GitHub Actions retires Node 20 for JavaScript actions

GitHub says Node 20 is no longer available on Actions runners. JavaScript actions now run on Node 24, and the temporary opt-out for the older runtime has been removed.

Action maintainers should update runs.using to node24 and release a new version. Workflow owners should move to current action releases that support Node 24. GitHub also flags compatibility limits for older macOS and ARM32 self-hosted runners.

A migration with two owners

The September 23 notice closes the migration announced a year earlier. GitHub had already moved runners toward Node 24; now the ACTIONS_ALLOW_USE_UNSECURE_NODE_VERSION escape hatch is gone. The earlier deprecation timeline explains how the default changed and when the temporary opt-out would disappear.

If you maintain a JavaScript action, the runtime is declared in its metadata, so update runs.using to node24, test it, and publish a release. GitHub's metadata reference shows the syntax. If you only consume actions, inspect the versions pinned in your workflows and move to releases that support Node 24. Those are different jobs; upgrading the Node version inside your application does not update the runtime of an action you call.

The infrastructure edge case

GitHub warns that Node 24 does not support macOS 13.4 and earlier in this runner context and has no official ARM32 support. Teams with self-hosted runners should check the runner OS and architecture before blaming a broken workflow on a JavaScript package. The less glamorous migration work is often in the machine that runs the action.

Sources and further reading

• Original publication
• GitHub: Node 20 deprecation timeline
• GitHub Docs: action metadata syntax