Unable to get ACTIONS_ID_TOKEN_REQUEST_URL CI/CD Origin: Build & delivery Last updated 25 Oct 2026

GitHub Actions: Error: Unable to get ACTIONS_ID_TOKEN_REQUEST_URL env variable

A step tried to get an OIDC token (for AWS, Azure, GCP, Vault) but the job was not granted id-token: write permission.

Exact message you may see Unable to get ACTIONS_ID_TOKEN_REQUEST_URL env variableUnable to get ACTIONS_ID_TOKEN_REQUEST_TOKENid-token: write permission missingError: Unable to get ACTIONS_ID_TOKEN_REQUEST_URL
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Seen on: GitHub Actions

Meaning

OIDC tokens are only issued when the workflow or job sets permissions: id-token: write. Reusable workflows and fork pull requests may not receive the token at all. When you set permissions at all, unlisted permissions become none, so remember contents: read too.

Common causes

  • permissions: id-token: write missing at workflow or job level
  • Permissions block overriding defaults without id-token
  • Pull request from a fork (OIDC not available)
  • Calling a reusable workflow without passing permissions
  • Self-hosted GitHub Enterprise Server without OIDC enabled

⚡ Quick fix

  1. Add id-token: write (and contents: read) in permissions
  2. Do not use OIDC on fork PR jobs
  3. Pass permissions down when calling reusable workflows

Detailed fix by platform

GitHub Actions

  1. Job-level: permissions: { id-token: write, contents: read }

Code examples

Permissions for OIDC

yaml
jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      id-token: write       # required to request the OIDC token
      contents: read
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

How to diagnose

  1. Permissions — Is id-token: write set for this job?
  2. Source — Fork PR?
  3. Reusable — Passed to the called workflow?

🔧 Still not fixed?

Many errors look alike. If the steps above didn’t solve it, one of these is probably what you’re facing:

Where this error sits

Origin: Build & delivery. Errors that are often confused with or caused by this one (click to open):

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