fix: guard status-check functions against a nil job context (#1092)

The `cancelled()`, `success()` and `failure()` expression functions dereferenced `Job.Status` unconditionally, so a nil `Job` context panicked the interpreter — which is why Gitea currently hands the runner a non-nil (empty) `JobContext` as a workaround. This routes all three through a `jobStatus()` helper that treats a nil `Job` as an empty status, keeping existing behaviour identical while removing the panic. Includes a regression test that panics on the old code and passes with the fix.

Related: https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/pull/38495

Reviewed-on: https://gitea.com/gitea/runner/pulls/1092
Reviewed-by: Zettat123 <39446+zettat123@noreply.gitea.com>

.gitea/workflows/release-nightly.yml

@@ -43,12 +43,18 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       matrix:
         variant:
+          # The basic image is built from source and can target any arch the
+          # toolchain supports. The dind variants are limited to the arches the
+          # docker:dind base image publishes.
           - target: basic
             tag_suffix: ""
+            platforms: linux/amd64,linux/arm64,linux/riscv64,linux/s390x
           - target: dind
             tag_suffix: "-dind"
+            platforms: linux/amd64,linux/arm64
           - target: dind-rootless
             tag_suffix: "-dind-rootless"
+            platforms: linux/amd64,linux/arm64
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
@@ -82,9 +88,7 @@ jobs:
           context: .
           file: ./Dockerfile
           target: ${{ matrix.variant.target }}
-          platforms: |
+          platforms: ${{ matrix.variant.platforms }}
-            linux/amd64
-            linux/arm64
           push: true
           tags: |
             ${{ env.DOCKER_ORG }}/runner:nightly${{ matrix.variant.tag_suffix }}

.gitea/workflows/release-tag.yml

@@ -42,12 +42,18 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       matrix:
         variant:
+          # The basic image is built from source and can target any arch the
+          # toolchain supports. The dind variants are limited to the arches the
+          # docker:dind base image publishes.
           - target: basic
             tag_suffix: ""
+            platforms: linux/amd64,linux/arm64,linux/riscv64,linux/s390x
           - target: dind
             tag_suffix: "-dind"
+            platforms: linux/amd64,linux/arm64
           - target: dind-rootless
             tag_suffix: "-dind-rootless"
+            platforms: linux/amd64,linux/arm64
     container:
       image: catthehacker/ubuntu:act-latest
     env:
@@ -91,9 +97,7 @@ jobs:
           context: .
           file: ./Dockerfile
           target: ${{ matrix.variant.target }}
-          platforms: |
+          platforms: ${{ matrix.variant.platforms }}
-            linux/amd64
-            linux/arm64
           push: true
           tags: ${{ steps.docker_meta.outputs.tags }}
           build-args: |

README.md

@@ -85,6 +85,8 @@ docker run -e GITEA_INSTANCE_URL=https://your_gitea.com -e GITEA_RUNNER_REGISTRA
 
 Mount a volume on `/data` if you want the registration file and optional config to survive container recreation (see [scripts/run.sh](scripts/run.sh)).
 
+> **`/data` does not hold the image cache.** It is the runner's working directory and contains only the `.runner` registration file and, optionally, your config file. Images pulled for jobs live in the *Docker daemon's* data root, which for the `dind` flavours is inside the container (`/var/lib/docker`, or `/home/rootless/.local/share/docker` for `dind-rootless`). To keep the image cache across restarts, give that path its own volume as well — otherwise every new container re-pulls the job images. With the `basic` flavour the images live on whichever daemon you point the runner at, so there is nothing extra to persist.
+
 ### Image flavours
 
 The image is published in three flavours, all built from the single multi-stage [Dockerfile](Dockerfile) in this repository. They differ only in how a Docker daemon is made available to the jobs the runner executes; the `gitea-runner` binary inside them is identical.
@@ -121,6 +123,8 @@ Two processes have to run side by side here (the Docker daemon and the runner),
 
 Same idea as `dind`, but built on `docker:dind-rootless` so the bundled daemon and the runner run as an unprivileged user (`rootless`, UID 1000) rather than `root`. `DOCKER_HOST` is preset to `unix:///run/user/1000/docker.sock` so the runner talks to the rootless daemon. This reduces the blast radius compared to the privileged `dind` flavour, but rootless Docker carries the usual rootless limitations (networking, cgroups, storage drivers, and some operations that need additional host configuration such as `/etc/subuid` / `/etc/subgid` mappings and unprivileged user-namespace support).
 
+> **The UID is fixed at 1000.** It comes from the `rootless` user baked into the upstream `docker:dind-rootless` base image, and the bundled daemon always listens on `/run/user/1000/docker.sock` inside the container, so running this flavour as a different user (`--user 1001`) does not work. If you need the runner to talk to a *host* rootless daemon that runs under some other UID, use the `basic` flavour instead and bind-mount that daemon's socket (see [examples/vm/rootless-docker.md](examples/vm/rootless-docker.md)); pointing `DOCKER_HOST` at a host socket from inside `dind-rootless` will not work. Changing the UID otherwise means rebuilding the image from a base with a different `rootless` user.
+
 > **Note on Podman:** these images target the Docker daemon. The bundled `dind`/`dind-rootless` daemons are `dockerd`, not Podman, and the `basic` flavour expects a Docker-compatible socket. Running them under rootless Podman is not a supported configuration, though pointing the `basic` flavour at a Podman socket that emulates the Docker API may work for some workloads.
 
 ### Configuration
@@ -143,23 +147,68 @@ Every option is described in [config.example.yaml](internal/pkg/config/config.ex
 
 #### Without a config file
 
-If you omit `-c`, built-in defaults apply (same as an empty YAML document). A small set of **deprecated** environment variables can still override parts of that default config, but **only when no `-c` path was given**; they are ignored if you use a config file:
+If you omit `-c`, built-in defaults apply (same as an empty YAML document).
 
-| Variable | Effect |
+Earlier releases let a small set of environment variables (`GITEA_DEBUG`, `GITEA_TRACE`, `GITEA_RUNNER_CAPACITY`, `GITEA_RUNNER_FILE`, `GITEA_RUNNER_ENVIRON`, `GITEA_RUNNER_ENV_FILE`) override parts of the default config. Those overrides have been removed — use a YAML config file for all settings instead. For the Docker images, the entrypoint still understands a separate set of variables (such as `RUNNER_STATE_FILE`); see [scripts/run.sh](scripts/run.sh) and the container documentation below.
+
+### Labels
+
+Labels decide **which jobs a runner accepts** and **how it runs them**. A job's `runs-on` is matched against the runner's label names; the first match wins and selects the execution environment for that job.
+
+A label is written as:
+
+```text
+<name>[:<schema>[:<args>]]
+```
+
+| Part | Meaning |
 | --- | --- |
-| `GITEA_DEBUG` | If true, sets log level to `debug` |
+| `name` | The name a workflow refers to in `runs-on`, e.g. `ubuntu-latest`. |
-| `GITEA_TRACE` | If true, sets log level to `trace` |
+| `schema` | Either `docker` or `host`. Defaults to `host` when omitted. |
-| `GITEA_RUNNER_CAPACITY` | Concurrent jobs (integer) |
+| `args` | Only used by the `docker` schema: the image to run the job in. |
-| `GITEA_RUNNER_FILE` | Registration state file path (default `.runner`) |
-| `GITEA_RUNNER_ENVIRON` | Extra job env vars as comma-separated `KEY:VALUE` pairs |
-| `GITEA_RUNNER_ENV_FILE` | Path to an env file merged into job env (same idea as `runner.env_file` in YAML) |
 
-Prefer a YAML file for all settings.
+Two schemas are supported:
+
+- **`docker://<image>`** — the job runs inside a container created from `<image>`:
+
+  ```text
+  ubuntu-latest:docker://docker.gitea.com/runner-images:ubuntu-latest
+  ```
+
+- **`host`** — the job's steps run directly on the machine the runner is on, using the tools installed there:
+
+  ```text
+  macos:host
+  ```
+
+So with the labels
+
+```text
+ubuntu-latest:docker://docker.gitea.com/runner-images:ubuntu-latest,macos:host
+```
+
+a workflow with `runs-on: ubuntu-latest` is executed in the `runner-images:ubuntu-latest` container, and one with `runs-on: macos` is executed directly on the host.
+
+Names may themselves contain a colon (for example `pool:e57e18d4-10d4-406f-93bf-60f127221bdd`); only `host` and `docker` are treated as schemas.
+
+If a job's `runs-on` matches none of the runner's labels, the job still runs, in the default `docker.gitea.com/runner-images:ubuntu-latest` image. Images maintained for this purpose are listed at [gitea/runner-images](https://gitea.com/gitea/runner-images).
+
+Labels are chosen at registration time (`--labels`, or the interactive prompt) and can be changed afterwards by editing `runner.labels` in the config file, or in the Gitea UI under the runner's settings.
 
 #### Registration vs config labels
 
 If `runner.labels` is set in the YAML file, those labels are used during `register` and the `--labels` CLI flag is ignored.
 
+The `daemon` command also accepts `--labels` (which defaults to the `GITEA_RUNNER_LABELS` environment variable), so the labels of an already registered runner can be changed without deleting its registration file. The most explicit source wins:
+
+```
+--labels / GITEA_RUNNER_LABELS   >   runner.labels in the config file   >   labels in the .runner file
+```
+
+Whenever the resulting labels differ from the ones in the registration file, they are written back to it and re-declared to the Gitea instance on startup.
+
+> **Note:** A runner that only exposes `host` labels still needs access to a Docker daemon (e.g. a mounted `/var/run/docker.sock`) whenever a job uses a `docker://` action or a service container. `host` labels only change where the job's own steps run; container-based steps and actions are still executed with Docker.
+
 #### Caching (`actions/cache`)
 
 Each runner starts its own cache server automatically. Cache entries are local to that runner — runners do not share a cache by default.

act/container/docker_pull.go

@@ -72,7 +72,9 @@ func NewDockerPullExecutor(input NewDockerPullExecutorInput) common.Executor {
 
 				_ = logDockerResponse(logger, reader, err != nil)
 			}
-			return err
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("failed to pull image '%s' (%s): %w", imageRef, input.Platform, err)
+			}
 		}
 		return nil
 	}

act/container/parse_env_file.go

@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 
 	"gitea.com/gitea/runner/act/common"
+
+	"golang.org/x/text/encoding/unicode"
+	"golang.org/x/text/transform"
 )
 
 func parseEnvFile(e Container, srcPath string, env *map[string]string) common.Executor {
@@ -28,11 +31,19 @@ func parseEnvFile(e Container, srcPath string, env *map[string]string) common.Ex
 		if err != nil && err != io.EOF {
 			return err
 		}
-		s := bufio.NewScanner(reader)
+		// Decode by BOM: Windows PowerShell 5.1 redirection writes UTF-16, and some
+		// tools emit a UTF-8 BOM. Without a BOM the file is read as UTF-8, as before.
+		decoded := transform.NewReader(reader, unicode.BOMOverride(unicode.UTF8.NewDecoder()))
+
+		s := bufio.NewScanner(decoded)
 		// Default 64 KiB max token size is too small for realistic env-file lines; allow up to 16 MiB.
 		s.Buffer(make([]byte, 0, 64*1024), 16*1024*1024)
 		for s.Scan() {
 			line := s.Text()
+			// GitHub's runner ignores blank lines
+			if strings.TrimSpace(line) == "" {
+				continue
+			}
 			singleLineEnv := strings.Index(line, "=")
 			multiLineEnv := strings.Index(line, "<<")
 			if singleLineEnv != -1 && (multiLineEnv == -1 || singleLineEnv < multiLineEnv) {

act/container/parse_env_file_test.go

@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"golang.org/x/text/encoding"
+	"golang.org/x/text/encoding/unicode"
 )
 
 func newTestHostEnv(t *testing.T) (*HostEnvironment, string) {
@@ -64,6 +66,63 @@ func TestParseEnvFileLineExceedsBufferReportsScannerError(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "reading env file")
 }
 
