Actions storage keeps accruing after I deleted the repository — is there any way to stop it?

[steel648]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Other

Discussion Details

I am on a GitHub Free personal account. I deleted my only repository to try to stop an unexplained Actions storage charge, but the storage metering continues anyway. Has anyone found a way to stop this?

What happened:

• In late October, a workflow in my private repository uploaded one artifact of about 1.75 GB (a tar file, retention-days: 7). No workflow has run since October 31.
• From November 1, Actions storage has been metered at a constant ~42 GB-hr per day (about 1.75 GB-hr per hour), every day.
• Before deleting the repository I checked: visible artifacts across all runs totaled only about 3 MB, caches were 0, GitHub Packages usage is zero, I disabled Actions for the repository, and I set artifact/log retention to 1 day. None of it changed the accrual.
• On November 10 at 23:09 JST (14:09 UTC) I deleted the repository entirely. November 10 still settled at 42.04 GB-hr — a full day — although the deletion happened 14.2 hours into the UTC day, so about 25 GB-hr was expected if metering had stopped at deletion.
• November 11 is also accruing: 1.75 GB-hr was already recorded within about an hour of the UTC day starting.
• The month total is now 431.15 GB-hr. A support ticket is open, but I have not received a substantive reply.

My questions:

1. Is a deleted repository's retained data still metered for Actions storage during the 90-day period in which the repository can be restored?
2. Has anyone found ANY way to stop this kind of accrual before the 90 days are up — for example, did Support ever purge the retained data or reset the metering for anyone?
3. Is there anything else I should check that I might have missed?

Any first-hand experience would help. Thank you.

Update (November 11): For context — through October, I was charged for Actions usage from this same repository that I failed to notice in time. I have since removed the payment method from my account, so I am trying to keep all usage strictly within the free plan. That is why I want to understand, and stop, this storage metering.

[iamAdarshAnand]

Possible cause: retained Actions storage or delayed billing reconciliation

Based on your timeline, this looks like either retained billable Actions data that wasn't removed when the repository was deleted, or a storage-metering issue that needs GitHub Support to investigate.

A few important distinctions:

1. Artifact retention and billing: Setting retention to one day does not necessarily remove previously uploaded artifacts immediately. However, the continued increase after repository deletion deserves investigation.

2. Deleted repositories: GitHub may retain repository data for a recovery period, but that does not establish that retained data should continue generating billable Actions storage. The 90-day restoration window should not automatically be treated as a 90-day billing period.

3. Storage reporting: GitHub Actions storage is measured in GB-hours. Usage reports can be delayed, so a charge appearing after deletion does not necessarily mean the data was still stored at that time. However, if the usage timestamps themselves show continued accumulation after deletion, that is a stronger indication of a metering or cleanup problem.

What I would recommend

First, export the detailed usage report from Settings → Billing and licensing, if available for your account. Check whether the post-deletion storage usage is attributed to the deleted repository and whether the timestamps represent actual usage or delayed reporting.

Second, update your existing GitHub Support ticket with:

• Repository name and deletion timestamp (November 10, 23:09 JST / 14:09 UTC)
• Artifact size (approximately 1.75 GB)
• The continued accrual rate (approximately 1.75 GB-hours per hour)
• Screenshots or exports showing usage before and after deletion
• The support ticket number and the steps already attempted

Ask Support specifically to:

1. Confirm whether retained artifacts, caches, or repository recovery data are still being billed.
2. Identify the storage resource responsible for the continuing GB-hour usage.
3. Stop any erroneous post-deletion accrual and correct the usage records if necessary.
4. Review any charges attributable to incorrect metering.

Third, avoid relying on removal of the payment method as a way to stop usage. That does not necessarily stop storage metering or resolve previously incurred charges.

My assessment

If the reported usage is truly increasing at a constant rate after the repository was deleted, and the detailed usage records confirm that the increase corresponds to post-deletion storage rather than delayed reporting, this warrants investigation by GitHub's billing team.

I am not aware of a documented self-service mechanism to purge the retained Actions storage of an already deleted repository. GitHub Support is the appropriate escalation path, particularly because you have already tried the available cleanup steps.

It would be useful if GitHub staff could clarify whether Actions artifacts retained with a deleted repository remain billable during the repository restoration period, and whether there is a way to request their immediate removal without restoring the repository.

[steel648]

Thank you — this is a helpful summary, and it matches what I am seeing.

One clarification on the delayed-reporting possibility: the detailed usage page shows the post-deletion days as their own line items attributed to the deleted repository. November 11, the day after deletion, started at 1.75 GB-hr and had risen to 7.01 GB-hr by midday, still at the same ~1.75 GB-hr per hour — so the timestamps themselves show continued accumulation after deletion, not just late reporting of earlier usage.

Following your suggestion, I am filing a new support ticket that lays out the complete timeline in one place and asks the four questions you listed: whether retained data is still billed, which storage resource is responsible, stopping and correcting the accrual, and reviewing any charges from incorrect metering. My earlier ticket is still open without a substantive reply.

I would also really like GitHub staff to clarify the point you raised at the end: whether Actions artifacts retained with a deleted repository remain billable during the restoration period, and whether their immediate removal can be requested without restoring the repository.

Thanks again.