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[Bug]: 404 - discussion category mismatch on >v.2.5.2 #786
Description
Pre-flight checks
- I searched existing issues and did not find a duplicate
- I reproduced this with the latest released version or current
master - I included a reproducible example or a sanitized/redacted reproduction path if the original repository is private
action-gh-release version
v2.6.0
Runner operating system
windows-latest
Release target repository
No response
Reproduction repo, gist, or artifact
No response
Workflow snippet
- name: Release Mirror
uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v2
if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v')
env:
GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BINARIES_REPO_TOKEN }}
with:
repository: ******/ReleaseMirror
name: Product ${{ steps.ghd.outputs.describe }}
tag_name: Product-${{ steps.ghd.outputs.describe }}
prerelease: ${{ env.IS_PRERELEASE == '1' }}
body_path: changes.txt
append_body: true
files: |
Product*.exeExpected behavior
Up to v2.5.0 releases were created with no issue.
Actual behavior
👩🏭 Creating new GitHub release for tag ****
{"message":"Not Found","documentation_url":"https://docs.github.com/rest/releases/releases#create-a-release","status":"404"}
Skip retry - discussion category mismatch
👩🏭 Creating new GitHub release for tag ****
{"message":"Not Found","documentation_url":"https://docs.github.com/rest/releases/releases#create-a-release","status":"404"}
Skip retry - discussion category mismatch
Error: Not Found - https://docs.github.com/rest/releases/releases#create-a-release
Steps to reproduce
Normal use (see snippet).
Target repo has no discussions enabled.
Relevant logs
Run softprops/action-gh-release@v2
with:
repository: *****
name: ***
tag_name: ***
prerelease: true
body_path: changes.txt
append_body: true
files: ****.deb
****.exe
overwrite_files: true
token: ***
env:
pythonLocation: C:\hostedtoolcache\windows\Python\3.12.10\x64
PKG_CONFIG_PATH: C:\hostedtoolcache\windows\Python\3.12.10\x64/lib/pkgconfig
Python_ROOT_DIR: C:\hostedtoolcache\windows\Python\3.12.10\x64
Python2_ROOT_DIR: C:\hostedtoolcache\windows\Python\3.12.10\x64
Python3_ROOT_DIR: C:\hostedtoolcache\windows\Python\3.12.10\x64
UV_TOOL_BIN_DIR: D:\a\_temp\uv-tool-bin-dir
UV_TOOL_DIR: D:\a\_temp\uv-tool-dir
UV_CACHE_DIR: D:\a\_temp\setup-uv-cache
GITHUB_TOKEN: ***
👩🏭 Creating new GitHub release for tag ****
⚠️ GitHub release failed with status: 404
{"message":"Not Found","documentation_url":"https://docs.github.com/rest/releases/releases#create-a-release","status":"404"}
Skip retry - discussion category mismatch
👩🏭 Creating new GitHub release for tag ****
⚠️ GitHub release failed with status: 404
{"message":"Not Found","documentation_url":"https://docs.github.com/rest/releases/releases#create-a-release","status":"404"}
Skip retry - discussion category mismatch
Error: Not Found - https://docs.github.com/rest/releases/releases#create-a-releaseAdditional context
Used to mirror a local release to a secondary report, stopped working on jumping from v2.5.0 to v2.6.2.
Maybe caused by 569deb8? Related to #764
Target repo has no discussions enabled. Maybe just including it in the json makes (as null?) github REST api check for it?
Activity
mbparker commentedon May 31, 2026
I get the same exact error now on a repo that I transferred from my personal account to a private org that I own. The release process worked fine with v3 until I transferred repo ownership. It still works as expected with my other repos.
Workflow snippet
UPDATE:
My issue was self-inflicted. I needed to change out the access token I was using to use the one from the private org - the new repo owner. The original PAT was out of scope.
So for me, this has been resolved.
chenrui333 commentedon Jul 13, 2026
I ran a controlled cross-repository matrix for this report using a dedicated private target with Discussions disabled.
The valid-token/no-category scenario succeeds on
v2.5.0,v2.6.0,v2.6.2,v3.0.0, floatingv3, currentmaster, and the proposed diagnostics branch. It also succeeds on both Windows and Ubuntu. An empty workflow input is parsed as undefined and omitted from the actual Octokit JSON request, so I could not reproduce a request-construction regression at the v2.5 to v2.6 boundary.The distinguishing evidence is that GitHub returns 404 for both of these cases:
Before the patch, every create-release 404 was logged as a discussion-category mismatch. Current draft discovery can also encounter the access-obscuring 404 while listing releases, before creation starts.
PR #817 updates those paths to point to the repository name, token access, fine-grained PAT repository selection, and
Contents: write; it mentions Discussions only when a category was actually supplied. It also prevents a create-release 404 from being reinterpreted as a failed tag lookup and triggering a redundant create attempt.Key live evidence:
Because valid release creation already works in the controlled scenario, #817 uses
Related to #786rather than closing this as a functional regression. If the original setup still fails after the next action release, please retest with a PAT that explicitly includes the target repository andContents: write, then open a fresh report with the target visibility and PAT type (without sharing the token).chenrui333 commentedon Jul 13, 2026
The improved release-creation 404 diagnostics shipped in v3.0.2.
The post-release harness confirmed that
v3.0.2can publish to a private remote repository with Discussions disabled when the PAT includes the target repository andContents: write: https://github.com/ruitest2/action-gh-release-test/actions/runs/29258319738If this still occurs with
softprops/action-gh-release@v3.0.2or@v3, please confirm the PAT type, target-repository selection, and Contents permission without sharing the token.chenrui333 commentedon Jul 13, 2026
feel free to raise another issue if still happening
Update softprops/action-gh-release action to v3 (#7)
Update https://github.com/softprops/action-gh-release action to v3 (#6)
chore(deps): update softprops/action-gh-release action to v3 (#14)