+// Regression test: a blank line used to fail the job at "Complete Job", after
+// every step had already been recorded as successful.
+func TestParseEnvFileBlankLines(t *testing.T) {
+	e, envPath := newTestHostEnv(t)
+	require.NoError(t, os.WriteFile(envPath, []byte("\nFOO=bar\n\n   \nBAZ=qux\n\n"), 0o600))
+
+	env := map[string]string{}
+	require.NoError(t, parseEnvFile(e, envPath, &env)(context.Background()))
+	assert.Equal(t, "bar", env["FOO"])
+	assert.Equal(t, "qux", env["BAZ"])
+}
+
+// blank lines inside a heredoc value are content, not separators
+func TestParseEnvFileMultiLineKeepsBlankLines(t *testing.T) {
+	e, envPath := newTestHostEnv(t)
+	require.NoError(t, os.WriteFile(envPath, []byte("FOO<<EOF\nline1\n\nline2\nEOF\n"), 0o600))
+
+	env := map[string]string{}
+	require.NoError(t, parseEnvFile(e, envPath, &env)(context.Background()))
+	assert.Equal(t, "line1\n\nline2", env["FOO"])
+}
+
+func TestParseEnvFileUTF8BOM(t *testing.T) {
+	e, envPath := newTestHostEnv(t)
+	content := append([]byte{0xEF, 0xBB, 0xBF}, []byte("FOO=bar\n")...)
+	require.NoError(t, os.WriteFile(envPath, content, 0o600))
+
+	env := map[string]string{}
+	require.NoError(t, parseEnvFile(e, envPath, &env)(context.Background()))
+	assert.Equal(t, "bar", env["FOO"])
+}
+
+// Windows host mode: PowerShell 5.1 redirection writes UTF-16, which used to be
+// unrecognisable as KEY=VALUE, so the writes were silently ignored.
+func TestParseEnvFileUTF16(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name    string
+		encoder *encoding.Encoder
+	}{
+		{"little endian", unicode.UTF16(unicode.LittleEndian, unicode.UseBOM).NewEncoder()},
+		{"big endian", unicode.UTF16(unicode.BigEndian, unicode.UseBOM).NewEncoder()},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			e, envPath := newTestHostEnv(t)
+			content, err := tt.encoder.Bytes([]byte("FOO=bar\r\nMULTI<<EOF\r\nline1\r\nEOF\r\n"))
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			require.NoError(t, os.WriteFile(envPath, content, 0o600))
+
+			env := map[string]string{}
+			require.NoError(t, parseEnvFile(e, envPath, &env)(context.Background()))
+			assert.Equal(t, "bar", env["FOO"])
+			assert.Equal(t, "line1", env["MULTI"])
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestParseEnvFileMissingDelimiter(t *testing.T) {
 	e, envPath := newTestHostEnv(t)
 	require.NoError(t, os.WriteFile(envPath, []byte("FOO<<EOF\nline1\nline2\n"), 0o600))

act/exprparser/functions.go

@@ -274,8 +274,17 @@ func (impl *interperterImpl) jobSuccess() (bool, error) { //nolint:unparam // pr
 	return true, nil
 }
 
+// jobStatus returns the current job status, treating a nil Job context as an
+// empty status so status-check functions never panic on a nil dereference.
+func (impl *interperterImpl) jobStatus() string {
+	if impl.env.Job == nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	return impl.env.Job.Status
+}
+
 func (impl *interperterImpl) stepSuccess() (bool, error) { //nolint:unparam // pre-existing issue from nektos/act
-	return impl.env.Job.Status == "success", nil
+	return impl.jobStatus() == "success", nil
 }
 
 func (impl *interperterImpl) jobFailure() (bool, error) { //nolint:unparam // pre-existing issue from nektos/act
@@ -292,9 +301,9 @@ func (impl *interperterImpl) jobFailure() (bool, error) { //nolint:unparam // pr
 }
 
 func (impl *interperterImpl) stepFailure() (bool, error) { //nolint:unparam // pre-existing issue from nektos/act
-	return impl.env.Job.Status == "failure", nil
+	return impl.jobStatus() == "failure", nil
 }
 
 func (impl *interperterImpl) cancelled() (bool, error) { //nolint:unparam // pre-existing issue from nektos/act
-	return impl.env.Job.Status == "cancelled", nil
+	return impl.jobStatus() == "cancelled", nil
 }

act/exprparser/functions_test.go

@@ -254,3 +254,27 @@ func TestFunctionFormat(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestStatusFunctionsNilJob(t *testing.T) {
+	// A nil Job context must not panic: the status-check functions should treat
+	// it as an empty status and return false rather than dereferencing nil.
+	env := &EvaluationEnvironment{}
+
+	table := []struct {
+		input   string
+		context string
+		name    string
+	}{
+		{"cancelled()", "job", "cancelled-nil-job"},
+		{"success()", "step", "step-success-nil-job"},
+		{"failure()", "step", "step-failure-nil-job"},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range table {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			output, err := NewInterpeter(env, Config{Context: tt.context}).Evaluate(tt.input, DefaultStatusCheckNone)
+			assert.NoError(t, err) //nolint:testifylint // pre-existing issue from nektos/act
+			assert.Equal(t, false, output)
+		})
+	}
+}

act/runner/expression.go

@@ -229,7 +229,8 @@ func (ee expressionEvaluator) evaluate(ctx context.Context, in string, defaultSt
 	logger.Debugf("evaluating expression '%s'", in)
 	evaluated, err := ee.interpreter.Evaluate(in, defaultStatusCheck)
 
-	printable := regexp.MustCompile(`::add-mask::.*`).ReplaceAllString(fmt.Sprintf("%t", evaluated), "::add-mask::***)")
+	// evaluated is an any: %t renders everything but a bool as "%!t(string=...)"
+	printable := regexp.MustCompile(`::add-mask::.*`).ReplaceAllString(fmt.Sprintf("%v", evaluated), "::add-mask::***)")
 	logger.Debugf("expression '%s' evaluated to '%s'", in, printable)
 
 	return evaluated, err
@@ -497,11 +498,7 @@ func getEvaluatorInputs(ctx context.Context, rc *RunContext, step step, ghc *mod
 				if value == nil {
 					value = v.Default
 				}
-				if v.Type == "boolean" {
+				inputs[k] = coerceInputValue(value, v.Type)
-					inputs[k] = value == "true"
-				} else {
-					inputs[k] = value
-				}
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -514,17 +511,26 @@ func getEvaluatorInputs(ctx context.Context, rc *RunContext, step step, ghc *mod
 				if value == nil {
 					value = v.Default
 				}
-				if v.Type == "boolean" {
+				inputs[k] = coerceInputValue(value, v.Type)
-					inputs[k] = value == "true"
-				} else {
-					inputs[k] = value
-				}
 			}
 		}
 	}
 	return inputs
 }
 
+// coerceInputValue converts an input value to the type declared by the workflow.
+// The event payload carries natively typed JSON values on newer Gitea versions,
+// while defaults and older servers provide strings.
+func coerceInputValue(value any, inputType string) any {
+	if inputType != "boolean" {
+		return value
+	}
+	if b, ok := value.(bool); ok {
+		return b
+	}
+	return value == "true"
+}
+
 func setupWorkflowInputs(ctx context.Context, inputs *map[string]any, rc *RunContext) {
 	if rc.caller != nil {
 		config := rc.Run.Workflow.WorkflowCallConfig()
@@ -548,7 +554,7 @@ func setupWorkflowInputs(ctx context.Context, inputs *map[string]any, rc *RunCon
 				}
 			}
 
-			(*inputs)[name] = value
+			(*inputs)[name] = coerceInputValue(value, input.Type)
 		}
 	}
 }

act/runner/expression_test.go

@@ -6,12 +6,14 @@ package runner
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	"gitea.com/gitea/runner/act/exprparser"
 	"gitea.com/gitea/runner/act/model"
 
 	assert "github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 	yaml "go.yaml.in/yaml/v4"
 )
 
@@ -321,3 +323,82 @@ func TestRewriteSubExpressionForceFormat(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestGetEvaluatorInputsBoolean(t *testing.T) {
+	workflows := map[string]string{
+		"workflow_call": `
+on:
+  workflow_call:
+    inputs:
+      flag:
+        type: boolean
+        default: true
+      name:
+        type: string
+        default: gitea
+`,
+		"workflow_dispatch": `
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      flag:
+        type: boolean
+        default: true
+      name:
+        type: string
+        default: gitea
+`,
+	}
+
+	tables := []struct {
+		name  string
+		event map[string]any
+		flag  any
+	}{
+		{
+			// Gitea >= 1.27 resolves the inputs server-side and sends native JSON types
+			name:  "native bool true",
+			event: map[string]any{"inputs": map[string]any{"flag": true}},
+			flag:  true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:  "native bool false",
+			event: map[string]any{"inputs": map[string]any{"flag": false}},
+			flag:  false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:  "string true",
+			event: map[string]any{"inputs": map[string]any{"flag": "true"}},
+			flag:  true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:  "string false",
+			event: map[string]any{"inputs": map[string]any{"flag": "false"}},
+			flag:  false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:  "default is used when the event carries no inputs",
+			event: map[string]any{},
+			flag:  true,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for eventName, workflow := range workflows {
+		for _, table := range tables {
+			t.Run(eventName+"/"+table.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+				wf, err := model.ReadWorkflow(strings.NewReader(workflow))
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+
+				rc := &RunContext{
+					Config: &Config{Workdir: "."},
+					Run:    &model.Run{JobID: "job1", Workflow: wf},
+				}
+				ghc := &model.GithubContext{EventName: eventName, Event: table.event}
+
+				inputs := getEvaluatorInputs(context.Background(), rc, nil, ghc)
+				assert.Equal(t, table.flag, inputs["flag"])
+				assert.Equal(t, "gitea", inputs["name"])
+			})
+		}
+	}
+}

act/runner/run_context.go

@@ -138,7 +138,9 @@ func (rc *RunContext) GetEnv() map[string]string {
 			}
 		}
 	}
-	rc.Env["ACT"] = "true"
+	if !rc.Config.DisableActEnv {
+		rc.Env["ACT"] = "true"
+	}
 
 	if !rc.Config.NoSkipCheckout {
 		rc.Env["ACT_SKIP_CHECKOUT"] = "true"
@@ -337,6 +339,9 @@ func printStartJobContainerGroup(ctx context.Context, image, name, network strin
 	}
 }
 
+// newContainer is a variable so tests can substitute a container that needs no Docker daemon.
+var newContainer = container.NewContainer
+
 func (rc *RunContext) startJobContainer() common.Executor {
 	return func(ctx context.Context) error {
 		logger := common.Logger(ctx)
@@ -379,6 +384,13 @@ func (rc *RunContext) startJobContainer() common.Executor {
 
 		// add service containers
 		for serviceID, spec := range rc.Run.Job().Services {
+			// GitHub compatibility: skip services whose image evaluates to an
+			// empty string, enabling conditional services via expressions
+			serviceImage := rc.ExprEval.Interpolate(ctx, spec.Image)
+			if serviceImage == "" {
+				logger.Infof("The service '%s' will not be started because the container definition has an empty image.", serviceID)
+				continue
+			}
 			// interpolate env
 			interpolatedEnvs := make(map[string]string, len(spec.Env))
 			for k, v := range spec.Env {
@@ -393,7 +405,9 @@ func (rc *RunContext) startJobContainer() common.Executor {
 			for _, v := range spec.Cmd {
 				interpolatedCmd = append(interpolatedCmd, rc.ExprEval.Interpolate(ctx, v))
 			}
-			username, password, err = rc.handleServiceCredentials(ctx, spec.Credentials)
+			// keep these local: reusing username/password would overwrite the
+			// credentials the job container is pulled with further down
+			serviceUsername, servicePassword, err := rc.handleServiceCredentials(ctx, spec.Credentials)
 			if err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("failed to handle service %s credentials: %w", serviceID, err)
 			}
@@ -414,12 +428,12 @@ func (rc *RunContext) startJobContainer() common.Executor {
 			}
 
 			serviceContainerName := createContainerName(rc.jobContainerName(), serviceID)
-			c := container.NewContainer(&container.NewContainerInput{
+			c := newContainer(&container.NewContainerInput{
 				Name:           serviceContainerName,
 				WorkingDir:     ext.ToContainerPath(rc.Config.Workdir),
-				Image:          rc.ExprEval.Interpolate(ctx, spec.Image),
+				Image:          serviceImage,
-				Username:       username,
+				Username:       serviceUsername,
-				Password:       password,
+				Password:       servicePassword,
 				Cmd:            interpolatedCmd,
 				Env:            envs,
 				Mounts:         serviceMounts,
@@ -475,7 +489,7 @@ func (rc *RunContext) startJobContainer() common.Executor {
 		// For Gitea, `jobContainerNetwork` should be the same as `networkName`
 		jobContainerNetwork := networkName
 
