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This guide explains how to interpret the audit output produced by the GitHub Actions Importer when it audits a Jenkins server. The Importer produces an audit directory (default tmp/audit/) containing logs (tmp/audit/log) and the primary audit.log. Use these artifacts to verify what was inspected, which pipeline elements were auto-converted, and which require manual attention or custom transformers.

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Quick CSV summary (excerpt)

Below is an excerpt of the CSV summary the tool generates (the full file is larger — ~100 lines):

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What audit.log records

  • The audit log tracks the Importer tool’s operations while it inspects Jenkins jobs and evaluates possible conversions to GitHub Actions. It is an audit — not an automatic, guaranteed migration.
  • The Importer:
    • Fetches Jenkins job listings and individual config.xml files via the Jenkins API.
    • Retrieves Jenkinsfiles from SCM (e.g., GitHub) using the repository API when jobs reference them.
    • Posts declarative pipeline job definitions to the Jenkins Pipeline Model Converter endpoint (/pipeline-model-converter/toJson) to obtain a standardized JSON representation that’s easier to analyze.
    • Attempts to locate transformer modules for pipeline elements and logs which transformers are found or missing.
  • Use tmp/audit/ to inspect generated artifacts (YAML, JSON, Jenkinsfiles), error output, and the audit.log for debugging.

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Representative, cleaned log excerpt (key steps)

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Key observations from the excerpt

  • The Importer calls the Jenkins API (/api/json) to list jobs, then fetches each job’s config.xml.
  • When a Jenkins job references a Jenkinsfile in GitHub, the Importer fetches the Jenkinsfile from the GitHub API (masked as REDACTED://... in logs).
  • The Pipeline Model Converter (/pipeline-model-converter/toJson) is used to convert declarative pipeline definitions to JSON for easier transformation.
  • The log contains transformer lookup results (located vs failed). Located transformers will attempt an automatic conversion to a GitHub Actions construct; missing ones need manual handling or new transformers.
If a step was converted incorrectly or not converted at all, consult the audit log for the HTTP calls, transformer lookups, and any redactions. These entries help decide whether to create a custom transformer or edit the generated workflow manually.

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Transformer results — summary

Use the following summary to understand which Jenkins constructs the Importer can map automatically and which commonly fail (plugin-specific behaviors).
Located transformers (examples)Failed-to-locate transformers (examples)
- RunsOn: label → maps node/label usage
- Container: docker → maps container/docker usage
- StepTransformer: sh → maps shell/script steps
- StepTransformer: publishHTML → maps HTML publishing steps
- StepTransformer: junit → maps JUnit test result publishing		- Defaults: label (in some contexts)
- Container: label
- StepTransformer: dependencyCheck
- StepTransformer: dependencyCheckPublisher
- StepTransformer: catchError
- StepTransformer: withDockerRegistry
- Options: retry
- Concurrency: org.jenkinsci.plugins.workflow.job.properties.Pipeline
  • Located transformers indicate constructs that the tool can map directly to a GitHub Actions equivalent, reducing manual effort.
  • Missing transformers often correspond to Jenkins plugins or advanced Pipeline properties that require either:
    • Manual translation into Actions logic, or
    • Development of a custom transformer to handle the plugin-specific behavior.

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Files generated under tmp/audit/

After auditing and attempting conversions the tool writes output to tmp/audit/. Example files from the log:
Path (example)Description
tmp/audit/ci-pipeline-poll-scm/.github/workflows/ci-pipeline-poll-scm.ymlGenerated GitHub Actions workflow (auto-converted)
tmp/audit/ci-pipeline-poll-scm/config.jsonPipeline model JSON from Pipeline Model Converter
tmp/audit/ci-pipeline-poll-scm/jenkinsfileRetrieved Jenkinsfile (if present in SCM)
tmp/audit/Generate_ASCII_Artwork/.github/workflows/generate_ascii_artwork.ymlGenerated workflow for another job
tmp/audit/scripted-pipeline/error.txtConversion error/details for scripted pipeline
tmp/audit/solar-system-ci-pipeline/config.jsonModel for the solar-system job
tmp/audit/solar-system-ci-pipeline/jenkinsfileJenkinsfile for solar-system (from GitHub)
tmp/audit/workflow_usage.csvCSV summary of actions and runners used
tmp/audit/audit_summary.mdHuman-readable audit summary
tmp/audit/log/valet-20250521-181951.logRaw importer log for this run

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Secrets and redaction

The audit process detects and redacts secrets. Look for WARN entries like:
These warnings indicate where sensitive values were redacted in the generated outputs. Review redacted files carefully to confirm credentials, tokens, or other secrets were handled correctly during conversion.

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Next steps / recommendations

  • Inspect artifacts under tmp/audit/<job>/:
    • config.json — review the pipeline model the importer used to decide mappings.
    • jenkinsfile — confirm the Jenkinsfile the importer fetched from SCM.
    • .github/workflows/*.yml — review the autogenerated workflow and identify missing or incorrect steps.
  • Prioritize work using the audit outputs:
    • Jobs with many located transformers are easier to convert.
    • Jobs with multiple failed transformers will require manual edits or new transformers.
  • For missing transformations:
    • Implement a custom transformer that maps the Jenkins construct to one or more GitHub Actions steps, or
    • Manually edit the generated workflow YAML to replace plugin-specific steps (e.g., dependencyCheck, withDockerRegistry) with appropriate Actions, containers, or scripts.
  • When conversions are unclear:
    • Check tmp/audit/<job>/error.txt (if present) for conversion errors and stack traces.
    • Consult audit.log for debugging details (HTTP requests, transformer lookups, and debug messages).
If you need help mapping a specific Jenkins step or plugin to a GitHub Action, include the relevant config.json, jenkinsfile, and the fragment of the generated workflow YAML and I can suggest a conversion strategy.

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