Gitea Actions

TAS Score: S3/3 — D5/5 · A3 / T2

Brief Description

Built-in CI/CD for Gitea and Forgejo. GitHub Actions-compatible syntax — pipelines defined in .gitea/workflows/ YAML files. Act runner executes jobs in Docker containers. No separate CI server needed — CI/CD is part of your Git host.

Architectural Role

Applications layer. CI/CD integrated directly into Forgejo/Gitea. The act runner can be deployed alongside the Git server or on separate nodes. GitHub Actions workflow syntax compatibility means migrating existing pipelines is straightforward.

Technical Autonomy

• Works without internet
• Stores data locally
• Does not require external accounts
• Allows data export (pipeline configs are YAML in repo; GitHub Actions compatible)
• Provides offline updates

Philosophical Assessment (whose.world criteria)

Criterion	Status	Comments
Pause	✅	Part of Forgejo/Gitea — clean stop
Exit	✅	Workflow YAML is GitHub Actions compatible — portable
Recoverability	✅	Stateless runners; configs in repo
Visibility	✅	MIT license, fully auditable
External Dependencies	✅	Runs fully self-contained

Configuration (Minimal)

# Act runner — runs alongside Forgejo/Gitea
services:
  act-runner:
    image: gitea/act_runner:latest
    environment:
      GITEA_INSTANCE_URL: https://git.yourdomain.com
      GITEA_RUNNER_REGISTRATION_TOKEN: your-token
      GITEA_RUNNER_NAME: my-runner
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
      - act_runner_data:/data

volumes:
  act_runner_data:

Alternatives

Alternative	Autonomy	Notes
Woodpecker CI	A3 / T2	Dedicated CI server; more flexible
Jenkins	A3 / T2	More powerful, heavier

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Trajectory

Direction: opening

Gitea Actions is part of both Gitea and Forgejo — both community-governed projects with MIT/MIT licensing. GitHub Actions syntax compatibility is a deliberate choice to reduce vendor lock-in: your pipelines are portable. The act runner is developed in the open with active contributions.

Signal assessment:

Signal	Status	Evidence
License	✅	MIT; no changes
Feature gating	✅	No paid tier; all features available
Self-hosting	✅	Self-hosting is the only deployment model
Governance	✅	Community-governed via Forgejo (Codeberg e.V.) and Gitea org

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Sources

• Website: https://docs.gitea.com/usage/actions/overview
• Documentation: https://docs.gitea.com/usage/actions/act-runner
• Repository: https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea
• Docker image: gitea/act_runner
• Community: https://discourse.gitea.io