-		rc.JobContainer = container.NewContainer(&container.NewContainerInput{
+		rc.JobContainer = newContainer(&container.NewContainerInput{
 			Cmd:            nil,
 			Entrypoint:     []string{"/bin/sleep", fmt.Sprint(rc.Config.ContainerMaxLifetime.Round(time.Second).Seconds())},
 			WorkingDir:     ext.ToContainerPath(rc.Config.Workdir),
@@ -783,7 +797,13 @@ func (rc *RunContext) Executor() (common.Executor, error) {
 	return func(ctx context.Context) error {
 		res, err := rc.isEnabled(ctx)
 		if err != nil {
-			rc.caller.setReusedWorkflowJobResult(rc.JobName, "failure") // For Gitea
+			// Record the failure so a job whose if-expression fails to evaluate
+			// gets a result (and therefore a stop time) instead of being left
+			// unfinished. rc.caller is only set for reusable workflows.
+			rc.result("failure")
+			if rc.caller != nil { // For Gitea
+				rc.caller.setReusedWorkflowJobResult(rc.JobName, "failure")
+			}
 			return err
 		}
 		if res {

act/runner/run_context_test.go

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	"gitea.com/gitea/runner/act/common"
+	"gitea.com/gitea/runner/act/container"
 	"gitea.com/gitea/runner/act/exprparser"
 	"gitea.com/gitea/runner/act/model"
 
@@ -202,6 +203,93 @@ jobs:
 	assert.Empty(t, password)
 }
 
+// fakeContainer turns every container operation into a no-op, so startJobContainer
+// runs without a Docker daemon. The embedded interface is nil, so any method the
+// test does not exercise panics rather than silently doing the wrong thing.
+type fakeContainer struct {
+	container.ExecutionsEnvironment
+}
+
+func (fakeContainer) Pull(bool) common.Executor  { return func(context.Context) error { return nil } }
+func (fakeContainer) Start(bool) common.Executor { return func(context.Context) error { return nil } }
+func (fakeContainer) Remove() common.Executor    { return func(context.Context) error { return nil } }
+func (fakeContainer) Close() common.Executor     { return func(context.Context) error { return nil } }
+func (fakeContainer) GetActPath() string         { return "/var/run/act" }
+func (fakeContainer) Create([]string, []string) common.Executor {
+	return func(context.Context) error { return nil }
+}
+
+func (fakeContainer) Copy(string, ...*container.FileEntry) common.Executor {
+	return func(context.Context) error { return nil }
+}
+
+// Regression test: a service without a `credentials:` block resolves to empty
+// credentials, which used to overwrite the job container's own credentials.
+func TestStartJobContainerKeepsJobCredentialsWithServices(t *testing.T) {
+	workflow, err := model.ReadWorkflow(strings.NewReader(`
+name: test
+on: push
+jobs:
+  job:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    container:
+      image: registry.example/private:latest
+      credentials:
+        username: job-user
+        password: job-password
+    services:
+      redis:
+        image: redis:latest
+      db:
+        image: postgres:latest
+        credentials:
+          username: db-user
+          password: db-password
+    steps: []
+`))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	var inputs []*container.NewContainerInput
+	origNewContainer := newContainer
+	newContainer = func(input *container.NewContainerInput) container.ExecutionsEnvironment {
+		inputs = append(inputs, input)
+		return fakeContainer{}
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { newContainer = origNewContainer })
+
+	rc := &RunContext{
+		Name: "test",
+		Config: &Config{
+			Workdir: "/tmp",
+			// no daemon: an explicit network mode creates no network, and
+			// reusing containers short-circuits the volume cleanup executors
+			ContainerNetworkMode: "host",
+			ReuseContainers:      true,
+			Env:                  map[string]string{},
+			Secrets:              map[string]string{},
+		},
+		Env: map[string]string{},
+		Run: &model.Run{
+			JobID:    "job",
+			Workflow: workflow,
+		},
+	}
+	rc.ExprEval = rc.NewExpressionEvaluator(t.Context())
+
+	require.NoError(t, rc.startJobContainer()(t.Context()))
+
+	credentials := map[string][2]string{}
+	for _, in := range inputs {
+		credentials[in.Image] = [2]string{in.Username, in.Password}
+	}
+
+	// the job container keeps its own credentials, whichever services exist
+	require.Equal(t, [2]string{"job-user", "job-password"}, credentials["registry.example/private:latest"])
+	// each service keeps its own, and a service without credentials gets none
+	require.Equal(t, [2]string{"db-user", "db-password"}, credentials["postgres:latest"])
+	require.Equal(t, [2]string{"", ""}, credentials["redis:latest"])
+}
+
 func TestRunContext_GetBindsAndMounts(t *testing.T) {
 	rctemplate := &RunContext{
 		Name: "TestRCName",

act/runner/runner.go

@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	ArtifactServerAddr                 string                                        // the address the artifact server binds to
 	ArtifactServerPort                 string                                        // the port the artifact server binds to
 	NoSkipCheckout                     bool                                          // do not skip actions/checkout
+	DisableActEnv                      bool                                          // do not inject the ACT=true environment variable into jobs
 	RemoteName                         string                                        // remote name in local git repo config
 	ReplaceGheActionWithGithubCom      []string                                      // Use actions from GitHub Enterprise instance to GitHub
 	ReplaceGheActionTokenWithGithubCom string                                        // Token of private action repo on GitHub.

act/runner/runner_test.go

@@ -303,6 +303,7 @@ func TestRunEvent(t *testing.T) {
 		// services
 		{workdir, "services", "push", "", platforms, secrets},
 		{workdir, "services-with-container", "push", "", platforms, secrets},
+		{workdir, "services-empty-image", "push", "", platforms, secrets},
 
 		// local remote action overrides
 		{workdir, "local-remote-action-overrides", "push", "", platforms, secrets},

act/runner/testdata/services-empty-image/push.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+name: services-empty-image
+on: push
+jobs:
+  test:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    services:
+      db:
+        image: ${{ false && 'postgres:16' || '' }}
+    steps:
+      - run: echo "empty-image service was skipped"

act/runner/testdata/workflow_call_inputs/event.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "inputs": {
     "required": "required input",
-    "boolean": "true"
+    "boolean": true
   }
 }

examples/kubernetes/README.md

@@ -6,6 +6,11 @@ NOTE: `dind-docker.yaml` uses the native sidecar pattern (init container with `r
 
 NOTE: A helm chart for `gitea-runner` also exists for easier deployments https://gitea.com/gitea/helm-actions
 
+Each example persists **two** things, and it is worth knowing which is which:
+
+- `/data` is the runner's working directory. It holds the `.runner` registration file and, optionally, the config file — so the runner re-attaches to the server instead of registering again.
+- The Docker daemon's data root holds the images pulled for jobs (`/var/lib/docker` for the dind sidecar, `/home/rootless/.local/share/docker` for `dind-rootless`). It is *not* under `/data`. If you drop this volume, the examples still work, but the image cache is discarded whenever the pod is recreated and every job re-pulls its images.
+
 Files in this directory:
 
 - [`dind-docker.yaml`](dind-docker.yaml)
@@ -13,3 +18,6 @@ Files in this directory:
 
 - [`rootless-docker.yaml`](rootless-docker.yaml)
   How to create a rootless Deployment and Persistent Volume for Kubernetes to act as a runner. The Docker credentials are re-generated each time the pod connects and does not need to be persisted.
+
+- [`statefulset-dind.yaml`](statefulset-dind.yaml)
+  StatefulSet variant of the dind example. Each replica gets a stable identity and its own persistent volume via `volumeClaimTemplates`, so the runner keeps its `.runner` registration across restarts and reschedules instead of trying to register again.

examples/kubernetes/dind-docker.yaml

@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# Holds the runner's working directory (/data): the .runner registration file
+# and, optionally, the config file.
 kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
 apiVersion: v1
 metadata:
@@ -10,6 +12,21 @@ spec:
       storage: 1Gi
   storageClassName: standard
 ---
+# Holds the Docker daemon's data root (/var/lib/docker), i.e. the images pulled
+# for jobs. Without it, the image cache is lost whenever the pod is recreated
+# and every job re-pulls its images. Size it for the images you expect to cache.
+kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
+apiVersion: v1
+metadata:
+  name: docker-vol
+spec:
+  accessModes:
+  - ReadWriteOnce
+  resources:
+    requests:
+      storage: 20Gi
+  storageClassName: standard
+---
 apiVersion: v1
 data:
   # The registration token can be obtained from the web UI, API or command-line.
@@ -45,6 +62,9 @@ spec:
       - name: runner-data
         persistentVolumeClaim:
           claimName: runner-vol
+      - name: docker-data
+        persistentVolumeClaim:
+          claimName: docker-vol
       initContainers:
       - name: docker
         image: docker:28.2.2-dind
@@ -53,6 +73,8 @@ spec:
         volumeMounts:
         - name: docker-socket
           mountPath: /var/run
+        - name: docker-data
+          mountPath: /var/lib/docker
         startupProbe:
           exec:
             command: ["/usr/bin/test", "-S", "/var/run/docker.sock"]

examples/kubernetes/rootless-docker.yaml

@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# Holds the runner's working directory (/data): the .runner registration file
+# and, optionally, the config file.
 kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
 apiVersion: v1
 metadata:
@@ -10,6 +12,21 @@ spec:
       storage: 1Gi
   storageClassName: standard
 ---
+# Holds the rootless Docker daemon's data root, i.e. the images pulled for jobs.
+# Without it, the image cache is lost whenever the pod is recreated and every job
+# re-pulls its images. Size it for the images you expect to cache.
+kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
+apiVersion: v1
+metadata:
+  name: docker-vol
+spec:
+  accessModes:
+  - ReadWriteOnce
+  resources:
+    requests:
+      storage: 20Gi
+  storageClassName: standard
+---
 apiVersion: v1
 data:
   # The registration token can be obtained from the web UI, API or command-line.
@@ -43,7 +60,12 @@ spec:
       - name: runner-data
         persistentVolumeClaim:
           claimName: runner-vol
+      - name: docker-data
+        persistentVolumeClaim:
+          claimName: docker-vol
       securityContext:
+        # The dind-rootless image runs as the `rootless` user (UID/GID 1000);
+        # fsGroup makes both volumes writable for it.
         fsGroup: 1000
       containers:
       - name: runner
@@ -68,4 +90,7 @@ spec:
         volumeMounts:
         - name: runner-data
           mountPath: /data
+        # The rootless daemon keeps its images here, not under /data.
+        - name: docker-data
+          mountPath: /home/rootless/.local/share/docker
 

