Xcode 27 runner image now runs on macOS 27
You can now validate your Apple apps against macOS 27 using the Xcode 27 runner image for GitHub-hosted macOS runners, available in public preview. The image previously ran on macOS 26. How you target the image stays the same.
Also shipped Sep 10, 2026GitHub in September 2026 →
BigQuery conversational analytics adds ML.CORRELATION in preview
Conversational analytics can now use ML.CORRELATION to calculate statistical correlations between a target column and one or more metric columns in a table.
BigQuery ML.METRICS evaluates predictions without a stored model
The preview ML.METRICS function computes classification or regression evaluation metrics on any table or query with actual and predicted values, with no need to create or reference a stored model.
You can use the AI.CAUSAL_EFFECT function to quantify the impact of specific interventions on time series data
You can use the AI.CAUSAL_EFFECT function to quantify the impact of specific interventions on time series data. This feature is in Preview .
BigQuery Data Engineering Agent integrates with BigQuery Graph
The Data Engineering Agent now uses BigQuery Graph for extra context between source and destination schemas, improving schema mapping accuracy in data engineering pipelines. It is generally available.
Using dbt artifacts for Slim CI and defer to production in dbt Projects on Snowflake (General availability)
Slim CI, defer to production, failed-execution recovery, and concurrent execution are now generally available for dbt Projects on Snowflake. Reuse dbt artifacts from recent production executions to accelerate development, streamline CI/CD workflows, and recover from failed production runs without maintaining a separate artifact store.
External secret providers (Preview)
External secret providers are now in preview. If your organization already keeps API keys, database passwords, and similar values in AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, or Google Cloud Secret Manager, Snowflake can read those values when a query needs them, so you don't have to maintain a second copy in a Snowflake secret .
More from GitHub ActionsEvery GitHub Actions release →
Control GitHub Actions cache access with cache-mode
You can now use cache-mode to apply least-privilege access to the GitHub Actions cache at the workflow or job level. By granting each workflow or job only the cache access it needs, you can prevent unnecessary restores or saves and help protect trusted workflows from cache poisoning. This capability is now generally available on all plans.
Ubuntu 26 generally available and latest migration
The Ubuntu 26.04 runner image for GitHub Actions is now out of public preview and fully supported for production workflows on both x64 and arm64. As part of this release, the ubuntu-latest label will migrate to Ubuntu 26.04, giving you the latest supported Ubuntu release by default.
Workflow execution protections in GitHub Actions generally available
Workflow execution protections for GitHub Actions, previously in public preview, are now generally available for GitHub Enterprise, organizations, and repositories. Execution protections let you define an allowlist that controls who can trigger an Actions workflow and what events can start it.
GitHub Actions: Early September 2026 updates
GitHub Actions now includes three updates that give you clearer visibility and finer-grained control over your workflows. New REST API for runner version deprecations A new REST API returns when registration and runtime support end for a given runner version, so you can plan runner upgrades before a version is deprecated.
CodeQL 2.26.4 improves GitHub actions security detections
CodeQL is the static analysis engine behind GitHub code scanning, which finds and remediates security issues in your code. We’ve recently released CodeQL 2.26.4 , which adds support for Go 1.27, improves alert locations for Rust data flow queries, and includes accuracy improvements across C#, Java/Kotlin, and GitHub Actions.
Node 20 is no longer available in GitHub Actions
This is the final notification that Node 20 is no longer available on GitHub Actions runners. Runners now use Node 24 for JavaScript actions. The temporary ACTIONS_ALLOW_USE_UNSECURE_NODE_VERSION opt-out is no longer available. If you maintain a JavaScript action, update its runs.using value to node24 and publish a new release as soon as possible.
Require proof of presence for high-impact actions
You can now require an interactive re-authentication or a multi-factor challenge before members take high-impact actions on GitHub Enterprise Cloud accounts. Proof of presence is an expansion of GitHub’s sudo mode for enterprises, enforcing a higher security bar when it’s needed.
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.