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The ci.executeWorkflow action lets an Overcut workflow fire an external CI/CD workflow (starting with GitHub Actions support, more providers coming soon). You can kick-off builds, tests, deployments or any custom pipeline, either fire-and-forget or while waiting for completion and capturing the result.

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Overview

When your automation needs to interact with an existing CI process—e.g., run an integration-test suite before continuing—you can add a ci.executeWorkflow step. The step calls the CI provider’s API, passes parameters and (optionally) pauses execution until the external workflow finishes.

Works with GitHub Actions

Provide repository, workflow file and ref; Overcut handles authentication.

Wait or Continue

Choose to block the workflow until success/failure, or continue immediately.

Dynamic Inputs

Pass trigger data or previous step outputs as inputs to the CI job.

Rich Status

Step status is Waiting for External while the CI job is running.

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Parameters

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Required Parameters

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repoFullName
string
required
Repository owning the CI workflow, in owner/repo format.
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workflowId
string
required
File name (e.g., .github/workflows/test.yml) or numeric workflow ID of the job to run.

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Optional Parameters

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ref
string
Git reference (branch, tag or SHA) to use when triggering the workflow.
Defaults to the repository’s default branch.
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waitForCompletion
boolean
If true, the Overcut step waits until the external workflow completes and sets its final status accordingly. When enabled, the step enters Waiting for External state until completion.
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inputs
object
Key/value map of input parameters defined by the target workflow. Supports string, number and boolean values.

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Step Configuration

In the Workflow Builder:
  1. Add a new Action step and select Execute CI Workflow.
  2. Enter the repository and workflow file.
  3. (Optional) Specify ref, inputs and wait for completion.
  4. Connect subsequent steps. If you enabled wait for completion, downstream steps will run only after the CI job succeeds (or fails based on your on-failure policy).
Execute CI Workflow form

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Example

steps:
  - id: "run-tests"
    name: "Run Integration Tests"
    action: "ci.executeWorkflow"
    params:
      repoFullName: "acme/monolith"
      workflowId: ".github/workflows/integration.yml"
      ref: "{{trigger.pullRequest.headSha}}"
      waitForCompletion: true
      inputs:
        environment: "staging"
        runE2E: true
The step triggers the specified GitHub Actions workflow on the PR’s commit and pauses execution. While the CI job runs, the step status shows Waiting for External. Once finished, Overcut records the result and continues the workflow.
StatusWhen It Appears
Waiting for ExternalThe step is waiting for an external system (e.g., CI workflow) to finish before proceeding.
Downstream steps see {{outputs.run-tests.status}} reflecting success, failure or cancelled (when waitForCompletion: true).

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See Also