examples/kubernetes/statefulset-dind.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+# StatefulSet variant of the dind example.
+#
+# Unlike the Deployment, a StatefulSet gives each replica a stable identity and,
+# via volumeClaimTemplates, its own persistent volume. That means every runner
+# pod keeps its own `.runner` registration file across restarts and reschedules,
+# so it re-attaches to the server instead of trying to register again.
+apiVersion: v1
+data:
+  # The registration token can be obtained from the web UI, API or command-line.
+  # You can also set a pre-defined global runner registration token for the Gitea instance via
+  # `GITEA_RUNNER_REGISTRATION_TOKEN`/`GITEA_RUNNER_REGISTRATION_TOKEN_FILE` environment variable.
+  token: << base64 encoded registration token >>
+kind: Secret
+metadata:
+  name: runner-secret
+type: Opaque
+---
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: StatefulSet
+metadata:
+  labels:
+    app: runner
+  name: runner
+spec:
+  serviceName: runner
+  replicas: 1
+  selector:
+    matchLabels:
+      app: runner
+  template:
+    metadata:
+      labels:
+        app: runner
+    spec:
+      restartPolicy: Always
+      volumes:
+      - name: docker-socket
+        emptyDir: {}
+      initContainers:
+      - name: docker
+        image: docker:28.2.2-dind
+        securityContext:
+          privileged: true
+        volumeMounts:
+        - name: docker-socket
+          mountPath: /var/run
+        # Keeps the images pulled for jobs across restarts. Without this, the
+        # daemon's data root is ephemeral and every job re-pulls its images.
+        - name: docker-data
+          mountPath: /var/lib/docker
+        startupProbe:
+          exec:
+            command: ["/usr/bin/test", "-S", "/var/run/docker.sock"]
+        livenessProbe:
+          exec:
+            command: ["/usr/bin/test", "-S", "/var/run/docker.sock"]
+        restartPolicy: Always
+      containers:
+      - name: runner
+        image: gitea/runner:nightly
+        env:
+        - name: GITEA_INSTANCE_URL
+          value: http://gitea-http.gitea.svc.cluster.local:3000
+        - name: GITEA_RUNNER_REGISTRATION_TOKEN
+          valueFrom:
+            secretKeyRef:
+              name: runner-secret
+              key: token
+        volumeMounts:
+        - name: runner-data
+          mountPath: /data
+        - name: docker-socket
+          mountPath: /var/run
+  volumeClaimTemplates:
+  # The runner's working directory: the .runner registration file and, optionally,
+  # the config file.
+  - metadata:
+      name: runner-data
+    spec:
+      accessModes:
+      - ReadWriteOnce
+      resources:
+        requests:
+          storage: 1Gi
+      storageClassName: standard
+  # The Docker daemon's data root: the images pulled for jobs. Size it for the
+  # images you expect to cache.
+  - metadata:
+      name: docker-data
+    spec:
+      accessModes:
+      - ReadWriteOnce
+      resources:
+        requests:
+          storage: 20Gi
+      storageClassName: standard

examples/systemd/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+# Running the runner as a systemd service
+
+[`gitea-runner.service`](./gitea-runner.service) is an example unit for running
+the runner as a background service on a systemd host.
+
+## Setup
+
+1. Install the `gitea-runner` binary (e.g. to `/usr/local/bin/gitea-runner`).
+2. Create a dedicated user and working directory:
+
+   ```bash
+   sudo useradd --system --home-dir /var/lib/gitea-runner --create-home gitea-runner
+   ```
+
+3. Generate a config and register the runner (as the service user), so the
+   `.runner` file ends up in the working directory:
+
+   ```bash
+   sudo -u gitea-runner gitea-runner generate-config > /etc/gitea-runner/config.yaml
+   cd /var/lib/gitea-runner
+   sudo -u gitea-runner gitea-runner register --config /etc/gitea-runner/config.yaml
+   ```
+
+4. Install and enable the unit:
+
+   ```bash
+   sudo cp gitea-runner.service /etc/systemd/system/gitea-runner.service
+   sudo systemctl daemon-reload
+   sudo systemctl enable --now gitea-runner
+   ```
+
+Adjust the binary path, config path, working directory and user to match your
+installation. If jobs use the host's Docker daemon, uncomment the
+`docker.service` dependencies in the unit.

examples/systemd/gitea-runner.service

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=Gitea Actions runner
+Documentation=https://gitea.com/gitea/runner
+After=network-online.target
+Wants=network-online.target
+# Uncomment when jobs use the local Docker daemon:
+# After=docker.service
+# Requires=docker.service
+
+[Service]
+Type=simple
+# Adjust the binary path, config path and working directory to your setup.
+# The working directory is where the .runner registration file is read from
+# unless runner.file is set to an absolute path in the config.
+ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/gitea-runner daemon --config /etc/gitea-runner/config.yaml
+WorkingDirectory=/var/lib/gitea-runner
+User=gitea-runner
+Group=gitea-runner
+
+# Restart automatically so the runner survives transient failures, e.g. the
+# Gitea instance being temporarily unreachable at startup.
+Restart=on-failure
+RestartSec=5s
+
+# Allow running jobs to finish before the runner is stopped. Keep this in sync
+# with runner.shutdown_timeout in the config.
+TimeoutStopSec=3h
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=multi-user.target

go.mod

@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/opencontainers/selinux v1.15.1
 	github.com/pkg/errors v0.9.1
 	github.com/prometheus/client_golang v1.23.2
+	github.com/prometheus/client_model v0.6.2
 	github.com/rhysd/actionlint v1.7.12
 	github.com/sirupsen/logrus v1.9.4
 	github.com/spf13/cobra v1.10.2
@@ -37,8 +38,9 @@ require (
 	github.com/timshannon/bolthold v0.0.0-20240314194003-30aac6950928
 	go.etcd.io/bbolt v1.5.0
 	go.yaml.in/yaml/v4 v4.0.0-rc.3
-	golang.org/x/sys v0.46.0
+	golang.org/x/sys v0.47.0
-	golang.org/x/term v0.44.0
+	golang.org/x/term v0.45.0
+	golang.org/x/text v0.40.0
 	google.golang.org/protobuf v1.36.11
 	gotest.tools/v3 v3.5.2
 	tags.cncf.io/container-device-interface v1.1.0
@@ -84,7 +86,6 @@ require (
 	github.com/opencontainers/go-digest v1.0.0 // indirect
 	github.com/pjbgf/sha1cd v0.6.0 // indirect
 	github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.0 // indirect
-	github.com/prometheus/client_model v0.6.2 // indirect
 	github.com/prometheus/common v0.66.1 // indirect
 	github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.17.0 // indirect
 	github.com/robfig/cron/v3 v3.0.1 // indirect
@@ -106,7 +107,7 @@ require (
 	go.yaml.in/yaml/v3 v3.0.4 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/crypto v0.52.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/net v0.54.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/sync v0.20.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/sync v0.22.0 // indirect
 	gopkg.in/warnings.v0 v0.1.2 // indirect
 	gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1 // indirect
 )

go.sum

@@ -47,10 +47,6 @@ github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1 h1:vj9j/u1bqnvCEfJOwUhtlOARqs3+rkHYY13jYWTU97c
 github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1/go.mod h1:J7Y8YcW2NihsgmVo/mv3lAwl/skON4iLHjSsI+c5H38=
 github.com/distribution/reference v0.6.0 h1:0IXCQ5g4/QMHHkarYzh5l+u8T3t73zM5QvfrDyIgxBk=
 github.com/distribution/reference v0.6.0/go.mod h1:BbU0aIcezP1/5jX/8MP0YiH4SdvB5Y4f/wlDRiLyi3E=
-github.com/docker/cli v29.5.3+incompatible h1:nbEFfz774vBwQ5KRYv7c/AghjReqnGISvrRhzjV0evs=
-github.com/docker/cli v29.5.3+incompatible/go.mod h1:JLrzqnKDaYBop7H2jaqPtU4hHvMKP+vjCwu2uszcLI8=
-github.com/docker/cli v29.6.0+incompatible h1:nw9himxMMZ7eIeherJNlKQq+acnlzGgHd+4uf10QRSc=
-github.com/docker/cli v29.6.0+incompatible/go.mod h1:JLrzqnKDaYBop7H2jaqPtU4hHvMKP+vjCwu2uszcLI8=
 github.com/docker/cli v29.6.1+incompatible h1:oO7F4nn3Ovr/5TlfTUWFbMwBSS/B7Xs6Epv26gBrUP8=
 github.com/docker/cli v29.6.1+incompatible/go.mod h1:JLrzqnKDaYBop7H2jaqPtU4hHvMKP+vjCwu2uszcLI8=
 github.com/docker/docker-credential-helpers v0.9.6 h1:cT2PbRPSlnMmNTfT2TDMXRyQ1KMWHG7xoTLBcn1ZNv0=
@@ -131,12 +127,8 @@ github.com/moby/docker-image-spec v1.3.1 h1:jMKff3w6PgbfSa69GfNg+zN/XLhfXJGnEx3N
 github.com/moby/docker-image-spec v1.3.1/go.mod h1:eKmb5VW8vQEh/BAr2yvVNvuiJuY6UIocYsFu/DxxRpo=
 github.com/moby/go-archive v0.2.0 h1:zg5QDUM2mi0JIM9fdQZWC7U8+2ZfixfTYoHL7rWUcP8=
 github.com/moby/go-archive v0.2.0/go.mod h1:mNeivT14o8xU+5q1YnNrkQVpK+dnNe/K6fHqnTg4qPU=
-github.com/moby/moby/api v1.54.2 h1:wiat9QAhnDQjA7wk1kh/TqHz2I1uUA7M7t9SAl/JNXg=
-github.com/moby/moby/api v1.54.2/go.mod h1:+RQ6wluLwtYaTd1WnPLykIDPekkuyD/ROWQClE83pzs=
 github.com/moby/moby/api v1.55.0 h1:2/sexvQyqIWS8pRSCFddBfpW2qE7vR7FCL+vN8pxwMc=
 github.com/moby/moby/api v1.55.0/go.mod h1:+RQ6wluLwtYaTd1WnPLykIDPekkuyD/ROWQClE83pzs=
-github.com/moby/moby/client v0.4.1 h1:DMQgisVoMkmMs7fp3ROSdiBnoAu8+vo3GggFl06M/wY=
-github.com/moby/moby/client v0.4.1/go.mod h1:z52C9O2POPOsnxZAy//WtKcQ32P+jT/NGeXu/7nfjGQ=
 github.com/moby/moby/client v0.5.0 h1:5XhyPk2fuOWf6RlSFa3MkIIgDZkF25xToXW8Q/BH7cc=
 github.com/moby/moby/client v0.5.0/go.mod h1:rcVpF8ncl9vo5gaIBdol6CnbEtSj1uxMvEV/UrykF/s=
 github.com/moby/patternmatcher v0.6.1 h1:qlhtafmr6kgMIJjKJMDmMWq7WLkKIo23hsrpR3x084U=
@@ -215,8 +207,6 @@ github.com/xeipuuv/gojsonreference v0.0.0-20180127040603-bd5ef7bd5415/go.mod h1:
 github.com/xeipuuv/gojsonschema v1.2.0 h1:LhYJRs+L4fBtjZUfuSZIKGeVu0QRy8e5Xi7D17UxZ74=
 github.com/xeipuuv/gojsonschema v1.2.0/go.mod h1:anYRn/JVcOK2ZgGU+IjEV4nwlhoK5sQluxsYJ78Id3Y=
 go.etcd.io/bbolt v1.3.8/go.mod h1:N9Mkw9X8x5fupy0IKsmuqVtoGDyxsaDlbk4Rd05IAQw=
-go.etcd.io/bbolt v1.4.3 h1:dEadXpI6G79deX5prL3QRNP6JB8UxVkqo4UPnHaNXJo=
-go.etcd.io/bbolt v1.4.3/go.mod h1:tKQlpPaYCVFctUIgFKFnAlvbmB3tpy1vkTnDWohtc0E=
 go.etcd.io/bbolt v1.5.0 h1:S7GAl7Fxv12yohbwFfIbQCGDWbQbtDGPET4P/bD4lxU=
 go.etcd.io/bbolt v1.5.0/go.mod h1:mkltfYE5aUHQxUct9N9V+Kp7aSjFqjgrhcXIS70Lrdk=
 go.etcd.io/gofail v0.1.0/go.mod h1:VZBCXYGZhHAinaBiiqYvuDynvahNsAyLFwB3kEHKz1M=
@@ -252,6 +242,8 @@ golang.org/x/net v0.54.0 h1:2zJIZAxAHV/OHCDTCOHAYehQzLfSXuf/5SoL/Dv6w/w=
 golang.org/x/net v0.54.0/go.mod h1:Sj4oj8jK6XmHpBZU/zWHw3BV3abl4Kvi+Ut7cQcY+cQ=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.20.0 h1:e0PTpb7pjO8GAtTs2dQ6jYa5BWYlMuX047Dco/pItO4=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.20.0/go.mod h1:9xrNwdLfx4jkKbNva9FpL6vEN7evnE43NNNJQ2LF3+0=
+golang.org/x/sync v0.22.0 h1:SZjpbeLmrCk4xhRSZFNZW5gFUeCeFgjekvI/+gfScek=
+golang.org/x/sync v0.22.0/go.mod h1:9xrNwdLfx4jkKbNva9FpL6vEN7evnE43NNNJQ2LF3+0=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20191026070338-33540a1f6037/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20201119102817-f84b799fce68/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20210124154548-22da62e12c0c/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
@@ -260,14 +252,16 @@ golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20210615035016-665e8c7367d1/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBc
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20220715151400-c0bba94af5f8/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.4.0/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.15.0/go.mod h1:/VUhepiaJMQUp4+oa/7Zr1D23ma6VTLIYjOOTFZPUcA=
-golang.org/x/sys v0.46.0 h1:noSf2Fq6F8DBgS+LysIkx7rIExoNHJsxOAtPp4rthXw=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.47.0 h1:o7XGOvZQCADBQQ4Y7VNq2dRWQR7JmOUW8Kxx4ZsNgWs=
-golang.org/x/sys v0.46.0/go.mod h1:4GL1E5IUh+htKOUEOaiffhrAeqysfVGipDYzABqnCmw=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.47.0/go.mod h1:4GL1E5IUh+htKOUEOaiffhrAeqysfVGipDYzABqnCmw=
 golang.org/x/term v0.0.0-20201126162022-7de9c90e9dd1/go.mod h1:bj7SfCRtBDWHUb9snDiAeCFNEtKQo2Wmx5Cou7ajbmo=
-golang.org/x/term v0.44.0 h1:0rLvDRCtNj0gZkyIXhCyOb2OAzEhLVqc4B+hrsBhrmc=
+golang.org/x/term v0.45.0 h1:NwWyBmoJCbfTHpxrWoZ9C6/VxOf7ic219I8xZZFdrf0=
-golang.org/x/term v0.44.0/go.mod h1:7ze4MdzUzLXpSAoFP1H0bOI9aXDqveSvatT5vKcFh2Y=
+golang.org/x/term v0.45.0/go.mod h1:9aqxs0blBcrm/n0L9QW0aRVD+ktan8ssZromtqJC43w=
 golang.org/x/text v0.3.6/go.mod h1:5Zoc/QRtKVWzQhOtBMvqHzDpF6irO9z98xDceosuGiQ=
 golang.org/x/text v0.37.0 h1:Cqjiwd9eSg8e0QAkyCaQTNHFIIzWtidPahFWR83rTrc=
 golang.org/x/text v0.37.0/go.mod h1:a5sjxXGs9hsn/AJVwuElvCAo9v8QYLzvavO5z2PiM38=
+golang.org/x/text v0.40.0 h1:Ub2Z6/xjgF1WrYQz2nuITOEegKFtiIy+rieRJ5lHZKs=
+golang.org/x/text v0.40.0/go.mod h1:hpnzDAfGV753zIKo+wk3u1bVKCGPbrnF7+7LBF/UHVY=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20180917221912-90fa682c2a6e/go.mod h1:n7NCudcB/nEzxVGmLbDWY5pfWTLqBcC2KZ6jyYvM4mQ=
 google.golang.org/protobuf v1.36.11 h1:fV6ZwhNocDyBLK0dj+fg8ektcVegBBuEolpbTQyBNVE=
 google.golang.org/protobuf v1.36.11/go.mod h1:HTf+CrKn2C3g5S8VImy6tdcUvCska2kB7j23XfzDpco=

internal/app/cmd/bug_report.go

@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+// Copyright 2026 The Gitea Authors. All rights reserved.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+package cmd
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"runtime"
+
+	"gitea.com/gitea/runner/internal/pkg/ver"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+)
+
+// loadBugReportCmd prints environment details that are useful when opening a
+// bug report, so users can paste them straight into an issue.
+func loadBugReportCmd() *cobra.Command {
+	return &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   "bug-report",
+		Short: "Print information useful when filing a bug report",
+		Args:  cobra.MaximumNArgs(0),
+		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
+			w := cmd.OutOrStdout()
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, "Runner version: %s\n", ver.Version())
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, "Go version:     %s\n", runtime.Version())
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, "OS/Arch:        %s/%s\n", runtime.GOOS, runtime.GOARCH)
+			fmt.Fprintf(w, "NumCPU:         %d\n", runtime.NumCPU())
+			return nil
+		},
+	}
+}

internal/app/cmd/cmd.go

@@ -35,7 +35,8 @@ func Execute(ctx context.Context) {
 	}
 	registerCmd.Flags().BoolVar(&regArgs.NoInteractive, "no-interactive", false, "Disable interactive mode")
 	registerCmd.Flags().StringVar(&regArgs.InstanceAddr, "instance", "", "Gitea instance address")
-	registerCmd.Flags().StringVar(&regArgs.Token, "token", "", "Runner token")
+	registerCmd.Flags().StringVar(&regArgs.Token, "token", "", "Runner token (or set the GITEA_RUNNER_REGISTRATION_TOKEN envvar)")
+	registerCmd.Flags().StringVar(&regArgs.TokenFile, "token-file", "", "Path to a file containing the runner token")
 	registerCmd.Flags().StringVar(&regArgs.RunnerName, "name", "", "Runner name")
 	registerCmd.Flags().StringVar(&regArgs.Labels, "labels", "", "Runner tags, comma separated")
 	registerCmd.Flags().BoolVar(&regArgs.Ephemeral, "ephemeral", false, "Configure the runner to be ephemeral and only ever be able to pick a single job (stricter than --once)")
@@ -50,11 +51,15 @@ func Execute(ctx context.Context) {
 		RunE:  runDaemon(ctx, &daemArgs, &configFile),
 	}
 	daemonCmd.Flags().BoolVar(&daemArgs.Once, "once", false, "Run one job then exit")
+	daemonCmd.Flags().StringVar(&daemArgs.Labels, "labels", os.Getenv("GITEA_RUNNER_LABELS"), "Runner labels, comma separated. Overrides the labels of an already registered runner")
 	rootCmd.AddCommand(daemonCmd)
 
 	// ./gitea-runner exec
 	rootCmd.AddCommand(loadExecCmd(ctx))
 
+	// ./gitea-runner bug-report
+	rootCmd.AddCommand(loadBugReportCmd())
+
 	// ./gitea-runner config
 	rootCmd.AddCommand(&cobra.Command{
 		Use:   "generate-config",

internal/app/cmd/daemon.go

@@ -49,10 +49,7 @@ func runDaemon(ctx context.Context, daemArgs *daemonArgs, configFile *string) fu
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to load registration file: %w", err)
 		}
 
-		lbls := reg.Labels
+		lbls := resolveLabels(daemArgs.Labels, cfg.Runner.Labels, reg.Labels)
-		if len(cfg.Runner.Labels) > 0 {
-			lbls = cfg.Runner.Labels
-		}
 
 		ls := labels.Labels{}
 		for _, l := range lbls {
@@ -176,7 +173,12 @@ func runDaemon(ctx context.Context, daemArgs *daemonArgs, configFile *string) fu
 		} else {
 			go poller.Poll()
 
-			<-ctx.Done()
+			// Stop either on an external cancellation or when the poller shuts
+			// itself down (e.g. after the runner has been unregistered).
+			select {
+			case <-ctx.Done():
+			case <-poller.Done():
+			}
 		}
 
 		log.Infof("runner: %s shutdown initiated, waiting %s for running jobs to complete before shutting down", resp.Msg.Runner.Name, cfg.Runner.ShutdownTimeout)
@@ -189,12 +191,39 @@ func runDaemon(ctx context.Context, daemArgs *daemonArgs, configFile *string) fu
 			log.Warnf("runner: %s cancelled in progress jobs during shutdown", resp.Msg.Runner.Name)
 		}
 
+		if poller.Unregistered() {
+			return errors.New("runner is no longer registered with the server; please register it again")
+		}
+
 		return nil
 	}
 }
 
 type daemonArgs struct {
-	Once bool
+	Once   bool
+	Labels string
+}
+
+// resolveLabels picks the labels to run with: --labels/GITEA_RUNNER_LABELS > config > .runner.
+// The flag lets a registered runner change its labels without deleting the .runner file.
+func resolveLabels(argLabels string, cfgLabels, regLabels []string) []string {
+	if lbls := splitLabels(argLabels); len(lbls) > 0 {
+		return lbls
+	}
+	if len(cfgLabels) > 0 {
+		return cfgLabels
+	}
+	return regLabels
+}
+
+func splitLabels(s string) []string {
+	var lbls []string
+	for l := range strings.SplitSeq(s, ",") {
+		if l = strings.TrimSpace(l); l != "" {
+			lbls = append(lbls, l)
+		}
+	}
+	return lbls
 }
 
 // initLogging setup the global logrus logger.

internal/app/cmd/daemon_test.go

@@ -12,6 +12,32 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
+func TestResolveLabels(t *testing.T) {
+	var (
+		cfgLabels = []string{"cfg:host"}
+		regLabels = []string{"reg:host"}
+	)
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		arg  string
+		cfg  []string
+		reg  []string
+		want []string
+	}{
+		{"flag wins", "flag:host,other", cfgLabels, regLabels, []string{"flag:host", "other"}},
+		{"config wins over registration", "", cfgLabels, regLabels, cfgLabels},
+		{"registration is the fallback", "", nil, regLabels, regLabels},
+		{"blank flag is ignored", " , ", cfgLabels, regLabels, cfgLabels},
+		{"nothing configured", "", nil, nil, nil},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			require.Equal(t, tt.want, resolveLabels(tt.arg, tt.cfg, tt.reg))
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestGetDockerSocketPathUsesConfigAndEnvironment(t *testing.T) {
 	got, err := getDockerSocketPath("tcp://docker.example:2376")
 	require.NoError(t, err)

internal/app/cmd/exec.go

@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ type executeArgs struct {
 	runList               bool
 	job                   string
 	event                 string
+	eventpath             string
 	workdir               string
 	workflowsPath         string
 	noWorkflowRecurse     bool
@@ -441,6 +442,7 @@ func runExec(ctx context.Context, execArgs *executeArgs) func(cmd *cobra.Command
 			ArtifactServerPort:    execArgs.artifactServerPort,
 			ArtifactServerAddr:    execArgs.artifactServerAddr,
 			NoSkipCheckout:        execArgs.noSkipCheckout,
+			EventPath:             execArgs.resolve(execArgs.eventpath),
 			// PresetGitHubContext:   preset,
 			// EventJSON:             string(eventJSON),
 			ContainerNamePrefix:               "GITEA-ACTIONS-TASK-" + eventName,
@@ -496,8 +498,9 @@ func loadExecCmd(ctx context.Context) *cobra.Command {
 	}
 
 	execCmd.Flags().BoolVarP(&execArg.runList, "list", "l", false, "list workflows")
-	execCmd.Flags().StringVarP(&execArg.job, "job", "j", "", "run a specific job ID")
+	execCmd.Flags().StringVarP(&execArg.job, "job", "j", "", "run a specific job ID; when several workflow files define that job, also pass --workflows/-W to select the file")
 	execCmd.Flags().StringVarP(&execArg.event, "event", "E", "", "run a event name")
+	execCmd.Flags().StringVarP(&execArg.eventpath, "eventpath", "e", "", "path to a JSON event payload file exposed as the event that triggered the workflow")
 	execCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVarP(&execArg.workflowsPath, "workflows", "W", "./.gitea/workflows/", "path to workflow file(s)")
 	execCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVarP(&execArg.workdir, "directory", "C", ".", "working directory")
 	execCmd.PersistentFlags().BoolVarP(&execArg.noWorkflowRecurse, "no-recurse", "", false, "Flag to disable running workflows from subdirectories of specified path in '--workflows'/'-W' flag")

internal/app/cmd/register.go

@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ type registerArgs struct {
 	NoInteractive bool
 	InstanceAddr  string
 	Token         string
+	TokenFile     string
 	RunnerName    string
 	Labels        string
 	Ephemeral     bool
@@ -93,6 +94,8 @@ const (
 	StageExit
 )
 
