> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://notes.kodekloud.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Timeout for Jobs and Steps

> This article explains how to set timeouts for GitHub Actions workflows, jobs, and steps to prevent long-running executions.

GitHub Actions provides a built-in way to automatically terminate long-running workflows, jobs, or individual steps using the `timeout-minutes` setting. By default, a workflow is killed after 360 minutes (6 hours), but you can customize the timeout at both the step and job levels to prevent runaway executions and save minutes.

## Default Behavior

Without any explicit timeout, GitHub Actions enforces a global 360-minute limit:

<Callout icon="lightbulb" color="#1CB2FE">
  If any step (e.g., a stray `sleep 6000s`) runs longer than 6 hours, the entire workflow will be forcefully terminated.
</Callout>

## Example: No Timeout Specified

This sample workflow accidentally includes a long `sleep` command with no timeout:

```yaml theme={null}
name: CI
on:
  workflow_dispatch:

env:
  CONTAINER_REGISTRY: docker.io
  IMAGE_NAME: github-actions-nginx

jobs:
  docker:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      # ... build and push steps ...

  deploy:
    needs: docker
    concurrency:
      group: production-deployment
      cancel-in-progress: false
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Docker Run
        run: |
          docker run -d -p 8080:80 $CONTAINER_REGISTRY/${{ vars.DOCKER_USERNAME }}/${{ IMAGE_NAME }}:latest
          # Oops—this sleeps for 6000 seconds (~1.6 hours)
          sleep 6000s
```

Without `timeout-minutes`, this workflow could run until GitHub Actions kills it after six hours.

## Step-Level Timeout

To limit only one step—regardless of other steps—you can set `timeout-minutes` on that specific step:

```yaml theme={null}
jobs:
  deploy:
    needs: docker
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Docker Run with Timeout
        timeout-minutes: 1
        run: |
          echo "Starting container"
          docker run -d -p 8080:80 $CONTAINER_REGISTRY/${{ vars.DOCKER_USERNAME }}/${{ IMAGE_NAME }}:latest
          # This step will be canceled after 1 minute
          sleep 6000s
```

In this configuration, **Docker Run with Timeout** will be canceled if it exceeds 1 minute.

## Job-Level Timeout

Applying a timeout at the job level ensures the sum of all steps in that job respects the limit:

```yaml theme={null}
jobs:
  deploy:
    timeout-minutes: 5
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Step A
        run: sleep 300s
      - name: Step B
        run: sleep 300s
```

Here, if **Step A** and **Step B** together take longer than 5 minutes, the entire job is terminated.

## Timeout Comparison

| Scope            | Applies To         | Syntax Location                         | Example Duration     |
| ---------------- | ------------------ | --------------------------------------- | -------------------- |
| Step-level       | Single step only   | Under a `steps` item                    | `timeout-minutes: 1` |
| Job-level        | All steps in a job | Under a `jobs` item                     | `timeout-minutes: 5` |
| Workflow-level\* | Entire workflow    | Not user-configurable (360 min default) | 360 min              |

\* Workflow-level timeout is fixed at 360 minutes by GitHub.

## Demonstration

1. Commit and push your updated workflow or trigger it with **Run workflow**.

2. Monitor the **Docker Run with Timeout** step in the Actions UI.

3. After the specified timeout, you’ll see an error like:

   ```bash theme={null}
   Error: The action has timed out.
   ```

4. Under **Annotations**, GitHub pinpoints which step or job exceeded its limit.

This approach helps you control runaway processes, optimize usage, and reduce unnecessary billing on GitHub Actions.

## Links and References

* [GitHub Actions Timeout Documentation](https://docs.github.com/actions/using-workflows/workflow-syntax-for-github-actions#jobsjob_idtimeout-minutes)
* [GitHub Actions Concepts](https://docs.github.com/actions/learn-github-actions/introduction-to-github-actions)

<CardGroup>
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