GitHub Pages deployment stuck in Queued — no Cancel button

[Stress-Stephan]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Bug

💬 Feature/Topic Area

ARC (Actions Runner Controller)

Discussion Details

My GitHub Pages deployment is stuck.

Repository:
https://github.com/Stress-Stephan/codex-stephanus

Workflow run:
https://github.com/Stress-Stephan/codex-stephanus/actions/runs/42717745844

The first attempt built successfully, but deployment stayed at “syncing_files” and timed out after about 10 minutes.

After selecting “Re-run failed jobs”, attempt #2 has remained “Queued” since yesterday. No “Cancel workflow” button is available, although I am signed in as the repository owner.

The updated website files are already on main.

How can I clear the stuck run and deploy the site again?

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[helmipradita]

When a Pages deployment fails with a timeout during syncing_files, GitHub's internal deployment orchestrator often leaves the github-pages environment lock in an active state.

When you click Re-run failed jobs, the new attempt enters Queued waiting for the previous lock to be released. Because no jobs have actually been scheduled on a runner yet, the UI hides or disables the "Cancel workflow" button (and the API returns "Cannot cancel a workflow run that is not in progress").

You can reset the deployment lock and get your site published with the following steps:

---

Step 1: Break the Stale Environment Lock

The most effective way to clear a stuck Pages deployment without touching Git history is to toggle the Pages source:

1. Open your repository (Stress-Stephan/codex-stephanus) and go to Settings → Pages.
2. Under Build and deployment, change the Source setting from Deploy from a branch to GitHub Actions (or select a different branch temporarily).
3. Click Save and wait 60 seconds. This signals the Pages service to tear down the stuck environment lease.
4. Change Source back to Deploy from a branch, select main (or root /), and click Save.

---

Step 2: Trigger a Clean Deployment Run

Do not use "Re-run failed jobs" on the old workflow run, as attempt #2 may still be tied to the expired lease. Instead, trigger a fresh workflow from your local machine:

git commit --allow-empty -m "chore: trigger fresh pages deployment"
git push origin main

A new push creates a new commit SHA, which supersedes the stuck run #42717745844 and initiates a completely clean build and deploy cycle.