+const registerTokenEnvVar = "GITEA_RUNNER_REGISTRATION_TOKEN"
+
 var defaultLabels = []string{
 	"ubuntu-latest:docker://docker.gitea.com/runner-images:ubuntu-latest",
 	"ubuntu-24.04:docker://docker.gitea.com/runner-images:ubuntu-24.04",
@@ -207,10 +210,27 @@ func (r *registerInputs) assignToNext(stage registerStage, value string, cfg *co
 	return StageUnknown
 }
 
-func initInputs(regArgs *registerArgs) *registerInputs {
+func initInputs(regArgs *registerArgs) (*registerInputs, error) {
+	var token string
+	switch {
+	case regArgs.TokenFile != "":
+		tokenBytes, err := os.ReadFile(regArgs.TokenFile)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("cannot read the token file: %s, %v", regArgs.TokenFile, err)
+		}
+		token = string(tokenBytes)
+	case regArgs.Token != "":
+		token = regArgs.Token
+	default:
+		envToken, ok := os.LookupEnv(registerTokenEnvVar)
+		if !ok || envToken == "" {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("missing token, token-file argument, or %s environment variable", registerTokenEnvVar)
+		}
+		token = envToken
+	}
 	inputs := &registerInputs{
 		InstanceAddr: regArgs.InstanceAddr,
-		Token:        regArgs.Token,
+		Token:        token,
 		RunnerName:   regArgs.RunnerName,
 		Ephemeral:    regArgs.Ephemeral,
 	}
@@ -219,7 +239,7 @@ func initInputs(regArgs *registerArgs) *registerInputs {
 	if regArgs.Labels != "" {
 		inputs.Labels = strings.Split(regArgs.Labels, ",")
 	}
-	return inputs
+	return inputs, nil
 }
 
 func registerInteractive(ctx context.Context, configFile string, regArgs *registerArgs) error {
@@ -235,7 +255,10 @@ func registerInteractive(ctx context.Context, configFile string, regArgs *regist
 	if f, err := os.Stat(cfg.Runner.File); err == nil && !f.IsDir() {
 		stage = StageOverwriteLocalConfig
 	}
-	inputs := initInputs(regArgs)
+	inputs, err := initInputs(regArgs)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 
 	for {
 		cmdString := inputs.stageValue(stage)
@@ -292,7 +315,10 @@ func registerNoInteractive(ctx context.Context, configFile string, regArgs *regi
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	inputs := initInputs(regArgs)
+	inputs, err := initInputs(regArgs)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 	// specify labels in config file.
 	if len(cfg.Runner.Labels) > 0 {
 		if regArgs.Labels != "" {
@@ -361,7 +387,10 @@ func doRegister(ctx context.Context, cfg *config.Config, inputs *registerInputs)
 
 	ls := make([]string, len(reg.Labels))
 	for i, v := range reg.Labels {
-		l, _ := labels.Parse(v)
+		l, err := labels.Parse(v)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to parse label %q: %w", v, err)
+		}
 		ls[i] = l.Name
 	}
 	// register new runner.

internal/app/cmd/register_test.go

@@ -15,11 +15,11 @@ import (
 
 func TestRegisterNonInteractiveReturnsLabelValidationError(t *testing.T) {
 	err := registerNoInteractive(t.Context(), "", &registerArgs{
-		Labels:       "label:invalid",
+		Labels:       "ubuntu:host,,broken",
 		Token:        "token",
 		InstanceAddr: "http://localhost:3000",
 	})
-	assert.Error(t, err, "unsupported schema: invalid")
+	assert.ErrorContains(t, err, "empty label")
 }
 
 func TestRegisterInputsValidate(t *testing.T) {
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@ func TestRegisterInputsValidate(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			name:    "invalid label",
-			inputs:  registerInputs{InstanceAddr: "http://localhost:3000", Token: "token", Labels: []string{"ubuntu:vm:bad"}},
+			inputs:  registerInputs{InstanceAddr: "http://localhost:3000", Token: "token", Labels: []string{""}},
-			wantErr: "unsupported schema: vm",
+			wantErr: "empty label",
 		},
 		{
 			name:   "valid",
@@ -62,7 +62,9 @@ func TestRegisterInputsValidate(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestValidateLabels(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, validateLabels([]string{"ubuntu:host", "ubuntu:docker://node:18"}))
-	require.Error(t, validateLabels([]string{"ubuntu:host", "ubuntu:vm:bad"}))
+	// a colon that is not a supported schema is part of the label name
+	require.NoError(t, validateLabels([]string{"pool:e57e18d4-10d4-406f-93bf-60f127221bdd"}))
+	require.Error(t, validateLabels([]string{"ubuntu:host", ""}))
 }
 
 func TestRegisterInputsStageValue(t *testing.T) {
@@ -106,11 +108,10 @@ func TestRegisterInputsAssignToNext(t *testing.T) {
 
 	t.Run("labels from config skip the labels stage", func(t *testing.T) {
 		cfg := &config.Config{}
-		cfg.Runner.Labels = []string{"ubuntu:host", "ubuntu:vm:bad"}
+		cfg.Runner.Labels = []string{"ubuntu:host", "", "pool:e57e18d4"}
 		inputs := &registerInputs{}
 		require.Equal(t, StageWaitingForRegistration, inputs.assignToNext(StageInputRunnerName, "runner", cfg))
-		// only the valid label survives
+		require.Equal(t, []string{"ubuntu:host", "pool:e57e18d4"}, inputs.Labels)
-		require.Equal(t, []string{"ubuntu:host"}, inputs.Labels)
 	})
 
 	t.Run("blank labels input uses defaults", func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -121,10 +122,16 @@ func TestRegisterInputsAssignToNext(t *testing.T) {
 
 	t.Run("invalid labels input loops back", func(t *testing.T) {
 		inputs := &registerInputs{}
-		require.Equal(t, StageInputLabels, inputs.assignToNext(StageInputLabels, "ubuntu:vm:bad", emptyCfg))
+		require.Equal(t, StageInputLabels, inputs.assignToNext(StageInputLabels, "ubuntu:host,,bad", emptyCfg))
 		require.Nil(t, inputs.Labels)
 	})
 
+	t.Run("labels containing a colon are accepted", func(t *testing.T) {
+		inputs := &registerInputs{}
+		require.Equal(t, StageWaitingForRegistration, inputs.assignToNext(StageInputLabels, "pool:e57e18d4,ubuntu:host", emptyCfg))
+		require.Equal(t, []string{"pool:e57e18d4", "ubuntu:host"}, inputs.Labels)
+	})
+
 	t.Run("overwrite local config", func(t *testing.T) {
 		inputs := &registerInputs{}
 		require.Equal(t, StageInputInstance, inputs.assignToNext(StageOverwriteLocalConfig, "Y", emptyCfg))
@@ -139,18 +146,103 @@ func TestRegisterInputsAssignToNext(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestInitInputs(t *testing.T) {
-	inputs := initInputs(&registerArgs{
+	t.Run("missing token", func(t *testing.T) {
-		InstanceAddr: "http://localhost:3000",
+		_, err := initInputs(&registerArgs{
-		Token:        "token",
+			InstanceAddr: "http://localhost:3000",
-		RunnerName:   "runner",
+			RunnerName:   "runner",
-		Ephemeral:    true,
+			Ephemeral:    true,
-		Labels:       " ubuntu:host , ubuntu:docker://node:18 ",
+			Labels:       " ubuntu:host , ubuntu:docker://node:18 ",
+		})
+		require.EqualError(t, err, "missing token, token-file argument, or GITEA_RUNNER_REGISTRATION_TOKEN environment variable")
 	})
-	require.Equal(t, "http://localhost:3000", inputs.InstanceAddr)
-	require.Equal(t, "token", inputs.Token)
-	require.Equal(t, "runner", inputs.RunnerName)
-	require.True(t, inputs.Ephemeral)
-	require.Equal(t, []string{"ubuntu:host ", " ubuntu:docker://node:18"}, inputs.Labels)
 
-	require.Nil(t, initInputs(&registerArgs{Labels: "  "}).Labels)
+	t.Run("empty token", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Setenv(registerTokenEnvVar, "")
+		_, err := initInputs(&registerArgs{
+			InstanceAddr: "http://localhost:3000",
+			Token:        "",
+			TokenFile:    "",
+			RunnerName:   "runner",
+			Ephemeral:    true,
+			Labels:       " ubuntu:host , ubuntu:docker://node:18 ",
+		})
+		require.EqualError(t, err, "missing token, token-file argument, or GITEA_RUNNER_REGISTRATION_TOKEN environment variable")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("invalid token file", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Setenv(registerTokenEnvVar, "from-env")
+		_, err := initInputs(&registerArgs{
+			InstanceAddr: "http://localhost:3000",
+			TokenFile:    "/tmp/nonexistent",
+			RunnerName:   "runner",
+			Ephemeral:    true,
+			Labels:       " ubuntu:host , ubuntu:docker://node:18 ",
+		})
+		require.EqualError(t, err, "cannot read the token file: /tmp/nonexistent, open /tmp/nonexistent: no such file or directory")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("valid token", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Setenv(registerTokenEnvVar, "from-env")
+		inputs, err := initInputs(&registerArgs{
+			InstanceAddr: "http://localhost:3000",
+			Token:        "from-plain-arg",
+			RunnerName:   "runner",
+			Ephemeral:    true,
+			Labels:       " ubuntu:host , ubuntu:docker://node:18 ",
+		})
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		require.Equal(t, "http://localhost:3000", inputs.InstanceAddr)
+		require.Equal(t, "from-plain-arg", inputs.Token)
+		require.Equal(t, "runner", inputs.RunnerName)
+		require.True(t, inputs.Ephemeral)
+		require.Equal(t, []string{"ubuntu:host ", " ubuntu:docker://node:18"}, inputs.Labels)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("valid token file", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Setenv(registerTokenEnvVar, "from-env")
+		tokenFile, createErr := os.CreateTemp(t.TempDir(), "from-file")
+		require.NoError(t, createErr)
+		defer tokenFile.Close()
+		_, writeErr := tokenFile.WriteString("from-file")
+		require.NoError(t, writeErr)
+		_ = tokenFile.Sync()
+
+		inputs, err := initInputs(&registerArgs{
+			InstanceAddr: "http://localhost:3000",
+			TokenFile:    tokenFile.Name(),
+			RunnerName:   "runner",
+			Ephemeral:    true,
+			Labels:       " ubuntu:host , ubuntu:docker://node:18 ",
+		})
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		require.Equal(t, "http://localhost:3000", inputs.InstanceAddr)
+		require.Equal(t, "from-file", inputs.Token)
+		require.Equal(t, "runner", inputs.RunnerName)
+		require.True(t, inputs.Ephemeral)
+		require.Equal(t, []string{"ubuntu:host ", " ubuntu:docker://node:18"}, inputs.Labels)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("token from environment variable", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Setenv(registerTokenEnvVar, "from-env")
+		inputs, err := initInputs(&registerArgs{
+			InstanceAddr: "http://localhost:3000",
+			RunnerName:   "runner",
+			Ephemeral:    true,
+			Labels:       " ubuntu:host , ubuntu:docker://node:18 ",
+		})
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		require.Equal(t, "http://localhost:3000", inputs.InstanceAddr)
+		require.Equal(t, "from-env", inputs.Token)
+		require.Equal(t, "runner", inputs.RunnerName)
+		require.True(t, inputs.Ephemeral)
+		require.Equal(t, []string{"ubuntu:host ", " ubuntu:docker://node:18"}, inputs.Labels)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("empty labels", func(t *testing.T) {
+		inputs, _ := initInputs(&registerArgs{
+			Token:  "from-plain-arg",
+			Labels: "  ",
+		})
+		require.Nil(t, inputs.Labels)
+	})
 }

internal/app/poll/poller.go

@@ -45,6 +45,10 @@ type Poller struct {
 	shutdownJobs context.CancelFunc
 
 	done chan struct{}
+
+	// unregistered is set when the server rejects the runner with an
+	// Unauthenticated response, meaning the runner is no longer registered.
+	unregistered atomic.Bool
 }
 
 // workerState holds the single poller's backoff state. Consecutive empty or
@@ -137,6 +141,19 @@ func (p *Poller) PollOnce() {
 	}
 }
 
