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Workflow dispatch fails for workflows in git submodules

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Assessment

Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Newbie friendliness
55/100
Issue type
Bug
Clarity
Mostly clear
Activity status
Quiet
Tech stack
git, github-actions, typescript, vscode
Domain
ci-cd, devtools

Research direction

Reproduce the failure with a parent repository containing a submodule workflow at .github/workflows/deploy.yml, using Trigger Run or the GitHub Actions explorer. Trace the workflow-dispatch path and how the opened file's repository is identified. Done means dispatching targets the submodule repository and the 404 no longer occurs.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Description

bug

Describe the bug
When attempting to trigger a GitHub Actions workflow located in a git submodule (e.g., host/.github/workflows/deploy.yml), the extension fails with a 404 "Not Found" error. The extension incorrectly attempts to dispatch the workflow to the parent repository instead of the submodule's separate GitHub repository.

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

  1. Have a git repository with a submodule that has its own separate GitHub repository
  2. The submodule contains GitHub Actions workflows in .github/workflows/
  3. Open the workflow file in VSCode
  4. Right-click and select "Trigger Run" or use the GitHub Actions explorer
  5. See error: 404 Not Found or similar repository not found error

Expected behavior
The extension should:

  1. Detect that the workflow is located in a git submodule
  2. Identify the correct GitHub repository for that submodule
  3. Dispatch the workflow to the correct repository, not the parent

Screenshots
The error appears in the VSCode debug console when attempting to dispatch a workflow in the web submodule:
Image
The extension is attempting to dispatch to the parent repository instead of the submodule's separate GitHub repository.

A user-facing error notification is displayed:
Image

Note: Request IDs and repository names in the screenshot have been redacted for privacy.

Extension Version
v0.31.5

Additional context
This occurs in monorepo setups where submodules are separate GitHub repositories with their own workflows.

monorepo/                              (Parent repo: github.com/owner/monorepo)
└── submodule/                         (Submodule: github.com/owner/submodule)
    └── .github/workflows/
        └── deploy.yml                 ← Should dispatch to submodule repo

The extension's workflow dispatch logic needs to be aware of git submodules and route dispatch requests to the appropriate repository.

Dominant language
TypeScript
Stars
661
Forks
214
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Contributor guide

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