: Verifier executes on the target host matrix and checks a forward-compatible action/runtime change. Check the supported runner/runtime matrix, not just a local Node invocation.Symptom
The action worked under Node 20 but crashes before user steps with a native/loader incompatibility.
Why This Happens
The action's host runtime and runner compatibility are supplied by the CI platform, not by the repository's package.json or source tree.
Common Wrong Fixes
- Changing local code without checking the current external contract.
- Retrying the same install, build, or API call with no version/source change.
- Applying a broad unsafe bypass when a narrow compatibility fix is available.
Codex Search Keywords
These are the search terms observed in a neutral Codex validation run for this failure shape.
GitHub Actions Node 24 JavaScript actions runner runtime node20 native loader incompatibility
site:github.blog changelog GitHub Actions node24 runtime actions/checkout node24
GitHub Actions runner Node 24 JavaScript actions force Node 24 runtime native module loader error
https://docs.github.com/en/actions/sharing-automations/creating-actions/metadata-syntax-for-github-actionsSource Trail
GitHub source file/reference: