Automate Python Scripts with GitHub Actions

What you’ll get

You will learn how to set up a GitHub Action to automatically run your Python script on a schedule. This means your script will run every day without you needing to manually start it, using GitHub’s servers instead of your own computer.

Tools you need

• GitHub Actions (free): GitHub’s built-in automation system that runs code on a schedule.
• Git (free): A tool for tracking changes in your code and uploading it to GitHub.
• GitHub (freemium): A platform for hosting your code and running GitHub Actions.

Steps

1. Install Git: If you don’t have Git installed, download it from git-scm.com and follow the installation instructions. You can check if you have it by opening your terminal or command prompt and typing git --version. You should see a version number.
2. Create a GitHub Repository: Go to github.com, log in, click the ’+’ icon in the top right, and select ‘New repository’. Name it ‘youtube-to-spotify’, add a description like ‘Syncs a YouTube playlist to Spotify automatically.’, and choose ‘Public’ or ‘Private’ visibility. Click ‘Create repository’. Keep this page open.
3. Connect your local folder to GitHub: Open your terminal or command prompt and navigate to your project folder (where your Python scripts are). Then run these commands one by one:
   • Initialize Git in your folder:

     git init

        You should see a message like 'Initialized empty Git repository in /path/to/your/project/.git/'.
    *   Add the remote origin (replace YOUR_GITHUB_USERNAME with your actual username):
        ```bash
        git remote add origin https://github.com/YOUR_GITHUB_USERNAME/youtube-to-spotify.git

This command connects your local folder to the GitHub repository you just created. You won’t see a specific output message if successful, but it prepares Git for the next step.

• Stage your script files for upload:

  git add spotify.py youtube.py script.py requirements.txt

        This tells Git which files you want to upload. You should see no output if the files exist and are added successfully.
    *   Commit your changes:
        ```bash
        git commit -m "Initial commit"

You should see a message confirming the commit, like ‘[main (root-commit) abc1234] Initial commit’ and a list of files changed.

• Push your code to GitHub:

  git push -u origin main

        If prompted for your username and password, use your GitHub username and a Personal Access Token (PAT) as the password. You can generate a PAT at github.com/settings/tokens (give it a name, check 'repo' scope, and copy the token). After a successful push, refresh your GitHub repository page. Your files should now be visible there.
4.  **Create the GitHub Actions workflow file**: On your GitHub repository page, click on the 'Actions' tab. Then click 'set up a workflow yourself'. This will open an editor with a default workflow file. Replace its content with the following, ensuring the `on` section is set to run daily at a specific time (e.g., 00:00 UTC):

    ```yaml
    name: Sync Playlist Daily
    on:
      schedule:
        # Runs at 00:00 UTC every day
        - cron: '0 0 * * *'
      workflow_dispatch: # Allows manual triggering

    jobs:
      sync:
        runs-on: ubuntu-latest
        steps:
          - name: Checkout code
            uses: actions/checkout@v3

          - name: Set up Python
            uses: actions/setup-python@v3
            with:
              python-version: '3.x' # Use your Python version

          - name: Install dependencies
            run: pip install -r requirements.txt

          - name: Run script
            run: python script.py
            env:
              # Add any environment variables your script needs, e.g. API keys
              # SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID: ${{ secrets.SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID }}
              # SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET: ${{ secrets.SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET }}
              # YOUTUBE_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.YOUTUBE_API_KEY }}

• Important: If your script requires sensitive information like API keys or passwords, you should store them as GitHub Secrets. Go to your repository’s ‘Settings’ > ‘Secrets and variables’ > ‘Actions’ and add your secrets there. Then, in the workflow file, reference them using ${{ secrets.YOUR_SECRET_NAME }} as shown in the commented-out env section.

5. Commit the workflow file: Click the ‘Commit new file’ button. You can use a message like ‘Add daily sync workflow’. Your script will now run automatically every day at midnight UTC.

Original source

This workflow is adapted from Chapter 6 of a guide by towernter, originally posted on the DEV Community platform. It explains how to deploy a Python script to run automatically using GitHub Actions.

Notes & variations

• Common mistake: Forgetting to add sensitive information (like API keys) as GitHub Secrets. If your script fails with authentication errors, check if you’ve correctly added and referenced your secrets.
• Tip for better results: Adjust the cron schedule in the workflow file to run at a time that best suits your needs. For example, '30 2 * * *' would run at 02:30 UTC.
• Free tier limits: GitHub Actions provides a generous amount of free compute minutes per month, which should be sufficient for most personal projects. Check GitHub’s pricing page for current limits.