+// Done returns a channel that is closed once polling has fully stopped,
+// allowing callers to react when the poller shuts itself down (e.g. after the
+// runner has been unregistered) rather than only on an external cancellation.
+func (p *Poller) Done() <-chan struct{} {
+	return p.done
+}
+
+// Unregistered reports whether polling stopped because the server rejected the
+// runner as unregistered (an Unauthenticated response).
+func (p *Poller) Unregistered() bool {
+	return p.unregistered.Load()
+}
+
 func (p *Poller) runIdleMaintenance() {
 	if idleRunner, ok := p.runner.(IdleRunner); ok {
 		idleRunner.OnIdle(p.jobsCtx)
@@ -264,6 +281,15 @@ func (p *Poller) fetchTask(ctx context.Context, s *workerState) (*runnerv1.Task,
 	metrics.PollFetchDuration.Observe(time.Since(start).Seconds())
 
 	if err != nil {
+		// An Unauthenticated response means the server no longer knows this
+		// runner (e.g. it was deleted). Retrying forever is pointless, so stop
+		// polling and let the daemon exit with an error instead of spinning.
+		if connect.CodeOf(err) == connect.CodeUnauthenticated {
+			log.WithError(err).Error("server rejected the runner as unregistered, stopping poller")
+			p.unregistered.Store(true)
+			p.shutdownPolling()
+			return nil, false
+		}
 		log.WithError(err).Error("failed to fetch task")
 		s.consecutiveErrors++
 		metrics.PollFetchTotal.WithLabelValues(metrics.LabelResultError).Inc()

internal/app/poll/poller_test.go

@@ -78,6 +78,35 @@ func TestPoller_FetchErrorIncrementsErrorsOnly(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, int64(0), s.consecutiveEmpty)
 }
 
+// TestPoller_FetchUnauthenticatedStopsPolling verifies that an Unauthenticated
+// response marks the runner as unregistered and cancels the polling context so
+// the daemon can exit instead of retrying forever.
+func TestPoller_FetchUnauthenticatedStopsPolling(t *testing.T) {
+	client := mocks.NewClient(t)
+	client.On("FetchTask", mock.Anything, mock.Anything).Return(
+		func(_ context.Context, _ *connect_go.Request[runnerv1.FetchTaskRequest]) (*connect_go.Response[runnerv1.FetchTaskResponse], error) {
+			return nil, connect_go.NewError(connect_go.CodeUnauthenticated, errors.New("unregistered runner"))
+		},
+	)
+
+	cfg, err := config.LoadDefault("")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	p := New(cfg, client, nil)
+
+	s := &workerState{}
+	_, ok := p.fetchTask(context.Background(), s)
+	require.False(t, ok)
+
+	assert.True(t, p.Unregistered(), "runner should be marked unregistered")
+	assert.Equal(t, int64(0), s.consecutiveErrors, "unauthenticated must not drive error backoff")
+
+	select {
+	case <-p.pollingCtx.Done():
+	default:
+		t.Fatal("expected polling context to be cancelled after an Unauthenticated response")
+	}
+}
+
 // TestPoller_CalculateInterval verifies the exponential backoff math is
 // correctly driven by the workerState counters.
 func TestPoller_CalculateInterval(t *testing.T) {

internal/app/run/runner.go

@@ -366,7 +366,6 @@ func (r *Runner) run(ctx context.Context, task *runnerv1.Task, reporter *report.
 	} else if t := task.Secrets["GITHUB_TOKEN"]; t != "" {
 		preset.Token = t
 	}
-	applyPullRequestTargetCheckoutContext(preset)
 
 	if actionsIDTokenRequestURL := taskContext["actions_id_token_request_url"].GetStringValue(); actionsIDTokenRequestURL != "" {
 		envs["ACTIONS_ID_TOKEN_REQUEST_URL"] = actionsIDTokenRequestURL
@@ -446,6 +445,7 @@ func (r *Runner) run(ctx context.Context, task *runnerv1.Task, reporter *report.
 		GitHubInstance:       strings.TrimSuffix(r.client.Address(), "/"),
 		AutoRemove:           true,
 		NoSkipCheckout:       true,
+		DisableActEnv:        r.cfg.Runner.SetActEnv != nil && !*r.cfg.Runner.SetActEnv,
 		PresetGitHubContext:  preset,
 		EventJSON:            string(eventJSON),
 		ContainerNamePrefix:  fmt.Sprintf("GITEA-ACTIONS-TASK-%d", task.Id),
@@ -575,41 +575,6 @@ func postInternalCache(url, secret string, body map[string]string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func applyPullRequestTargetCheckoutContext(preset *model.GithubContext) {
-	if preset == nil || preset.EventName != "pull_request_target" {
-		return
-	}
-	headSHA := nestedString(preset.Event, "pull_request", "head", "sha")
-	if headSHA == "" {
-		return
-	}
-	preset.Sha = headSHA
-	preset.Ref = headSHA
-	if headRef := nestedString(preset.Event, "pull_request", "head", "ref"); headRef != "" {
-		preset.HeadRef = headRef
-		preset.RefName = headRef
-	}
-}
-
-func nestedString(m map[string]any, keys ...string) string {
-	var current any = m
-	for _, key := range keys {
-		next, ok := current.(map[string]any)
-		if !ok {
-			return ""
-		}
-		current, ok = next[key]
-		if !ok {
-			return ""
-		}
-	}
-	value := current.(string)
-	if value == "" {
-		return ""
-	}
-	return value
-}
-
 func (r *Runner) RunningCount() int64 {
 	return r.runningCount.Load()
 }

internal/app/run/runner_test.go

@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"testing"
 
-	"gitea.com/gitea/runner/act/model"
 	clientmocks "gitea.com/gitea/runner/internal/pkg/client/mocks"
 	"gitea.com/gitea/runner/internal/pkg/config"
 	"gitea.com/gitea/runner/internal/pkg/ver"
@@ -76,7 +75,7 @@ func TestNewRunnerInitializesLabelsAndEnvironment(t *testing.T) {
 	cfg.Runner.Envs = map[string]string{"EXISTING": "value"}
 	reg := &config.Registration{
 		Name:   "runner",
-		Labels: []string{"ubuntu:host", "bad:vm:label"},
+		Labels: []string{"ubuntu:host", "", "pool:e57e18d4"},
 	}
 	cli := clientmocks.NewClient(t)
 	cli.On("Address").Return("https://gitea.example/").Maybe()
@@ -84,7 +83,8 @@ func TestNewRunnerInitializesLabelsAndEnvironment(t *testing.T) {
 	r := NewRunner(cfg, reg, cli)
 
 	require.Equal(t, "runner", r.name)
-	require.Len(t, r.labels, 1)
+	require.Len(t, r.labels, 2)
+	require.Equal(t, []string{"ubuntu", "pool:e57e18d4"}, r.labels.Names())
 	require.Equal(t, "value", r.envs["EXISTING"])
 	require.Equal(t, "https://gitea.example/api/actions_pipeline/", r.envs["ACTIONS_RUNTIME_URL"])
 	require.Equal(t, "https://gitea.example", r.envs["ACTIONS_RESULTS_URL"])
@@ -93,67 +93,6 @@ func TestNewRunnerInitializesLabelsAndEnvironment(t *testing.T) {
 	require.Nil(t, r.cacheHandler)
 }
 
-func TestApplyPullRequestTargetCheckoutContextUsesHeadSHA(t *testing.T) {
-	preset := &model.GithubContext{
-		EventName: "pull_request_target",
-		Sha:       "base-sha",
-		Ref:       "refs/heads/main",
-		RefName:   "main",
-		HeadRef:   "feature",
-		Event: map[string]any{
-			"pull_request": map[string]any{
-				"head": map[string]any{
-					"sha": "head-sha",
-					"ref": "contributor-branch",
-				},
-			},
-		},
-	}
-
-	applyPullRequestTargetCheckoutContext(preset)
-
-	require.Equal(t, "head-sha", preset.Sha)
-	require.Equal(t, "head-sha", preset.Ref)
-	require.Equal(t, "contributor-branch", preset.RefName)
-	require.Equal(t, "contributor-branch", preset.HeadRef)
-}
-
-func TestApplyPullRequestTargetCheckoutContextNoOpsWithoutHeadSHA(t *testing.T) {
-	preset := &model.GithubContext{
-		EventName: "pull_request_target",
-		Sha:       "base-sha",
-		Ref:       "refs/heads/main",
-		RefName:   "main",
-		Event:     map[string]any{},
-	}
-
-	applyPullRequestTargetCheckoutContext(preset)
-
-	require.Equal(t, "base-sha", preset.Sha)
-	require.Equal(t, "refs/heads/main", preset.Ref)
-	require.Equal(t, "main", preset.RefName)
-}
-
-func TestApplyPullRequestTargetCheckoutContextNoOpsForOtherEvents(t *testing.T) {
-	preset := &model.GithubContext{
-		EventName: "pull_request",
-		Sha:       "merge-sha",
-		Ref:       "refs/pull/1/merge",
-		Event: map[string]any{
-			"pull_request": map[string]any{
-				"head": map[string]any{
-					"sha": "head-sha",
-				},
-			},
-		},
-	}
-
-	applyPullRequestTargetCheckoutContext(preset)
-
-	require.Equal(t, "merge-sha", preset.Sha)
-	require.Equal(t, "refs/pull/1/merge", preset.Ref)
-}
-
 func taskWithDefaultActionsURL(url string) *runnerv1.Task {
 	return &runnerv1.Task{
 		Context: &structpb.Struct{

internal/pkg/client/http.go

@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
+	"gitea.com/gitea/runner/internal/pkg/ver"
+
 	"connectrpc.com/connect"
 	"gitea.dev/actions-proto-go/ping/v1/pingv1connect"
 	"gitea.dev/actions-proto-go/runner/v1/runnerv1connect"
@@ -36,6 +38,7 @@ func New(endpoint string, insecure bool, uuid, token string, opts ...connect.Cli
 
 	opts = append(opts, connect.WithInterceptors(connect.UnaryInterceptorFunc(func(next connect.UnaryFunc) connect.UnaryFunc {
 		return func(ctx context.Context, req connect.AnyRequest) (connect.AnyResponse, error) {
+			req.Header().Set("User-Agent", "gitea-runner/"+ver.Version())
 			if uuid != "" {
 				req.Header().Set(UUIDHeader, uuid)
 			}

internal/pkg/config/config.example.yaml

@@ -72,6 +72,9 @@ runner:
   # When true (the default), fetch only the requested ref of an action repository (e.g. actions/checkout@v4) at depth 1 instead of cloning every branch's full history. 
   # Set to false to clone the full history.
   action_shallow_clone: true
+  # When true (the default), inject the ACT=true environment variable into jobs.
+  # Set to false so workflows gated on `if: ${{ !env.ACT }}` behave like they do on GitHub.
+  set_act_env: true
   # The labels of a runner are used to determine which jobs the runner can run, and how to run them.
   # Like: "macos-arm64:host" or "ubuntu-latest:docker://docker.gitea.com/runner-images:ubuntu-latest"
   # Find more images provided by Gitea at https://gitea.com/gitea/runner-images .
@@ -110,6 +113,11 @@ cache:
   dir: ""
   # Outbound IP or hostname that job containers use to reach this runner's cache server.
   # Leave empty to detect automatically. 0.0.0.0 is not valid here.
+  # If the runner itself runs in Docker, automatic detection can choose an
+  # address on the runner container's network that job containers cannot reach
+  # when the runner creates a separate per-job network. In that case, set this
+  # to a hostname/IP reachable from job containers, and set port to a fixed
+  # published port or put the job containers on a shared Docker network.
   # Ignored when external_server is set.
   host: ""
   # Port for the built-in cache server. 0 picks a random free port.
@@ -133,6 +141,8 @@ container:
   # Specifies the network to which the container will connect.
   # Could be host, bridge or the name of a custom network.
   # If it's empty, runner will create a network automatically.
+  # For dockerized runners using the built-in cache server, a custom shared
+  # network can be required so job containers can reach cache.host/cache.port.
   # Deprecated: `network_mode` is still accepted for old configs; use `network` instead.
   network: ""
   # network_create_options only apply when `network` is left empty and the runner
@@ -168,8 +178,9 @@ container:
   # If it's "-", runner will find an available docker host automatically, but the docker host won't be mounted to the job containers and service containers.
   # If it's not empty or "-", the specified docker host will be used. An error will be returned if it doesn't work.
   docker_host: ""
-  # Pull docker image(s) even if already present
+  # Pull docker image(s) even if already present.
-  force_pull: true
+  # Defaults to false when the key is omitted.
+  force_pull: false
   # Rebuild docker image(s) even if already present
   force_rebuild: false
   # Always require a reachable docker daemon, even if not required by runner

