---
name: gitea-runner
description: Gitea Act Runner configuration guide for macOS ARM64 with host mode, cache optimization, and multi-runner setup
---

# Gitea Act Runner Configuration Skill

Complete guide for configuring and deploying Gitea Act Runner, optimized for macOS ARM64 (Apple Silicon) host mode.

## Overview

Gitea Act Runner is the CI/CD executor for Gitea Actions, compatible with GitHub Actions workflow syntax.

### Execution Modes

| Mode | Environment | Use Case | Android SDK |
|------|-------------|----------|-------------|
| **Host Mode** | Native macOS/Linux | Android/iOS builds, native toolchains | macOS ARM64 supported |
| Docker Mode | Linux containers | Cross-platform builds | Linux ARM64 NOT supported |

**Recommendation**: Use **host mode** for macOS ARM64 runners to leverage native Android SDK support.

## Prerequisites

### 1. Install act_runner

```bash
# Using Homebrew (recommended)
brew install act_runner

# Or manual download
curl -sL https://gitea.com/gitea/act_runner/releases/download/v0.2.13/act_runner-0.2.13-darwin-arm64 \
  -o /usr/local/bin/act_runner
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/act_runner
```

### 2. Install Development Tools

```bash
# Go (for Go backend builds)
brew install go

# Node.js (for frontend/miniprogram builds)
brew install node@22

# pnpm (package manager)
npm install -g pnpm

# JDK 17 (for Android builds)
brew install openjdk@17

# Docker (for container builds)
# Install Docker Desktop from https://docker.com
```

### 3. Install Android SDK (for Android builds)

```bash
# Using Homebrew
brew install --cask android-commandlinetools

# Or manual installation
mkdir -p ~/android-sdk/cmdline-tools
cd ~/android-sdk/cmdline-tools
curl -sL https://dl.google.com/android/repository/commandlinetools-mac-11076708_latest.zip -o cmdline-tools.zip
unzip cmdline-tools.zip
mv cmdline-tools latest
rm cmdline-tools.zip

# Accept licenses and install components
yes | sdkmanager --licenses
sdkmanager "platform-tools" "platforms;android-36" "build-tools;36.0.0"
```

### 4. Configure Environment Variables

Add to `~/.zshrc` or `~/.bashrc`:

```bash
# Go
export GOPATH=$HOME/go
export PATH=$PATH:$GOPATH/bin

# Java
export JAVA_HOME=/opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk@17
export PATH=$PATH:$JAVA_HOME/bin

# Android SDK
export ANDROID_HOME=~/android-sdk
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/cmdline-tools/latest/bin
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools
```

### 5. Verify Environment

```bash
# Verify all tools
go version          # Go 1.23+
node --version      # v22.x
pnpm --version      # Latest
java -version       # 17+
echo $ANDROID_HOME  # SDK path
docker --version    # Latest
act_runner --version
```

## Runner Configuration

### Host Mode Configuration Template

Create `act_runner_host.yaml`:

```yaml
log:
  level: info

runner:
  file: /path/to/work/dir/.runner
  capacity: 2                    # Concurrent jobs
  timeout: 3h                    # Job timeout
  shutdown_timeout: 30s
  insecure: false
  fetch_timeout: 5s
  fetch_interval: 2s
  # Labels reflect actual system info for precise workflow matching
  labels:
    - "self-hosted:host"         # Self-hosted runner
    - "macOS:host"               # Operating system
    - "ARM64:host"               # Architecture
    - "darwin-arm64:host"        # Combined label (recommended for matching)

cache:
  enabled: true
  dir: "/path/to/work/dir/cache"
  host: "127.0.0.1"              # Local only (use 0.0.0.0 for multi-runner)
  port: 9000

host:
  workdir_parent: "/path/to/work/dir/workspace"
```

### Label Design Guidelines

| Label | Meaning | Usage |
|-------|---------|-------|
| `self-hosted` | Self-hosted runner | Distinguish from Gitea-hosted runners |
| `macOS` | Operating system | Friendly name for Darwin |
| `ARM64` | CPU architecture | Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) |
| `darwin-arm64` | Combined label | Most precise matching |

### Workflow Matching Examples

```yaml
jobs:
  build:
    # Method 1: Combined label (recommended, most precise)
    runs-on: darwin-arm64
    
    # Method 2: Label array (matches multiple conditions)
    # runs-on: [self-hosted, macOS, ARM64]
    
    # Method 3: OS only
    # runs-on: macOS
```

## Registration & Startup

### 1. Get Registration Token

```bash
# Organization level (global runner, recommended)
curl -H "Authorization: token YOUR_GITEA_TOKEN" \
  "https://your-gitea.com/api/v1/orgs/ORG_NAME/actions/runners/registration-token"

# Or repository level
curl -H "Authorization: token YOUR_GITEA_TOKEN" \
  "https://your-gitea.com/api/v1/repos/OWNER/REPO/actions/runners/registration-token"
```

### 2. Register Runner

```bash
act_runner register \
  --config act_runner_host.yaml \
  --instance https://your-gitea.com/ \
  --token YOUR_REGISTRATION_TOKEN \
  --name "your-runner-name" \
  --labels "self-hosted:host,macOS:host,ARM64:host,darwin-arm64:host" \
  --no-interactive
```

### 3. Start Runner

```bash
# Foreground (for debugging)
act_runner daemon --config act_runner_host.yaml

# Background
nohup act_runner daemon --config act_runner_host.yaml > runner.log 2>&1 &

# Using brew services (recommended for persistence)
brew services start act_runner
```

