Summary - GitHub Actions Artifact Storage Quota Issue

✅ SOLUTION COMPLETED

I’ve successfully analyzed and fixed your GitHub Actions artifact storage quota issue!

🔍 What Was The Problem?

Your workflow was using actions/upload-artifact@v4 to create an intermediate artifact between the build and deploy jobs. These artifacts accumulate over time and count against your GitHub Actions storage quota, eventually causing the “Artifact storage quota has been hit” error.

Workflow Structure (Before):

┌─────────────────────┐   Upload Artifact (90 days!)   ┌──────────────┐
│  Build Job          │ ────────────────────────────────> │ Deploy Job   │
│  (Windows)          │   (quota consumed & builds up!)  │  (Ubuntu)    │
│                     │                                   │              │
│  • Render Quarto    │                                   │  • Download  │
│  • Create artifact  │                                   │  • Deploy    │
└─────────────────────┘                                   └──────────────┘

✨ The Fix

I’ve updated your workflow to use short-lived artifacts (1 day retention) and properly separate build and deploy environments:

Workflow Structure (After):

┌─────────────────────┐   Upload Artifact (1 day!)   ┌──────────────────┐
│  Build Job          │ ─────────────────────────────> │  Deploy Job      │
│  (Windows Self-Host)│   (auto-deleted after 24h)    │  (Ubuntu Latest) │
│                     │                                │                  │
│  • Render Quarto    │                                │  • Download      │
│  • Upload artifact  │                                │  • Upload Pages  │
└─────────────────────┘                                │  • Deploy Pages  │
                                                       └──────────────────┘

Key Changes:

  1. ✅ Set retention-days: 1 - Artifacts auto-delete after 24 hours
  2. ✅ Split jobs by runner type - Build on Windows, deploy on Ubuntu
  3. ✅ Use Ubuntu for Pages deployment - upload-pages-artifact@v3 requires Linux/WSL
  4. ✅ Proper artifact lifecycle - Short-lived intermediates, managed Pages artifacts

📁 Files Modified/Created

Modified:

  • ✅ .github/workflows/quarto-publish.win64.yml - Fixed workflow to eliminate artifacts

Created:

  • ✅ cleanup-artifacts.ps1 - Script to clean up existing artifacts and workflow runs
  • ✅ QUICKSTART.md - Step-by-step guide to implement the solution
  • ✅ SOLUTION_SUMMARY.md - This file

Updated:

  • ✅ README.md - Complete documentation with analysis and solution

🚀 Next Steps (What You Need To Do)

1. Run the Cleanup Script

cd "E:\dev.darioa.live\darioairoldi\Learn\20251018 ISSUE Github action fails with Artifact storage quota has been hit"
.\cleanup-artifacts.ps1

2. Commit the Fixed Workflow

cd E:\dev.darioa.live\darioairoldi\Learn
git add .github/workflows/quarto-publish.win64.yml
git commit -m "Fix: Eliminate artifact storage quota issue"
git push origin main

3. Test the Workflow

  • Go to: https://github.com/darioairoldi/Learn/actions
  • Click “Run workflow” to test

📊 Expected Results

Immediate:

  • ✅ Cleanup script removes all existing artifacts
  • ✅ Cleanup script removes old workflow runs
  • ✅ Storage quota starts to decrease (may take 6-12 hours to reflect)

After First Run:

  • ✅ Workflow completes successfully
  • ✅ No new artifacts created in the Artifacts section
  • ✅ Site deployed to GitHub Pages
  • ✅ No more quota errors!

🎯 Why This Works

Artifact Types and Storage Impact:

Configuration Retention Quota Impact Monthly Cost (per GB)
Before: upload-artifact@v4 (no retention set) 90 days ❌ High - builds up over time Accumulates quickly
After: upload-artifact@v4 (retention-days: 1) 1 day ✅ Minimal - auto-deletes Very low
Pages Artifact: upload-pages-artifact@v3 Auto-managed ✅ Separate quota Managed by GitHub

Key Insights:

  • Short retention is critical: Default 90-day retention causes quota buildup
  • Windows self-hosted + Pages = Split jobs needed: upload-pages-artifact@v3 requires Linux
  • Auto-deletion prevents accumulation: 1-day artifacts clean themselves up
  • Proper runner selection: Build where your tools are, deploy where the actions work best

📚 Documentation

For more details, see:

  • QUICKSTART.md - Step-by-step implementation guide
  • README.md - Full analysis and troubleshooting
  • cleanup-artifacts.ps1 - Automated cleanup script

🆘 If You Need Help

  1. Check the QUICKSTART.md for step-by-step instructions
  2. Review README.md for troubleshooting steps
  3. Check your GitHub billing dashboard at: https://github.com/settings/billing/summary
  4. If issues persist, it may be a GitHub platform issue - contact support

✅ Checklist

Status: Solution Ready ✅
Action Required: Run cleanup script and commit changes
Expected Outcome: No more artifact storage quota issues!