Set a variable

Add or change a variable's row, as for secrets.

POST/repos/{owner}/{name}/actions/variables

GitHub’s clients send the key as name; that is accepted too.

Authentication: Required. Send an access token as Authorization: Bearer.
MCP tool: secret with action set_variable, and the same inputs
Scope: An access token needs secrets:admin.
Also at: PATCH /repos/{owner}/{name}/actions/variables/{setting}, POST /workspaces/{workspace}/actions/variables, PATCH /workspaces/{workspace}/actions/variables/{setting}

Path parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`owner`	string	Yes	The workspace that owns the repository.
`name`	string	Yes	The repository’s name.

Body parameters

Send a JSON object. Names are snake_case, as in responses; the camelCase spelling is accepted too.

Name	Type	Required	Description
`setting`	string	Yes	The key, such as NPM_TOKEN.
`value`	string	No	Needed for a new row; left out, the row keeps its value.
`id`	string	No	The row to change, from a list. Left out: the key’s row for every environment.
`available_to`	array of strings	No	Who reads it. Both for a new row. One of `workflows`, `deployments`.
`environments`	array of strings	No	The environments it applies to, such as production and preview, or a workflow job’s environment. Empty is every environment.
`projects`	array of strings	No	A workspace’s row: the projects it reaches, by slug. Empty is every one.
`note`	string	No	Where to rotate it, or who to ask.
`workspace`	string	No	Instead of repo: the workspace, for the ones every repository in it reads.

Example request

curl -X POST https://api.g1t.sh/repos/flagon-io/hello/actions/variables \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $G1T_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "setting": "NODE_VERSION",
    "value": "20"
  }'

Example response

A successful request answers 200 with:

{
  "id": "set_01kpv9q4r7s0t3v6w9x2y5z8ad",
  "name": "NODE_VERSION",
  "kind": "variable",
  "value": "20",
  "scope": "project",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-04T15:42:07.318Z",
  "available_to": [
    "workflows",
    "deployments"
  ],
  "environments": [],
  "projects": [],
  "note": null,
  "updated_by": "syntaqx"
}

Errors

A failed request answers with one of these statuses and a body like {"error": {"code": "not_found", "message": "Repository not found."}}. See errors.

Status	Code	When
401	`unauthenticated`	A token is required, or the one sent is not valid.
403	`forbidden`	The token is valid but not allowed to do this, such as a member-only change or an agent token outside its repository.
404	`not_found`	It does not exist, or you cannot see it.
409	`conflict`	The request conflicts with the current state.
422	`invalid`	The input is not valid. `message` says which field and why.