This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by CodeNameGrant
Ever wish you could tweak your CI pipeline on the fly—change logging levels, skip caching, or toggle features—without touching a single line of code or YAML?
With GitHub Actions variables, you can.
What Are GitHub Actions Variables?
Like GitHub Secrets (secrets), Variables (vars) are simple key-value pairs you define in your repository.
You can use them to control workflow behavior without committing changes, making them perfect for feature flags, build tweaks, or environment switches.
Example: Controlling Nx Build Flags
Imagine you want to control verbose logging and cache usage for an nx build command.
In your repo settings under Secrets and Variables → Actions → Variables (tab) define the following:
-
NX_VERBOSE_MODE:trueorfalse -
NX_USE_NX_CACHE:trueorfalse
Then use them directly in your workflow:
- name: Build
shell: bash
run: >
npx nx build app-name
${{ vars.NX_VERBOSE_MODE == 'true' && '--verbose' || '' }}
${{ vars.NX_USE_NX_CACHE != 'true' && '--skip-nx-cache' || '' }}
Using
run: >(folded style) combines all lines into a single line, replacing line breaks with a space. Its great in this use-case making the command easy to read.
Now you can toggle flags directly from the Variables tab—no pull requests, no commits, just instant control.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by CodeNameGrant
CodeNameGrant | Sciencx (2025-10-16T07:48:27+00:00) Flip Your CI Like a Switch: Instantly Toggle Flags with GitHub Actions Variables. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/10/16/flip-your-ci-like-a-switch-instantly-toggle-flags-with-github-actions-variables/
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