if: ${{ github.event_name != 'workflow_call' }} not working

[kenorb]

Describe the bug

I'm reusing workflow by calling it from another repo, like:

jobs:
  test:
    uses: org/repo/.github/workflows/test.yml

And inside re-used workflow I've defined the following condition:

on:
  workflow_call:

jobs:
 cleanup:
   if: ${{ github.event_name != 'workflow_call' }}
   runs-on: ubuntu-latest
   steps:
     - uses: geekyeggo/delete-artifact@v4
       with:
         name: *

The issue is that if: ${{ github.event_name != 'workflow_call' }} condition doesn't work.

Expected behavior

I'm expected that job not to run from the calling workflow (uses: org/repo...).
So I want to call the job when I'm running workflow in the same repo.

Runner Version and Platform

2.312.0

OS of the machine running the runner?

Linux

What's not working?

Condition doesn't work as expected.

It's possible that conditions for workflows calls are ignored, because I've tested with different condition, and it didn't work either.

[tjarbo]

According to my understanding, this is an expected behavior:

A workflow that uses another workflow is referred to as a "caller" workflow. The reusable workflow is a "called" workflow.
[...]
If you reuse a workflow from a different repository, any actions in the called workflow run as if they were part of the caller workflow. For example, if the called workflow uses actions/checkout, the action checks out the contents of the repository that hosts the caller workflow, not the called workflow.
Source: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-workflows/reusing-workflows

[marcodicro-dp]

The problem is github.event_name will have the value related to the caller workflow.

E.g. if the caller workflow was triggered by push, then github.event_name will be push inside the caller workflow and inside the called workflow too.

See here I ran a workflow manually (github.event_name=workflow_dispatch) that calls a reusable worklfow.

Inside reusable workflow (triggered by workflow_call) I run echo "event_name=${{github.event_name}}"and the result is workflow_dispatch.

[marcodicro-dp]

Maybe a possible workaround would be adding a input parameter E.g. skip_cleanup. And call the workflow with

jobs:
  test:
    uses: org/repo/.github/workflows/test.yml
    with:
      skip_cleanup: 'true'

And then check for

jobs:
 cleanup:
   if: ${{ inputs.skip_cleanup != 'true' }}

Not very elegant but works for running the job only on workflow_dispatch (IIUC is what you wanted).
Only downside is you'll have an extra param when running the workflow via UI.

[kenorb]

More workarounds at: GH-1884.

[galnadjar]

easy way would be to check if input was populated , worked for me
e.g. :
initial:
if: ${{ inputs.RELEASE_NAME }}

if it was workflow_call event -> input was populated, if it wasnt, it will be null