docs: update CHANGELOG, README, DEPLOY with fix documentation

- CHANGELOG: add entries for & && fix, label contention, ip6tables, dockerd backgrounding
- README: recommend unique job-${{ github.run_id }} label in quickstart
- DEPLOY: update workflow examples, label contention troubleshooting, RUNNER_VERSION

Author: manascb1344

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -6,6 +6,12 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 
 ### Fixed
 - OrderedDict has no `.add()` method — use key assignment for delivery dedup cache (`66ad287`)
+- Bash syntax error in SANDBOX_CMD (`& &&`) preventing runner from starting (`8b9857f`)
+- Label contention in `test.yml` — added `job-${{ github.run_id }}` unique label for 1:1 JIT runner binding (`8b9857f`)
+- `ip6tables-legacy` alternative registration crash during image rebuild (`43825b0`)
+
+### Changed
+- Dockerd wait + image load now run in background — runner starts immediately without waiting for Docker. Non-Docker jobs skip the 60s dockerd startup entirely. (`43825b0`)
 
 ### Added
 - Multi-region support via `MODAL_REGION` environment variable

DEPLOY.md

@@ -72,15 +72,19 @@ This guide outlines the steps to deploy this project using Modal.
 
 7.  **Update your GitHub Actions workflow:**
     *   Ensure the `runs-on` field includes `modal` and `self-hosted`.
+    *   **Always include a unique label** to prevent label contention between concurrent jobs.
 
     ```yaml
-    runs-on: [self-hosted, modal]
+    runs-on: [self-hosted, modal, "job-${{ github.run_id }}"]
     ```
 
+    Without the unique label, multiple queued jobs compete for the same JIT runner
+    and get stuck in "queued" state — each job needs its own dedicated runner.
+
     **GPU jobs:** Add a `gpu:` label to request GPU acceleration.
 
     ```yaml
-    runs-on: [self-hosted, modal, gpu:t4]
+    runs-on: [self-hosted, modal, "job-${{ github.run_id }}", gpu:t4]
     ```
 
     Supported GPU types: `gpu:t4`, `gpu:l4`, `gpu:a100`, `gpu:a100-80gb`, `gpu:h100`
@@ -117,7 +121,11 @@ The runner image build can take a while on first deploy, or the Docker-in-Sandbo
 
 **Jobs stuck in queued state**
 
-The webhook is not reaching the endpoint, or the `modal` label is missing from the workflow. Verify the webhook URL is correct and publicly accessible. Check that your workflow file has `runs-on: [self-hosted, modal]`.
+The webhook is not reaching the endpoint, or the `modal` label is missing from the workflow. Verify the webhook URL is correct and publicly accessible. Check that your workflow file has `runs-on: [self-hosted, modal]`. If using concurrent jobs, ensure each job has a unique label like `job-${{ github.run_id }}` to prevent label contention between JIT runners.
+
+**Multiple jobs stuck queued but one completes randomly**
+
+Label contention. Without unique labels in `runs-on`, a JIT runner created for job A can pick up job B instead. Fix: add `"job-${{ github.run_id }}"` to every job's `runs-on`.
 
 **GPU jobs fail to start**
 
@@ -135,7 +143,7 @@ GitHub retries webhooks when responses are slow or network issues occur. This is
 | `WEBHOOK_SECRET` | Yes | - | Secret for webhook signature validation |
 | `WEBHOOK_SECRET_OLD` | No | - | Previous secret for seamless rotation |
 | `ALLOWED_REPOS` | No | (all) | Comma-separated allowlist of `owner/repo` |
-| `RUNNER_VERSION` | No | `2.333.1` | GitHub Actions runner version |
+| `RUNNER_VERSION` | No | `2.334.0` | GitHub Actions runner version |
 | `RUNNER_GROUP_ID` | No | `1` | Runner group ID |
 | `MAX_CONCURRENT_PER_REPO` | No | (unlimited) | Max concurrent sandboxes per repo |
 | `ALLOWED_CIDRS` | No | (allow all) | Comma-separated CIDR ranges for outbound |

README.md

@@ -28,9 +28,15 @@ modal deploy app.py
 Then update your workflow file:
 
 ```yaml
-runs-on: [self-hosted, modal]
+jobs:
+  test:
+    runs-on: [self-hosted, modal, "job-${{ github.run_id }}"]
+    steps:
+      - run: echo "Hello from Modal!"
 ```
 
+> **Important:** Always include a unique label (`job-${{ github.run_id }}`) in `runs-on` to ensure each job gets its own dedicated runner. Without it, multiple jobs compete for the same runner and get stuck in "queued" state.
+
 Full deployment walkthrough: [DEPLOY.md](DEPLOY.md).
 
 ## Features
@@ -72,7 +78,7 @@ Staging limits concurrent Modal sandbox spawns to ~5 at a time, preventing API o
 |--|-------------|------------|---------------|
 | Infrastructure | None (serverless) | Kubernetes cluster | None (managed) |
 | Idle cost | Zero | Node compute when idle | N/A (billed per minute) |
-| Startup time | Sub-second sandbox | Pod scheduling (seconds to minutes) | ~10-20 seconds |
+| Startup time | Sub-second sandbox, ~1-4min total (cold start) | Pod scheduling (seconds to minutes) | ~10-20 seconds |
 | GPU support | T4, L4, A100, A100-80GB, H100 | Requires GPU nodes | Limited, macOS only |
 | Horizontal scaling | Automatic, no config | Requires HPA/cluster autoscaler | Automatic |
 | Isolation | MicroVM sandbox | Container (shared kernel) | VM |