GitHub Actions Retention Policies Expanded to Cover Checks, Workflow Runs, and Statuses

Starting October 1, 2026, GitHub Actions retention settings will govern checks, workflow runs, and statuses, aligning their cleanup with artifacts and logs. Previously, these items were retained for over 400 days regardless of configured settings.

The UI label for retention settings will be updated to reflect the broader scope, now including 'Check, workflow run, status, artifact and log retention'. Retention caps still apply, with public repositories limited to a maximum of 90 days for checks, workflow runs, and statuses, matching existing artifact and log limits.

This change may lead to a reduction in billable GitHub Actions storage usage for repositories that previously kept associated artifacts and logs longer than their configured settings, as data will now be cleaned up consistently. Checks, workflow runs, and statuses metadata are not billed, but associated artifacts and logs are.

Users should review and adjust their Actions retention settings before October 1, 2026, to ensure they meet data availability needs. Increasing retention may raise storage costs, and critical data should be exported or archived if needed beyond configured periods, as the change is not retroactive.