Check License Compliance review
A focused open-source license check for small CI teams using four dependency ecosystems.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Check License Compliance is an open-source GitHub Action and Node.js command-line tool for development teams that need repository-level dependency license checks. It evaluates dependencies against configurable allowed, warning, and forbidden policy lists, and can fail a check when results are invalid. The project supports Node.js/npm, Python/PyPI, Maven, and Go, making it suited to small CI teams enforcing policies across these ecosystems.
Its strongest feature is policy-focused workflow integration. The tool scans dependency manifest files without installing dependencies, recursively retrieves dependency-tree information through the deps.dev API, and supports direct-dependency filtering plus module inclusion or exclusion. Results can be produced as text, Markdown, or JSON reports. Through its composite action, compliance findings can also be posted as pull-request comments, giving repository teams a clear way to review license results during development.
The deployment model stays close to repository automation: the project is available as a GitHub Action, Docker-based action, and Node.js package, with GitHub Actions and deps.dev listed as integrations. It is Linux-only and concentrates on Node.js/npm, Python/PyPI, Maven, and Go, so teams outside those ecosystems may need a different tool. Choose Check License Compliance when an open-source, repository-based policy check fits your CI workflow; consider an alternative when broader platform coverage or a wider dependency ecosystem is required.
Check License Compliance pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Checks allowed, warning, and forbidden license policies
- Supports Node.js, Python, Maven, and Go dependencies
- Creates reports and pull-request comments for CI workflows
- Where it doesn't
- Runs on Linux only
- Ecosystem coverage is limited to four dependency types
- Recursive dependency retrieval uses the deps.dev API
Check License Compliance fact sheet, pricing and score →
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