internal/pkg/config/config.go

@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ type Runner struct {
 	Labels                []string          `yaml:"labels"`                   // Labels specify the labels of the runner. Labels are declared on each startup
 	GithubMirror          string            `yaml:"github_mirror"`            // GithubMirror defines what mirrors should be used when using github
 	ActionShallowClone    *bool             `yaml:"action_shallow_clone"`     // ActionShallowClone fetches only the requested ref of an action repository at depth 1 instead of cloning every branch's full history. It is a pointer to distinguish between false and not set; if not set, it defaults to true.
+	SetActEnv             *bool             `yaml:"set_act_env"`              // SetActEnv controls whether the ACT=true environment variable is injected into jobs. It is a pointer to distinguish between false and not set; if not set, it defaults to true. Set it to false so workflows gated on `if: ${{ !env.ACT }}` behave like on GitHub.
 	AllocatePTY           bool              `yaml:"allocate_pty"`             // AllocatePTY allocates a pseudo-TTY for each step's process. Default is false, matching GitHub's actions/runner. Enable only for jobs that need an interactive terminal; tools like docker build emit redrawing progress frames into the captured log when a TTY is present. Applies to both host and docker backends.
 	PostTaskScript        string            `yaml:"post_task_script"`         // PostTaskScript is the path to an executable script run on the host after each task's cleanup completes. Empty disables the hook. On Windows use .exe/.bat/.cmd; PowerShell (.ps1) is not supported yet as the configured path.
 	PostTaskScriptTimeout time.Duration     `yaml:"post_task_script_timeout"` // PostTaskScriptTimeout caps how long the post-task script may run. Default is 5m when post_task_script is set.
@@ -156,13 +157,20 @@ func LoadDefault(file string) (*Config, error) {
 		b := true
 		cfg.Runner.ActionShallowClone = &b
 	}
+	if cfg.Runner.SetActEnv == nil {
+		b := true
+		cfg.Runner.SetActEnv = &b
+	}
 	if cfg.Cache.Enabled == nil {
 		b := true
 		cfg.Cache.Enabled = &b
 	}
 	if *cfg.Cache.Enabled {
 		if cfg.Cache.Dir == "" {
-			home, _ := os.UserHomeDir()
+			home, err := os.UserHomeDir()
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("cache.dir is unset and the user home directory could not be determined: %w", err)
+			}
 			cfg.Cache.Dir = filepath.Join(home, ".cache", "actcache")
 		}
 		if cfg.Cache.ExternalServer != "" && cfg.Cache.ExternalSecret == "" {
@@ -173,7 +181,10 @@ func LoadDefault(file string) (*Config, error) {
 		cfg.Container.WorkdirParent = "workspace"
 	}
 	if cfg.Host.WorkdirParent == "" {
-		home, _ := os.UserHomeDir()
+		home, err := os.UserHomeDir()
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("host.workdir_parent is unset and the user home directory could not be determined: %w", err)
+		}
 		cfg.Host.WorkdirParent = filepath.Join(home, ".cache", "act")
 	}
 	if cfg.Runner.FetchTimeout <= 0 {

internal/pkg/labels/labels.go

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 package labels
 
 import (
-	"fmt"
+	"errors"
 	"strings"
 )
 
@@ -17,13 +17,20 @@ type Label struct {
 	Name   string
 	Schema string
 	Arg    string
+	// Opaque marks a label whose name contains a colon but no supported schema,
+	// like "pool:e57e18d4-...". It is kept verbatim and behaves like a host label.
+	Opaque bool
 }
 
 func Parse(str string) (*Label, error) {
+	if str == "" {
+		return nil, errors.New("empty label")
+	}
+
 	splits := strings.SplitN(str, ":", 3)
 	label := &Label{
 		Name:   splits[0],
-		Schema: "host",
+		Schema: SchemeHost,
 		Arg:    "",
 	}
 	if len(splits) >= 2 {
@@ -33,7 +40,12 @@ func Parse(str string) (*Label, error) {
 		label.Arg = splits[2]
 	}
 	if label.Schema != SchemeHost && label.Schema != SchemeDocker {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unsupported schema: %s", label.Schema)
+		// Not a schema we know: the colon belongs to the label name itself.
+		return &Label{
+			Name:   str,
+			Schema: SchemeHost,
+			Opaque: true,
+		}, nil
 	}
 	return label, nil
 }
@@ -59,7 +71,7 @@ func (l Labels) PickPlatform(runsOn []string) string {
 		case SchemeHost:
 			platforms[label.Name] = "-self-hosted"
 		default:
-			// It should not happen, because Parse has checked it.
+			// unreachable: Parse only produces host or docker schemas
 			continue
 		}
 	}
@@ -94,7 +106,7 @@ func (l Labels) ToStrings() []string {
 	ls := make([]string, 0, len(l))
 	for _, label := range l {
 		lbl := label.Name
-		if label.Schema != "" {
+		if !label.Opaque && label.Schema != "" {
 			lbl += ":" + label.Schema
 			if label.Arg != "" {
 				lbl += ":" + label.Arg

internal/pkg/labels/labels_test.go

@@ -44,7 +44,27 @@ func TestParse(t *testing.T) {
 			wantErr: false,
 		},
 		{
-			args:    "ubuntu:vm:ubuntu-18.04",
+			args: "pool:e57e18d4-10d4-406f-93bf-60f127221bdd",
+			want: &Label{
+				Name:   "pool:e57e18d4-10d4-406f-93bf-60f127221bdd",
+				Schema: "host",
+				Arg:    "",
+				Opaque: true,
+			},
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			args: "ubuntu:vm:ubuntu-18.04",
+			want: &Label{
+				Name:   "ubuntu:vm:ubuntu-18.04",
+				Schema: "host",
+				Arg:    "",
+				Opaque: true,
+			},
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			args:    "",
 			want:    nil,
 			wantErr: true,
 		},
@@ -116,8 +136,8 @@ func TestPickPlatform(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestNames(t *testing.T) {
-	ls := mustParse(t, "ubuntu:docker://node:18", "self-hosted:host")
+	ls := mustParse(t, "ubuntu:docker://node:18", "self-hosted:host", "pool:e57e18d4")
-	require.Equal(t, []string{"ubuntu", "self-hosted"}, ls.Names())
+	require.Equal(t, []string{"ubuntu", "self-hosted", "pool:e57e18d4"}, ls.Names())
 	require.Empty(t, Labels{}.Names())
 }
 
@@ -126,10 +146,26 @@ func TestToStrings(t *testing.T) {
 		"ubuntu:docker://node:18",
 		"self-hosted:host",
 		"bare",
+		"pool:e57e18d4",
 	)
 	require.Equal(t, []string{
 		"ubuntu:docker://node:18",
 		"self-hosted:host",
 		"bare:host",
+		"pool:e57e18d4",
 	}, ls.ToStrings())
 }
+
+// a colon-containing name must survive a write to and read back from the .runner file
+func TestOpaqueLabelRoundTrip(t *testing.T) {
+	const raw = "pool:e57e18d4-10d4-406f-93bf-60f127221bdd"
+
+	ls := mustParse(t, raw)
+	require.Equal(t, []string{raw}, ls.ToStrings())
+
+	again := mustParse(t, ls.ToStrings()...)
+	require.Equal(t, ls, again)
+	require.Equal(t, []string{raw}, again.Names())
+	require.False(t, again.RequireDocker())
+	require.Equal(t, "-self-hosted", again.PickPlatform([]string{raw}))
+}

internal/pkg/report/reporter.go

@@ -26,6 +26,12 @@ import (
 	"google.golang.org/protobuf/types/known/timestamppb"
 )
 
+// Size limits for the outputs reported to the server.
+const (
+	maxOutputKeyLen   = 255
+	maxOutputValueLen = 1024 * 1024 // 1 MiB
+)
+
 type Reporter struct {
 	ctx    context.Context
 	cancel context.CancelFunc
@@ -390,13 +396,15 @@ func (r *Reporter) SetOutputs(outputs map[string]string) {
 	defer r.stateMu.Unlock()
 
 	for k, v := range outputs {
-		if len(k) > 255 {
+		if l := len(k); l > maxOutputKeyLen {
-			r.logf("ignore output because the key is too long: %q", k)
+			log.Warnf("ignore output %q because the key is too long: %d > %d", k, l, maxOutputKeyLen)
+			r.logf("ignore output %q because the key is too long: %d > %d", k, l, maxOutputKeyLen)
 			continue
 		}
-		if l := len(v); l > 1024*1024 {
+		if l := len(v); l > maxOutputValueLen {
-			log.Println("ignore output because the value is too long:", k, l)
+			log.Warnf("ignore output %q because the value is too long: %d > %d", k, l, maxOutputValueLen)
-			r.logf("ignore output because the value %q is too long: %d", k, l)
+			r.logf("ignore output %q because the value is too long: %d > %d", k, l, maxOutputValueLen)
+			continue
 		}
 		if _, ok := r.outputs.Load(k); ok {
 			continue

internal/pkg/report/reporter_test.go

@@ -1020,11 +1020,24 @@ func TestReporter_SetOutputs(t *testing.T) {
 	got, _ = r.outputs.Load("foo")
 	assert.Equal(t, "bar", got)
 
-	// keys longer than 255 chars are dropped
+	// keys longer than maxOutputKeyLen are dropped
-	longKey := strings.Repeat("k", 256)
+	longKey := strings.Repeat("k", maxOutputKeyLen+1)
 	r.SetOutputs(map[string]string{longKey: "v"})
 	_, ok = r.outputs.Load(longKey)
 	assert.False(t, ok)
+
+	// values longer than maxOutputValueLen are dropped
+	longValue := strings.Repeat("v", maxOutputValueLen+1)
+	r.SetOutputs(map[string]string{"big": longValue})
+	_, ok = r.outputs.Load("big")
+	assert.False(t, ok)
+
+	// a value at exactly the limit is still stored
+	maxValue := strings.Repeat("v", maxOutputValueLen)
+	r.SetOutputs(map[string]string{"atlimit": maxValue})
+	got, ok = r.outputs.Load("atlimit")
+	require.True(t, ok)
+	assert.Len(t, got, maxOutputValueLen)
 }
 
 func TestReporter_EffectiveCloseTimeout(t *testing.T) {

scripts/run.sh

@@ -12,14 +12,18 @@ CONFIG_ARG=""
 if [[ ! -z "${CONFIG_FILE}" ]]; then
   CONFIG_ARG="--config ${CONFIG_FILE}"
 fi
-EXTRA_ARGS=""
+LABEL_ARGS=""
 if [[ ! -z "${GITEA_RUNNER_LABELS}" ]]; then
-  EXTRA_ARGS="${EXTRA_ARGS} --labels ${GITEA_RUNNER_LABELS}"
+  LABEL_ARGS="--labels ${GITEA_RUNNER_LABELS}"
 fi
+EXTRA_ARGS="${LABEL_ARGS}"
 if [[ ! -z "${GITEA_RUNNER_EPHEMERAL}" ]]; then
   EXTRA_ARGS="${EXTRA_ARGS} --ephemeral"
 fi
-RUN_ARGS=""
+# Also pass the labels to the daemon, so that an already registered runner
+# picks up changes to GITEA_RUNNER_LABELS instead of keeping the labels it
+# was first registered with.
+RUN_ARGS="${LABEL_ARGS}"
 if [[ ! -z "${GITEA_RUNNER_ONCE}" ]]; then
   RUN_ARGS="${RUN_ARGS} --once"
 fi