Disable GitHub Actions Workflows - Except quantum-x-builder

February 9, 2026 · View on GitHub

Overview

This guide explains how to use the disable-workflows-except-qxb.js script to disable GitHub Actions workflows across all your repositories except for quantum-x-builder.

Why Use This Script?

Batch Operations: Disable Actions for multiple repositories at once
Safety: Automatically protects quantum-x-builder from being disabled
Flexibility: Supports dry-run, interactive, and automatic modes
Audit Trail: Clear reporting of what was changed

Prerequisites

1. Node.js

Ensure you have Node.js 16+ installed:

node --version

2. GitHub Personal Access Token

Create a GitHub Personal Access Token with the following permissions:

repo - Full control of private repositories
workflow - Update GitHub Action workflows

How to create a token:

Go to: https://github.com/settings/tokens
Click "Generate new token" → "Generate new token (classic)"
Name: Disable Workflows Script
Select scopes: repo, workflow
Click "Generate token"
Copy the token immediately (you won't see it again!)

3. Set Environment Variable

# Linux/Mac
export GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_your_token_here

# Windows (PowerShell)
$env:GITHUB_TOKEN="ghp_your_token_here"

# Windows (CMD)
set GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_your_token_here

Usage

Quick Start

# Navigate to repository
cd /path/to/quantum-x-builder

# Run in dry-run mode (safe preview)
node scripts/disable-workflows-except-qxb.js --dry-run

Modes of Operation

1. Dry Run Mode (Recommended First)

Preview what will be changed without making any modifications:

node scripts/disable-workflows-except-qxb.js --dry-run

Output Example:

✅ Found 25 repositories
📊 Repository Summary:
   Total repositories: 25
   Protected (excluded): 1
   Will be processed: 24

🛡️  Protected repositories (Actions will remain enabled):
   ✓ InfinityXOneSystems/quantum-x-builder

🔍 Checking which repositories have Actions enabled...
   • InfinityXOneSystems/repo1 - Actions ENABLED
   • InfinityXOneSystems/repo2 - Actions ENABLED
   • InfinityXOneSystems/repo3 - Actions already disabled
...

2. Interactive Mode

Confirm each repository individually:

node scripts/disable-workflows-except-qxb.js --interactive

You'll be prompted for each repository:

Disable Actions for InfinityXOneSystems/repo1? (y/N): y
✅ Disabled Actions for: InfinityXOneSystems/repo1

Disable Actions for InfinityXOneSystems/repo2? (y/N): n
⏭️  Skipped: InfinityXOneSystems/repo2

3. Automatic Mode

Disable Actions for all repositories (except quantum-x-builder) without prompts:

node scripts/disable-workflows-except-qxb.js --auto

⚠️ Warning: This will disable Actions on ALL repositories except quantum-x-builder!

Command-Line Options

Option	Short	Description
`--dry-run`	`-d`	Preview changes without applying them (default)
`--interactive`	`-i`	Confirm each repository before disabling
`--auto`	`-a`	Automatically disable all (except quantum-x-builder)
`--owner <name>`	`-o`	Specify GitHub owner/organization
`--token <token>`	`-t`	Provide token directly (alternative to env var)
`--help`	`-h`	Show help message

Advanced Examples

Specify Organization

node scripts/disable-workflows-except-qxb.js --owner InfinityXOneSystems --auto

Provide Token via Argument

node scripts/disable-workflows-except-qxb.js --token ghp_xxxxx --dry-run

Full Command (All Options)

GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_xxxxx node scripts/disable-workflows-except-qxb.js \
  --owner InfinityXOneSystems \
  --auto

What Gets Disabled?

The script calls the GitHub API to:

Set enabled: false for GitHub Actions on each repository
This prevents:
- Workflow runs from being triggered
- Scheduled workflows from executing
- Manual workflow dispatches

Note: This does NOT delete workflows, it just disables them.