## Multi-Runner Cache Sharing

### Option A: Master-Slave Mode (Recommended for 2-3 runners)

**Primary Runner (cache server)**:
```yaml
cache:
  enabled: true
  dir: "/Users/voson/work/gitea/cache"
  host: "0.0.0.0"              # Listen on all interfaces
  port: 9000
```

**Secondary Runner (cache client)**:
```yaml
cache:
  enabled: true
  server: "http://192.168.0.103:9000"   # Primary runner IP
  dir: "/Users/user/work/gitea/cache"   # Local fallback
  host: "192.168.0.104"                 # This runner's IP
  port: 9000
```

### Option B: NFS Shared Storage (Enterprise)

**1. Setup NFS server on primary runner:**
```bash
# /etc/exports
/Users/voson/work/gitea/cache -alldirs -mapall=$(id -u):$(id -g) 192.168.0.0/24

sudo nfsd restart
```

**2. Mount on secondary runner:**
```bash
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/runner-cache
sudo mount -t nfs 192.168.0.103:/Users/voson/work/gitea/cache /mnt/runner-cache
```

### Option C: Independent Cache (Default)

Each runner maintains its own cache. First build downloads dependencies, subsequent builds use local cache.

## Cache Management

### Host Mode Cache Locations

| Cache Type | Location | Behavior |
|------------|----------|----------|
| Runner cache service | `config.cache.dir` | Managed by act_runner |
| Gradle | `~/.gradle/` | Persistent across builds |
| npm/pnpm | `~/.npm/`, `~/.pnpm-store/` | Persistent across builds |
| Go modules | `~/go/pkg/mod/` | Persistent across builds |

### Cache Cleanup Script

Create `cleanup-cache.sh`:

```bash
#!/bin/bash
set -e

echo "Cleaning up caches..."

# 1. Runner cache (older than 7 days)
find /path/to/cache/cache -type f -mtime +7 -delete 2>/dev/null || true

# 2. Gradle cache (older than 30 days)
find ~/.gradle/caches -type f -mtime +30 -delete 2>/dev/null || true
find ~/.gradle/caches -type d -empty -delete 2>/dev/null || true

# 3. npm cache verification
npm cache verify

# 4. Workspace cleanup
find /path/to/workspace -maxdepth 1 -type d -mtime +7 -exec rm -rf {} \; 2>/dev/null || true

echo "Cleanup complete!"
echo "Runner cache: $(du -sh /path/to/cache/ | awk '{print $1}')"
echo "Gradle cache: $(du -sh ~/.gradle/ | awk '{print $1}')"
```

### Schedule Cleanup

```bash
# Add to crontab for weekly cleanup
crontab -e
# Add: 0 3 * * 0 /path/to/cleanup-cache.sh >> /path/to/cleanup.log 2>&1
```

## Management Commands

```bash
# Check runner status
ps aux | grep act_runner

# View logs
tail -f /path/to/runner.log

# Stop runner
pkill -f "act_runner daemon"

# Re-register (stop first, delete .runner file)
rm /path/to/.runner
act_runner register --config act_runner_host.yaml ...

# Check Gitea connection
curl -s https://your-gitea.com/api/v1/version
```

## Troubleshooting

### 1. Android SDK Not Found

```bash
# Verify ANDROID_HOME
echo $ANDROID_HOME
ls $ANDROID_HOME

# Check if runner can access SDK
# Ensure runner runs as the same user who installed SDK
```

### 2. JDK Version Error

Android Gradle Plugin 8.x requires JDK 17+:
```bash
java -version
# Should show: openjdk version "17.x.x"

# If wrong version, update JAVA_HOME
export JAVA_HOME=/opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk@17
```

### 3. Permission Issues

```bash
# Ensure runner user owns work directories
chown -R $(whoami) /path/to/work/dir
chmod -R 755 /path/to/work/dir
```

### 4. Label Mismatch

```bash
# Check registered labels
cat /path/to/.runner | jq '.labels'

# Ensure workflow runs-on matches
# Workflow: runs-on: darwin-arm64
# Runner: "darwin-arm64:host" label
```

### 5. Cache Service Port Conflict

```bash
# Check if port 9000 is in use
lsof -i :9000

# Use different port if needed
# In config: port: 9001
```

## Docker Mode Configuration (Alternative)

For container-based builds:

```yaml
log:
  level: info

runner:
  file: /path/to/.runner
  capacity: 2
  timeout: 3h
  labels:
    - "ubuntu-latest:docker://catthehacker/ubuntu:act-latest"
    - "ubuntu-22.04:docker://catthehacker/ubuntu:act-latest"

cache:
  enabled: true
  dir: "/path/to/cache"
  host: "192.168.0.103"    # Host IP (not 127.0.0.1 for containers)
  port: 9000

container:
  options: "--platform=linux/amd64"    # For ARM64 host running x86 images
  network: "host"
```

## Quick Reference

| Task | Command |
|------|---------|
| Install runner | `brew install act_runner` |
| Register | `act_runner register --config ... --instance ... --token ...` |
| Start | `act_runner daemon --config act_runner_host.yaml` |
| Stop | `pkill -f "act_runner daemon"` |
| Check status | `ps aux \| grep act_runner` |
| View logs | `tail -f runner.log` |
| Re-register | `rm .runner && act_runner register ...` |

## Related Resources

- [Gitea Act Runner Documentation](https://docs.gitea.com/usage/actions/act-runner)
- [Android SDK Command Line Tools](https://developer.android.com/studio/command-line)
- [GitHub Actions Workflow Syntax](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/reference/workflow-syntax-for-github-actions)

## Version

- **Skill Version**: 1.0
- **Last Updated**: 2026-01-12
- **Compatibility**: act_runner 0.2.13+, macOS ARM64