GitHub self-hosted runner brownouts start Monday. Here's how to find which runners will stop taking jobs
If you run self-hosted GitHub Actions runners, put this date in your calendar: September 25, 2026 . That's when GitHub permanently stops queuing jobs to runners on outdated versions. Before that, brownouts: Sep 7, 9, 11, 14, 16, 18 — on Config + Runtime days, outdated runners don't register and don't execute jobs . The failure mode is quiet. Nothing in your workflow errors out. The runner log…
GitHub plans to stop accepting jobs from self-hosted runners using outdated versions starting September 25, 2026. In the lead-up to this date, brownouts are expected to occur on specific days, with runners running older versions not registering or executing jobs. This failure mode is subtle, with no errors in workflows or runner logs indicating deprecated versions.
GitHub introduced an API endpoint that provides the end-of-life date for any runner version. Initial tests showed that the documented 30-day rule is not accurate, with the API returning roughly 63-71 days. The runner list endpoint now includes each runner's version, eliminating the need for agents on machines. An open-source GitHub extension called gh-runner-eol has been created to automate the process of checking runner versions against the API.
Running the gh-runner-eol audit command across an organization's self-hosted runners can identify which runners will be affected by the upcoming version deprecations. The extension can scan Dockerfiles, ARC Helm values, environment variables, and download URLs for pinned versions, providing a comprehensive overview of overdue runners. It also operates as a GitHub Action with SARIF output, which can be integrated into the code scanning process for easy tracking and notification of overdue runners.
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