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GitHub Actions Format for Auth Credentials

· One min read
Erik Osterman
Erik Osterman
Founder @ Cloud Posse

The atmos auth env command now supports --format=github for direct output to $GITHUB_ENV, eliminating shell pipelines in CI workflows.

The Problem​

Previously, exporting auth credentials to GitHub Actions required awkward shell pipelines:

- name: Export credentials
  run: |
    atmos auth env --identity azure-dev-ci 2>/dev/null | grep "^export " | sed 's/^export //' >> $GITHUB_ENV

The Solution​

With --format=github, credentials are exported directly:

- name: Export credentials
  run: atmos auth env --identity azure-dev-ci --format=github

When $GITHUB_ENV is set (automatically in GitHub Actions), credentials are written directly to that file. No redirection needed.

Features​

  • Auto-detection: Automatically writes to $GITHUB_ENV when set
  • Explicit output: Use --output-file (or -o) to specify a different file
  • Multiline support: Values with newlines use GitHub's heredoc syntax
  • No quotes: Output is KEY=value format (no shell quoting)

Example Workflow​

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      id-token: write
      contents: read
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Authenticate
        run: atmos auth env --identity prod-deploy --format=github

      - name: Deploy
        run: atmos terraform apply vpc -s prod --auto-approve

Get Started​

The --format=github flag is available now. See the auth env documentation for details.