How to check an R package with GitHub Actions

An R package can behave differently across operating systems and R releases because compiled dependencies, examples, vignettes, and tests all participate in R CMD check. GitHub Actions can run those checks for every pull request before a change reaches the package's main branch.

The maintained r-lib/actions components separate R setup, dependency installation, and package checking. The standard matrix covers release R on Linux, macOS, and Windows, then adds development and previous R releases on Linux so platform failures and version regressions appear as distinct jobs.

GitHub supplies each job with a repository-scoped GITHUB_TOKEN that can read the checked-out repository contents, so a personal token is unnecessary. The final API check reads the workflow run for the tested commit and its matrix jobs without changing the repository.

Steps to check an R package with GitHub Actions:

Create the workflow directory.
```
$ mkdir -p .github/workflows
```

Start the workflow file with its header.

R-CMD-check.yaml

# Workflow derived from https://github.com/r-lib/actions/tree/v2/examples
# Need help debugging build failures? Start at https://github.com/r-lib/actions#where-to-find-help
on:
  push:
    branches: [main, master]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main, master]

name: R-CMD-check

permissions:
  contents: read

The pull_request event checks changes proposed for main or master, while the push event checks commits that reach those branches. The token can read repository contents for checkout; every unlisted permission is none.

Add the runner matrix.

R-CMD-check.yaml

jobs:
  R-CMD-check:
    runs-on: ${{ matrix.config.os }}

    name: ${{ matrix.config.os }} (${{ matrix.config.r }})

    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        config:
          - {os: macos-latest,   r: 'release'}
          - {os: windows-latest, r: 'release'}
          - {os: ubuntu-latest,   r: 'devel', http-user-agent: 'release'}
          - {os: ubuntu-latest,   r: 'release'}
          - {os: ubuntu-latest,   r: 'oldrel-1'}

fail-fast: false lets every platform report its result even when another matrix job fails.

Tool: GitHub Actions Matrix Generator

Set the job environment.
R-CMD-check.yaml
```
    env:
      GITHUB_PAT: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
      R_KEEP_PKG_SOURCE: yes
```
The GITHUB_PAT value comes from GitHub's per-job token. A personal token is unnecessary unless the package genuinely needs access beyond the current repository.

Add the checkout step.

R-CMD-check.yaml

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

Add the Pandoc setup step.

R-CMD-check.yaml

      - uses: r-lib/actions/setup-pandoc@v2

Add the R setup step.

R-CMD-check.yaml

      - uses: r-lib/actions/setup-r@v2
        with:
          r-version: ${{ matrix.config.r }}
          http-user-agent: ${{ matrix.config.http-user-agent }}
          use-public-rspm: true

Add dependency installation.
R-CMD-check.yaml
```
      - uses: r-lib/actions/setup-r-dependencies@v2
        with:
          extra-packages: any::rcmdcheck
          needs: check
```
The dependency action reads the package's DESCRIPTION file and adds packages declared under Config/Needs/check.
Related: How to install an R package from GitHub
Add the package check.
R-CMD-check.yaml
```
      - uses: r-lib/actions/check-r-package@v2
        with:
          upload-snapshots: true
```
upload-snapshots preserves changed test snapshots when a job fails. A reviewed full commit SHA is the immutable alternative to a version tag when organizational policy requires pinned actions.

Review the completed workflow.

R-CMD-check.yaml

# Workflow derived from https://github.com/r-lib/actions/tree/v2/examples
# Need help debugging build failures? Start at https://github.com/r-lib/actions#where-to-find-help
on:
  push:
    branches: [main, master]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main, master]

name: R-CMD-check

permissions:
  contents: read

jobs:
  R-CMD-check:
    runs-on: ${{ matrix.config.os }}

    name: ${{ matrix.config.os }} (${{ matrix.config.r }})

    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        config:
          - {os: macos-latest,   r: 'release'}
          - {os: windows-latest, r: 'release'}
          - {os: ubuntu-latest,   r: 'devel', http-user-agent: 'release'}
          - {os: ubuntu-latest,   r: 'release'}
          - {os: ubuntu-latest,   r: 'oldrel-1'}

    env:
      GITHUB_PAT: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
      R_KEEP_PKG_SOURCE: yes

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - uses: r-lib/actions/setup-pandoc@v2

      - uses: r-lib/actions/setup-r@v2
        with:
          r-version: ${{ matrix.config.r }}
          http-user-agent: ${{ matrix.config.http-user-agent }}
          use-public-rspm: true

      - uses: r-lib/actions/setup-r-dependencies@v2
        with:
          extra-packages: any::rcmdcheck
          needs: check

      - uses: r-lib/actions/check-r-package@v2
        with:
          upload-snapshots: true

Stage the workflow file.

$ git add .github/workflows/R-CMD-check.yaml

Commit the workflow file.
```
$ git commit -m "Add R package checks"
```
Push the current branch.
```
$ git push --set-upstream origin HEAD
```
Open the pull request from the current branch.
```
$ gh pr create --fill
```
GitHub starts one R-CMD-check job for each matrix row. A warning or error produces a failed job; open that job's artifact to inspect the retained check directory.
Set the repository owner used by the workflow-run API request.
```
$ OWNER=your-github-user-or-organization
```
Set the repository name used by the workflow-run API request.
```
$ REPOSITORY=your-r-package-repository
```
Set the commit identifier checked by the pull request.
```
$ COMMIT=your-current-commit-sha
```

Download the workflow run for the tested commit.

$ curl -fsSL \
  "https://api.github.com/repos/${OWNER}/${REPOSITORY}/actions/workflows/R-CMD-check.yaml/runs?head_sha=${COMMIT}&per_page=1" \
  -o R-CMD-check-runs.json

Inspect the newest workflow run status and identifier.
```
$ jq -r '.workflow_runs[0] | [.id, .status, .conclusion, .head_branch] | @tsv' \
  R-CMD-check-runs.json
```
The status value becomes completed after the run finishes. A successful run reports success under conclusion and supplies the run ID needed for the matrix-job request.
Set the completed run identifier returned by the previous command.
```
$ RUN_ID=your-completed-run-id
```

Download the matrix jobs for the completed workflow run.

$ curl -fsSL \
  "https://api.github.com/repos/${OWNER}/${REPOSITORY}/actions/runs/${RUN_ID}/jobs?per_page=100" \
  -o R-CMD-check-jobs.json

Confirm that every matrix job reports a successful conclusion.
```
$ jq -r '.jobs[] | [.name, .conclusion] | @tsv' R-CMD-check-jobs.json
```
All five rows must report success. A different conclusion identifies the operating system and R release whose job log needs review.
Remove the temporary workflow-run response files.
```
$ rm R-CMD-check-runs.json R-CMD-check-jobs.json
```

Author: Mohd Shakir Zakaria
Mohd Shakir Zakaria is a cloud architect with deep roots in software development and open-source advocacy. Certified in AWS, Red Hat, VMware, ITIL, and Linux, he specializes in designing and managing robust cloud and on-premises infrastructures.