Timeline Extended

GitHub has extended the deadline for enforcing minimum version requirements on self-hosted runners. Organizations now have until March 16, 2026 to upgrade all runners to v2.329.0 or later—a one-week extension from the previously announced deadline.

Brownout Period and Testing

Prior to full enforcement, GitHub will conduct a brownout period from February 16 to March 16, 2026, during which configurations from runners below v2.329.0 will be temporarily blocked. This rollout is designed to help organizations identify and test their upgrade procedures with minimal disruption. The brownout schedule includes multiple windows across different timezones to account for global teams (see schedule table for specific times in your region).

What's Required

Starting March 16, 2026, GitHub Actions will permanently block all configurations from runners older than v2.329.0 (released October 15, 2025). After this date, runners must meet the minimum version requirement before registration, and older runners won't be able to connect or self-upgrade after running the configuration script.

Action Items

To prepare for this change:

1. Download and update: Retrieve the latest runner release from the Actions Runner releases page
2. Update infrastructure: Modify installation scripts, container images, and deployment automation to use v2.329.0 or later before executing ./config.sh
3. Redeploy runners: Recreate any runners built from images or templates containing older versions
4. Review documentation: Consult the GitHub Actions upgrade documentation for detailed upgrade guidance

Organizations running self-hosted runners should prioritize these updates during the brownout period to avoid disruption to their CI/CD workflows.