Protected Repositories

The following repositories are automatically protected and will NEVER have Actions disabled:

quantum-x-builder (case-insensitive, matches repository name only regardless of owner)

Note: Protection is based on the repository name (quantum-x-builder), not the full path (e.g., owner/quantum-x-builder). This means quantum-x-builder will be protected regardless of which account or organization owns it.

You can verify protection by checking the script output:

🛡️  Protected repositories (Actions will remain enabled):
   ✓ InfinityXOneSystems/quantum-x-builder

Safety Features

Dry Run Default: If no mode is specified, defaults to --dry-run
Explicit Protection: quantum-x-builder is hardcoded as excluded
Clear Reporting: Shows which repos are protected vs. processed
API Error Handling: Gracefully handles API failures
Rate Limiting: Includes delays to avoid hitting GitHub API limits

Troubleshooting

Error: GITHUB_TOKEN required

Solution: Set the GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable or use --token

export GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_your_token_here

Error: 401 Unauthorized

Problem: Token is invalid or expired Solution:

Check token is correct
Verify token hasn't expired
Ensure token has repo and workflow scopes

Error: 403 Forbidden

Problem: Token doesn't have required permissions Solution: Recreate token with repo and workflow scopes

Error: 404 Not Found

Problem: Repository doesn't exist or you don't have access Solution: Verify:

Repository name is correct
You have access to the repository
Organization name is correct (if applicable)

Script finds 0 repositories

Problem: Owner/organization not found or no access Solution:

Check --owner parameter is correct
Verify you have access to the organization
Try without --owner to use your personal account

Re-enabling GitHub Actions

If you need to re-enable Actions on a repository:

Via GitHub UI

Go to repository → Settings → Actions → General
Under "Actions permissions", select "Allow all actions and reusable workflows"
Click "Save"

Via GitHub CLI

gh api -X PUT /repos/OWNER/REPO/actions/permissions \
  -f enabled=true

gh api /repos/OWNER/REPO/actions/permissions

Check via UI

Go to repository
Click "Actions" tab
Should see: "Workflows are disabled"

Best Practices

Always run dry-run first: See what will change before applying
Use interactive mode for sensitive repos: Review each one individually
Verify quantum-x-builder protection: Check it's listed in protected repos
Keep token secure: Never commit tokens to version control
Use short-lived tokens: Set expiration when creating tokens
Document your changes: Keep notes on why Actions were disabled

Example Workflows

Safe Exploration

# Step 1: Dry run to see what would happen
GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_xxx node scripts/disable-workflows-except-qxb.js --dry-run

# Step 2: Review output carefully

# Step 3: Interactive mode to selectively disable
GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_xxx node scripts/disable-workflows-except-qxb.js --interactive

Bulk Disable (Use with Caution)

# Step 1: Dry run
GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_xxx node scripts/disable-workflows-except-qxb.js --dry-run

# Step 2: Confirm output looks correct

# Step 3: Execute
GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_xxx node scripts/disable-workflows-except-qxb.js --auto

# Step 4: Verify quantum-x-builder is still active
gh api /repos/InfinityXOneSystems/quantum-x-builder/actions/permissions

Support

For issues or questions:

Check this documentation
Review script help: node scripts/disable-workflows-except-qxb.js --help
Examine script source code for detailed comments
Check GitHub API documentation: https://docs.github.com/en/rest/actions

Security Notes

Never commit GITHUB_TOKEN to version control
Store tokens securely (use environment variables or secret managers)
Rotate tokens regularly
Use minimum required permissions
Consider using GitHub Apps for production scenarios
Audit which repositories were modified

Rollback Plan

If you need to undo changes:

Manual Rollback: Re-enable Actions via GitHub UI for each repo
Script Rollback: Modify script to set enabled: true and run again
Selective Rollback: Use interactive mode with an "enable" variant

License

This script is part of the quantum-x-builder project and follows the same license.