By name: rostoc-updates-tmate description: Interactive CI debugging for Rostoc builds using tmate SSH sessions. Use when CI builds fail and need live debugging on the GitHub Actions runner, testing fixes without re-running the full 30-50 minute pipeline, or debugging platform-specific issues like codesigning.
Interactive Debugging with tmate
SSH into a failed CI runner to debug interactively, test fixes, and inspect filesystem state.
When to Use
- Complex build failures that need live investigation
- Testing fixes without re-running entire 30-50 minute CI pipeline
- Inspecting environment state, filesystem, or installed tools
- Debugging platform-specific issues (codesigning, notarization)
How to Trigger
Step 1: Add [debug] to commit message
git commit -m "fix: Debug build failure [debug]"
git push origin your-branch
Step 2: Wait for build to fail
- The workflow must fail for tmate to activate
- Go to: https://github.com/Alain1405/rostoc-updates/actions
- Find your workflow run
Step 3: Get SSH connection string
- Open the failed job (e.g., "macOS ARM64 (M1)")
- Expand the "Setup tmate session (debug mode)" step
- Copy the SSH command:
ssh <random-id>@nyc1.tmate.io
Step 4: Connect and debug
# Connect via SSH
ssh <random-id>@nyc1.tmate.io
# Navigate to the build directory
cd private-src
# Inspect failed build state
ls -la src-tauri/target/release/bundle/
# Check logs
cat build-*.log
# Re-run build commands manually
pnpm tauri build
# Test fixes
vim src-tauri/Cargo.toml
cargo build --release
# Exit when done
exit
Security
limit-access-to-actor: trueensures only YOU can connect- 30-minute timeout automatically disconnects after inactivity
detached: truekeeps session alive if you disconnect temporarily
Tips
- Runner has all dependencies installed (Node, Rust, Python, etc.)
- SSH session starts in workspace root
- Private repo is checked out in
private-src/ - GitHub Actions env vars available:
echo $GITHUB_*
Windows Update Smoke Debugging
If the Windows update smoke job hangs or stalls, attach to the windows-latest runner the same way you would for build-desktop: add the debug marker, wait for the failure or debug hold, and open the tmate session from the job log. The same approach works for the new smoke gate and its manual dispatch workflow.
Example: Debugging Codesign Failure
# 1. Trigger debug session
git commit -m "test: Debug codesign failure [debug]"
git push
# 2. Wait for failure, then connect
ssh abc123@nyc1.tmate.io
# 3. In the session
cd private-src
cat codesign-*.log
security find-identity -v
# 4. Test the fix
security unlock-keychain -p "" ~/Library/Keychains/login.keychain-db
pnpm tauri build
# 5. If it works, exit and apply fix to CI scripts
exit
Limitations
- Only triggers on failure (not on success)
- Only on builds where commit message contains
[debug] - Costs GitHub Actions minutes (30 min max)
- Runner destroyed after session ends
Removing Debug Mode
After fixing the issue, push without [debug]:
git commit -m "fix: Apply codesign unlock fix"
git push # No [debug] tag - runs normally