Bug: Git symbolic-ref error in GitHub Actions environments

[petetan]

Bug Report

Description

The action fails when used in GitHub Actions environments with the following error:

Error: Failed to analyze repository changes: Repository validation failed: Git command failed: symbolic-ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD

Environment

• Platform: GitHub Actions runners (ubuntu-latest)
• Git version: Various (GitHub Actions default)
• Action version: v1.0.0

Steps to Reproduce

1. Set up a workflow using synctree/releasebot@v1
2. Use standard actions/checkout@v4 to checkout repository
3. Run the action with any configuration
4. The action fails during repository validation

Expected Behavior

The action should work properly in GitHub Actions environments without requiring special git configuration.

Actual Behavior

The action crashes with a git symbolic-ref error during the repository validation phase.

Root Cause

GitHub Actions checkout action doesn't automatically set up the symbolic reference refs/remotes/origin/HEAD that points to the default branch. The current code assumes this reference exists:

const defaultBranch = this.executeGitCommand('symbolic-ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD')
  .replace('refs/remotes/origin/', '')
  .trim();

When this command fails, the entire repository validation fails, preventing the action from running.

Impact

• ❌ Action is unusable in standard GitHub Actions workflows
• ❌ No fallback mechanism for determining default branch
• ❌ Poor user experience for developers trying to use the action

Proposed Solution

Implement a more robust default branch detection with fallback strategies:

1. Try symbolic-ref (current approach)
2. Use current branch if available
3. Fallback to 'main' as default

This approach ensures the action works in all environments while maintaining functionality.

Additional Context

This is a common issue with GitHub Actions environments where git repositories are cloned with specific configurations that may not include all traditional git references.

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Labels: bug, github-actions, priority-high

[petetan]

Fix Implementation

I've implemented a fix for this issue in PR #2.

Summary of the fix:

• Replaced the problematic symbolic-ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD command with a more robust fallback approach
• Use current branch detection when available, with 'main' as a safe fallback
• Removes dependency on symbolic references that aren't always present in GitHub Actions environments

Technical details:
The original code assumed that refs/remotes/origin/HEAD would always be available, but GitHub Actions checkout configurations don't always set up these symbolic references. The new implementation gracefully handles this scenario while maintaining functionality.

Testing:

• ✅ Builds successfully
• ✅ Follows conventional commit format
• ✅ Should resolve the reported error

The fix will be available once PR #2 is merged and a new release is created.