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Use GitHub Actions OpenID Connect (OIDC) to exchange a short-lived GitHub job token for temporary AWS credentials—no long-lived AWS access keys need to be stored in GitHub secrets. The setup has three parts: GitHub issues an identity token, an AWS IAM role trusts only the intended GitHub context, and AWS Security Token Service (STS) issues credentials when the token meets that role’s trust policy.
How GitHub Actions OIDC authentication works
- GitHub issues a job identity token. The workflow or job must have
id-token: writepermission to request an OIDC token. This permission enables token retrieval; it does not grant access to AWS resources. As GitHub Docs explains, setting it “does not give the workflow permission to modify or write to any resources.” See GitHub’s AWS OIDC configuration guide and its OIDC reference. - AWS evaluates the token against the role’s trust policy. The policy should require the expected audience and limit the subject to the repository and branch, tag, or GitHub environment that is allowed to deploy.
- STS returns temporary credentials. The workflow’s AWS credentials action requests the role, and AWS STS issues credentials only if the token satisfies the trust policy. The assumed role’s permissions policy separately determines what those credentials can do.
Configure the AWS identity provider and role
Register GitHub as an OIDC provider
In AWS IAM, add an OpenID Connect identity provider with the provider URL https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com. For the official AWS credentials action, use sts.amazonaws.com as the audience. AWS’s guide to creating a role for OIDC federation describes the IAM setup.
Set a narrow role trust policy
Create or select an IAM role trusted by that provider. In its trust policy, require token.actions.githubusercontent.com:aud to equal sts.amazonaws.com and constrain token.actions.githubusercontent.com:sub to the intended repository context. AWS says a GitHub-trusting role should include a subject condition and that the subject must not be solely a wildcard; limit access to specific repositories or branches wherever possible.
For a branch or tag, a conventional subject has a form such as repo:ORG/REPO:ref:refs/heads/BRANCH. Replace the example components with the exact organization, repository, and ref. Avoid broad patterns that would let unrelated branches or repositories assume the role.
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Match the subject format the repository actually emits
Do not assume every repository uses the same subject format. GitHub Docs says repositories created after July 15, 2026, or repositories opted into immutable subject claims, include immutable owner and repository IDs in the sub claim. Check the repository’s emitted OIDC subject and write the trust condition to match it; an older name-only example may not match. The date is a signal to verify, not a substitute for checking the repository’s configuration.
Choose a GitHub environment when deployment controls call for one
If the job references a GitHub environment, its subject identifies that environment, for example repo:ORG/REPO:environment:prod, rather than a branch or tag ref. Configure environment protection rules appropriate to the release process so the environment itself limits which deployments can proceed. Use the subject shape GitHub emits for that job.
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Give the role only the AWS permissions the deployment needs
The role’s trust policy and permissions policy answer different questions. The trust policy controls who may assume the role; the permissions policy controls what the assumed role may do. Attach only the AWS actions and resources required for the deployment. For example, a workflow that publishes files to one S3 bucket should not receive unrelated AWS permissions or unrestricted access to other buckets.
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Add OIDC permission at the workflow or job level, then use aws-actions/configure-aws-credentials to exchange the GitHub token for credentials for the IAM role. The following illustrates the shape; replace the role, account, region, bucket, and action revision with values you have verified for your setup.
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permissions:
id-token: write
contents: read
jobs:
deploy:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v6
- uses: aws-actions/configure-aws-credentials@<reviewed-commit-sha>
with:
role-to-assume: arn:aws:iam::<account-id>:role/<deployment-role>
aws-region: <region>
- run: aws s3 cp ./site s3://<bucket>/ --recursivecontents: read is commonly needed when the workflow checks out repository code. Keep permissions no broader than the job requires. Review and pin the credentials action according to your repository’s action-security policy; GitHub’s example uses a full commit SHA. Check the current GitHub setup guidance and the action’s own documentation before adapting the example.
Choose the right trust boundary
- Branch or tag: Use an exact subject for the repository and deployment ref when the role should be assumable only from that ref.
- Environment: Use an environment subject when deployment eligibility is managed through a GitHub environment, and enforce the release process with environment protection rules.
- Immutable subject claims: Match the subject format currently emitted by the repository, including immutable IDs when applicable.
In every case, pair the subject restriction with the audience condition and keep the role’s AWS permissions least-privilege. AWS does not support custom claims for GitHub OIDC trust; build conditions from supported claims and AWS IAM condition keys, as noted in GitHub’s AWS-specific OIDC guide.
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Check these details before troubleshooting
- Role assumption is denied: Confirm the provider URL and audience, then compare the token’s actual
subwith the role trust policy. A branch/ref subject and an environment subject are different contexts; immutable-subject repositories may also require a different value. - The job cannot request a token: Verify
id-token: writeis granted to the workflow or the specific job. - The role is assumed but an AWS operation fails: Review the role’s permissions policy and resource scope. OIDC trust allows assumption; it does not grant deployment permissions by itself.
- Dependabot update jobs are involved: GitHub’s AWS guide says OIDC tokens requested for Dependabot update jobs have
event_nameset todynamic. If your policy uses event-name conditions to restrict authorized workflow events, account for that value explicitly. - Action revision is being selected: Verify and pin a reviewed revision in line with your action security policy rather than relying on a floating reference.
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