on: pull_request workflow only runs once after workflow file change, then stops triggering for subsequent PRs

[KyxngminKim]

Why are you starting this discussion?

Bug

What GitHub Actions topic or product is this about?

Workflow Deployment

Discussion Details

I’m seeing odd behavior with a pull_request‑triggered workflow and I’m not sure if this is expected or a bug.
This setup worked fine up until around Sep 3, 2025, but starting from around Sep 16, 2025 I began to see the issue below and it has continued since then.

Workflow (simplified)

name: 'Release deployment'

on:
  pull_request:
    types: [closed]
    branches:
      - main
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      version:
        required: true
        default: 'latest'

jobs:
  build:
    if: >
      (github.event.pull_request.merged == true &&
       github.event.pull_request.base.ref == 'main' &&
       (contains(github.event.pull_request.head.ref, 'release/app') ||
        contains(github.event.pull_request.head.ref, 'hotfix/app'))) ||
      (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && inputs.version == 'latest')
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

A very similar workflow for develop (same repo, same runners, just branches: [develop] and a simpler if:) runs reliably on every merged PR.

What I observe

• After I edit this workflow file on main and merge that change:
  • The first PR that matches the conditions (base=main, merged=true, head contains release/app) triggers the workflow as Event: pull_request.
  • Later PRs with the same pattern do not trigger this workflow at all (only manual workflow_dispatch runs appear).
• I don’t see anything in the YAML that would explain why only the first matching PR after a change would work.
• Again, this behavior only started around Sep 16, 2025; before that, the same pattern had been working as expected.

Question

Is there any known reason why a workflow with on: pull_request / types: [closed] / branches: [main] could fire once after a file change and then stop triggering for subsequent matching PRs, while an almost identical workflow for develop keeps working?

Any hints on what to check next (or how to debug whether the pull_request event is being considered for this workflow) would be appreciated.

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[KyxngminKim]

Resolved — this was due to the GH_PAT permissions. Switching to a new token (RELEASE_BOT_PAT) fixed the issue.