GitHub Package Install Action

GitHub Action to automatically post npm install commands for testing packages directly from GitHub commits.

Features

• 🎯 Generates npm install command with commit hash
• 📦 Allows testing PRs before merging
• 🔄 Updates existing comment instead of creating duplicates
• 💡 Optional package name for context

Installation

Add this action to your workflow file (e.g., .github/workflows/ci.yml):

- uses: helderberto/github-package-install-action@v1
  with:
    github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Quick Start

name: CI

on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: read
      pull-requests: write

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 20

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm ci

      - name: Run tests
        run: npm test

      - name: Build
        run: npm run build

      - name: Post install command
        uses: helderberto/github-package-install-action@v1
        with:
          github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          package-name: my-package-name

Configuration

Inputs

Input	Description	Required	Default
github-token	GitHub token for authentication	✅ Yes	-
package-name	Package name (for display)	No	-
comment-title	Title for the PR comment	No	🎯 Test this PR

Examples

Basic usage (minimal):

- uses: helderberto/github-package-install-action@v1
  with:
    github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

With package name:

- uses: helderberto/github-package-install-action@v1
  with:
    github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
    package-name: my-awesome-package

Custom comment title:

- uses: helderberto/github-package-install-action@v1
  with:
    github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
    comment-title: '📦 Try This Version'

Complete example with tests:

name: CI

on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: read
      pull-requests: write

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 20

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm ci

      - name: Run tests
        run: npm test

      - name: Build
        run: npm run build

      - name: Post install command
        if: success()
        uses: helderberto/github-package-install-action@v1
        with:
          github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          package-name: my-package

Requirements

• Requires pull-requests: write permission
• Only runs on pull_request events
• Package must be buildable from the GitHub repository

Example Output

The action posts a comment on your PR that looks like this:

---

🎯 Test this PR

Install this PR directly from GitHub to test it before merging:

npm install github:helderberto/stato#abc1234

Commit: abc1234

Package: stato-react

---

How to Test

1. Copy the install command from the comment above
2. Run it in your project:

   npm install github:helderberto/stato#abc1234

3. Test the changes in your local environment
4. Provide feedback on the PR

Reverting

To go back to the published version:

npm install stato-react@latest

Why Use This?

Testing npm packages before they're published:

• ✅ Verify changes work in real projects
• ✅ Test breaking changes before merging
• ✅ Get feedback from reviewers with actual usage
• ✅ No need to publish pre-release versions

How It Works

GitHub allows installing npm packages directly from repositories using the format:

npm install github:owner/repo#commit-hash

This action:

1. Gets the PR commit hash
2. Generates the install command
3. Posts/updates a PR comment with the command
4. Allows users to test the exact PR changes

Development

This action uses @vercel/ncc to bundle dependencies into a single file.

Building

After making changes to src/index.ts, run:

npm run build

This compiles src/index.ts and all dependencies into dist/index.js. The dist/ folder is committed to the repository (not node_modules/).

Why Bundle?

• No runtime dependencies - dist/index.js contains everything
• Faster action execution - no npm install needed
• Smaller repository - commit bundled code, not node_modules/

License

MIT