Table github_actions_repository_runner returning empty

[gabrielsoltz]

Describe the bug

I'm having an issue with the github plugin table github_actions_repository_runner

If I query a repository I don't have access, I get 403:

select * from github_actions_repository_runner where repository_full_name = 'turbot/steampipe'

Error: github: GET https://api.github.com/repos/turbot/steampipe/actions/runners?per_page=100: 403 You must have repository read permissions or have the repository runners fine-grained permission. [] (SQLSTATE HV000)

+----------+----------------------+----+------+----+--------+------+--------+--------------------+--------+------+
| login_id | repository_full_name | id | name | os | status | busy | labels | sp_connection_name | sp_ctx | _ctx |
+----------+----------------------+----+------+----+--------+------+--------+--------------------+--------+------+
+----------+----------------------+----+------+----+--------+------+--------+--------------------+--------+------+
0 rows

If I query a repository I have access, I always get an empty result:

select * from github_actions_repository_runner where repository_full_name = 'gabrielsoltz/metahub'
+----------+----------------------+----+------+----+--------+------+--------+--------------------+--------+------+
| login_id | repository_full_name | id | name | os | status | busy | labels | sp_connection_name | sp_ctx | _ctx |
+----------+----------------------+----+------+----+--------+------+--------+--------------------+--------+------+
+----------+----------------------+----+------+----+--------+------+--------+--------------------+--------+------+
0 rows

I double checked the permissions and I have both Metadata and Self-hosted runners (and I even tried with full admin user)... I also tried this for repositories in an organization.

Another "interesting" thing, is that if i query an non-existent repository, I get the same result, empty:

select * from github_actions_repository_runner where repository_full_name = 'turbot/steampipwwwe'
+----------+----------------------+----+------+----+--------+------+--------+--------------------+--------+------+
| login_id | repository_full_name | id | name | os | status | busy | labels | sp_connection_name | sp_ctx | _ctx |
+----------+----------------------+----+------+----+--------+------+--------+--------------------+--------+------+
+----------+----------------------+----+------+----+--------+------+--------+--------------------+--------+------+
0 rows

I tested this with PAT Classsic Token and Github App.

Github App configured with these permissions:

Read access to Dependabot alerts, actions, actions variables, administration, attestations api, checks, code, codespaces, codespaces lifecycle admin, codespaces metadata, commit statuses, custom organization roles, custom properties for repositories, custom repository roles, dependabot secrets, deployments, discussions, environments, issues, members, merge queues, metadata, organization actions variables, organization administration, organization announcement banners, organization codespaces, organization codespaces secrets, organization codespaces settings, organization copilot seat management, organization custom properties for repositories, organization dependabot secrets, organization events, organization hooks, organization personal access token requests, organization personal access tokens, organization plan, organization projects, organization secrets, organization self hosted runners, organization user blocking, packages, pages, pull requests, repository advisories, repository hooks, repository projects, secret scanning alerts, secrets, security events, and team discussions

Steampipe version (steampipe -v)
Steampipe v2.3.4

Plugin version (steampipe plugin list)
1.7.0

[misraved]

Hi @gabrielsoltz,

Thanks for reporting this issue. I've investigated and tested the table thoroughly.

The table is working correctly. I verified this by registering a self-hosted runner and confirming the table returns the expected data:

select * from github_actions_repository_runner where repository_full_name = 'turbot/steampipe-plugin-github'

id	name	os	status	busy	labels
22	test-runner-debug	macOS	offline	false	[{"name":"self-hosted"},{"name":"macOS"},...]

The likely cause of empty results:

This table only returns self-hosted runners that are registered directly to the repository. Empty results mean:

• No self-hosted runners are configured for that repository, OR
• Runners are configured at the organization level (not repository level)

Having the "Self-hosted runners" permission in your GitHub App doesn't mean runners are registered — it just means your app is allowed to access them if they exist.

To verify:

• Go to your repository → Settings → Actions → Runners
• Check if any runners are listed there

If runners are listed in the UI but the table returns empty, please let us know

Note: If your runners are configured at the organization level, they won't appear in this table. We don't currently have a github_actions_organization_runner table, but that could be added as a feature request.

Regarding non-existent repositories returning empty: This is expected behavior — the table ignores 404 errors to handle cases where repositories may have been deleted. I understand this can be confusing, but it's consistent with other tables in the plugin.

Let me know if you can confirm runners are visible in the GitHub UI for your reposit

[gabrielsoltz]

Hi @misraved , thanks for checking this. You are right, I confirmed it.
so what I’m looking for is the github_actions_organization_runner table. I’ll create a feature request for it. Thanks again!

[misraved]

Closing this issue in favour of #534