An Argos CI check stuck as “pending” can mean the result was never reported, the workflow is queued, or GitHub is waiting on another condition. Start by opening the check’s Details link and noting its exact state, name, and commit SHA. Then compare that information with the matching Argos build and the repository’s required-check rules.
1. Read the exact GitHub check state
On the pull request, find the Argos-related check and record its displayed name, state, and commit SHA. Open Details to see whether a workflow or check run exists and what it is doing. GitHub uses distinct states: expected means a status is expected but has not been reported; pending for GitHub Actions can mean a check is at the front of the queue but a group-based concurrency limit has been reached. Checks can also be queued, requested, in progress, or waiting for deployment protection.
These states point to different investigations: an absent report suggests a trigger, filter, or reporting issue; a run that exists but has not started suggests queueing or concurrency; a waiting check may be held by a deployment protection rule. Do not assume a pending label means Argos is still taking a screenshot.
See GitHub’s status-check reference for the distinctions.
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2. Check whether Argos created a build for this pull request
In Argos, open the project and select Builds. Find the entry associated with the pull request, then compare its branch and commit with the pull request’s relevant commit. The Builds list can show build status, pull-request metadata, branch, commit, and build type. If needed, use its status and build-type filters to locate the record.
- No matching Argos build: investigate whether the repository workflow ran and whether the integration reported the expected check.
- A build exists for another commit: GitHub may be waiting for a status on a different SHA.
- A matching build exists and is complete: continue to the required check name, source, and SHA checks below.
Argos documents the fields in its Builds list guide.
3. If there is no build, inspect the workflow trigger and filters
Review the workflow that invokes Argos and confirm that it ran for this pull request. Check its on events, branch and path filters, and job-level conditions. A workflow may not run when a branch or path filter excludes the change, or when a condition prevents the relevant job from starting. A commit-message skip instruction can also prevent a workflow from running.
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This matters especially when the check is required. GitHub warns that a workflow skipped by path filtering, branch filtering, or a commit message can leave its associated required check pending and block merging. Avoid making a check required if the workflow that produces it can be skipped under the repository’s configuration.
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4. Confirm the workflow event is eligible for the pull request
Workflow-job checks need an eligible event to appear in a pull request’s checks and satisfy its branch rules. GitHub lists events such as push and pull_request; a manually dispatched workflow on the pull request’s head branch may not satisfy the required check. If the repository uses a merge queue, the workflow also needs the merge_group event in addition to the relevant pull-request trigger.
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Check the run’s event in GitHub Actions and compare it with the event configuration for the workflow that produces the required check. A successful run from the wrong event may not count toward the pull request’s merge requirements.
5. Match the check’s SHA to the commit GitHub requires
A required status must apply to the latest relevant commit. Depending on the pull request and whether GitHub has a test merge commit with a status, the required check may need to be reported on the pull request’s head commit or on its test merge commit. A passing Argos result on an earlier SHA does not satisfy a requirement for a newer commit.
- Record the SHA shown for the pending check or its run.
- Compare it with the pull request’s head SHA and, where applicable, the test merge commit SHA.
- Determine which SHA the repository’s required-check configuration expects, then confirm that the successful result is attached to that SHA.
GitHub explains the relevant behavior in its required-check troubleshooting guide.
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6. Verify the required check name and source
When an Argos build is complete but GitHub still blocks merging, inspect the repository’s branch protection rules or rulesets. Confirm the exact required check name and, if specified, the GitHub App expected to provide it. A ruleset can require a status from a particular app. Also check for similarly named check runs and commit statuses: GitHub notes that if both kinds use the same name, both results may need to pass.
If the status is emitted through an external integration, GitHub’s commit-status API supports pending, success, failure, and error states against a commit. The reported SHA and context can help distinguish a missing or mismatched status from a visual test that is still running; they do not, by themselves, prove that a particular Argos integration call failed.
Use the evidence to choose the next check
| What you see | Investigate | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| The required check is waiting for a status; no run appears | Workflow filters, skip instructions, or a status that was not reported | Check branch and path filters and skip instructions. Reconsider requiring a check that can be skipped. |
| A run exists and is queued or pending | Runner queue or workflow concurrency | Inspect run details and the workflow’s concurrency configuration. GitHub defines a pending Actions check as being at the front of the queue when its group-based concurrency limit has been reached. |
| A run exists but does not satisfy the pull-request rule | Workflow event or required-check source | Confirm the event was eligible and verify the expected GitHub App source. |
| The Argos build is green, but merging remains blocked | Required SHA, exact check name, or required source | Compare the build’s SHA with the required head or test-merge SHA; inspect the ruleset’s required name and source. |
| The check says it is waiting | Deployment protection | Inspect the deployment protection requirement associated with the check. |
These are diagnostic branches based on GitHub’s documented status behavior and the fields available in Argos Builds. Without the workflow YAML, check name and SHA, Argos build record, and branch-protection or ruleset configuration, there is not enough evidence to identify one specific cause.
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