Releasesby GlyphReference same-repository actions with self-repository syntax
You can now reference an action or reusable workflow that lives in the same repository using the new self-repository syntax. A uses: value that starts with $/ resolves to your workflow’s own repository at the exact commit that is running, with no checkout required.
Also shipped Jul 30, 2026GitHub in July 2026 →
You can add tables, views, data sources, and data quality tests as tasks to BigQuery pipelines
You can add tables, views, data sources, and data quality tests as tasks to BigQuery pipelines. For more information, see Add a pipeline task . This feature is generally available .
You can audit when users download query results by using the BigQuery console
You can audit when users download query results by using the BigQuery console. Data Access audit logs for the tabledata.list method now include a uiDownloadRequest field to indicate whether the request was triggered by a UI download. This feature is generally available (GA).
Adaptive refresh mode for dynamic tables (General availability)
ADAPTIVE refresh mode for dynamic tables is now generally available. ADAPTIVE refresh uses incremental refresh by default but automatically reinitializes the dynamic table when internal heuristics detect that the volume of upstream changes makes an incremental refresh significantly more expensive than a full refresh.
Genie Agents enhancements and bug fixes
- Chat sharing : Sharing an individual Genie Agent conversation is now generally available. See Share a conversation . Download visualizations on Private Link (Beta) : You can now download visualization results through the Genie Conversation API on Private Link workspaces in supported regions. See the Conversation API reference .
More from GitHub ActionsEvery GitHub Actions release →
GitHub Actions holds potentially malicious workflows for approval
Recent supply chain attacks use compromised GitHub credentials to push malicious GitHub Actions workflows that steal CI/CD credentials and carry out additional attacks. To help protect public repositories from these attacks, GitHub Actions now holds certain workflow runs for approval before they start.
Xcode 27 runner image now in public preview
You can now build and test your Apple applications against Xcode 27 on GitHub-hosted macOS runners. This is now available in public preview. With early access to the latest Xcode toolchain and Apple SDKs, you can validate your apps against the newest tools, catch compatibility issues sooner, and keep your CI/CD pipelines current.
CodeQL 2.26.3 improves GitHub Actions queries and JavaScript modeling
CodeQL 2.26.3 adds JavaScript, TypeScript, and Vue source modeling and improves the accuracy of several GitHub Actions queries. CodeQL is the static analysis engine behind GitHub code scanning , which helps you find and remediate security issues in your code.
Windows 11 arm64 VS2026 image generally available
The Windows 11 arm64 image with Visual Studio 2026 is now generally available on standard and larger GitHub-hosted runners. To use it in GitHub Actions, update your workflow file to runs-on: windows-11-vs2026-arm .
Separate GitHub Actions path for GitHub Code Quality
A dedicated workflow path for code quality CodeQL actions workflows is now generally available. Your workflow run history and your Actions usage reports now tell GitHub Code Quality runs apart from GitHub code scanning runs.
setup-java v5.5.0: signature verification, Kona JDK, and Maven fixes
The actions/setup-java v5.5.0 release adds cryptographic signature verification for downloaded JDKs, support for a new distribution, and several quality-of-life improvements for Maven users. Here’s what changed since v5.4.0.
Actions retention will cover checks, workflow runs, and statuses
Starting October 1, 2026, checks, workflow runs, and statuses will be governed by the same Actions retention setting that already controls how long artifacts and logs are kept, with a default of 90 days. Until now, checks, workflow runs, and statuses were retained for 400+ days regardless of your retention configuration.
Read-only Actions cache for untrusted triggers
GitHub Actions now issues read-only cache tokens to the default branch for workflow events that can be triggered without write permissions to the repository. This applies least privilege to the cache and prevents common privilege-escalation paths through cache poisoning.