fix(ci): authenticate Link Check to github.com to stop rate-limit false-positives (#316) - #317
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…se-positives (#316) The Link Check job (tcort/github-action-markdown-link-check, unauthenticated) intermittently reported LIVE github.com URLs as dead (Status 0/503) when a run checked many links at once and hit GitHub's ~60/hr anonymous rate limit — seen blocking approved PRs #313/#315 on consecutive runs, every flagged link 200 in a browser. retryOn429 never engaged because GitHub sheds anonymous load with 503, not 429. Fix (no new secret, read-only token only): - httpHeaders: send Authorization: Bearer <token> for github.com / api.github.com / raw.githubusercontent.com, so those links are checked AUTHENTICATED (5000/hr). A CI step renders the read-only workflow GITHUB_TOKEN into the placeholder via envsubst (whitelisted to only) → a git-ignored .markdown-link-check.ci.json; locally the placeholder stays inert ('Bearer '), so github still answers anonymously and the committed config carries no token. - aliveStatusCodes: add 429 + 503 so a throttled probe of a live host defers instead of being reported dead (belt-and-suspenders alongside the token). - retryCount 3 -> 5. Real dead links still fail (a genuine 404 is not in aliveStatusCodes). Job stays continue-on-error. Verified: config renders to valid JSON with + without a token; make validate + 354 tests pass. Closes #316. AI-assisted (OpenCode). Requires human review. Co-authored-by: OpenCode Agent <william.zujkowski@gsa.gov>
Follow-up within #316: with github.com now authenticated, the only remaining Link Check false-positive was nvd.nist.gov -> Status 0. NVD is bot-hostile to the checker's unauthenticated HEAD probe (same behavior as asciinema.org) but is a live, stable gov site referenced from the dependency-analysis skill. Ignore it, matching the asciinema treatment. Real dead links still fail. Co-authored-by: OpenCode Agent <william.zujkowski@gsa.gov>
mogul
approved these changes
Aug 12, 2026
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Summary
Closes #316. The Link Check job (
tcort/github-action-markdown-link-check, unauthenticated) intermittently reports live github.com URLs as dead (Status: 0/503) when a run checks many links at once and hits GitHub's ~60/hr anonymous rate limit — observed blocking approved PRs #313 and #315 on consecutive runs; every flagged link is 200 in a browser.retryOn429never engaged because GitHub sheds anonymous load with503, not429.Fix (no new secret — read-only token only)
Authorization: Bearer <token>for github.com / api.github.com / raw.githubusercontent.com so those links are checked authenticated (5000/hr). A CI step renders the read-only workflowGITHUB_TOKENinto the placeholder withenvsubst(whitelisted to${MLC_GITHUB_TOKEN}only) → a git-ignored.markdown-link-check.ci.json. Locally the placeholder stays inert (Bearer), so the committed config carries no token and github answers anonymously.429+503so a throttled probe of a live host defers instead of being reported dead (belt-and-suspenders).retryCount3 → 5.Real dead links still fail (a genuine 404 isn't in aliveStatusCodes). Job stays
continue-on-error.Verification
Config renders to valid JSON with + without a token;
envsubstonly touches the whitelisted placeholder;make validate+ 354 tests pass;gettext-base/envsubstis preinstalled on ubuntu runners.Impact
Stops the recurring re-run tax on every PR that touches many github.com links (retires the workaround applied on #313/#315). Read-only
github.token, no elevated permission.Rollback
Revert. CI config + link-check config only; no repo content change.
AI-assisted (OpenCode). Requires human review.