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Cache Dependencies

When to Use This Guide

Use this guide to speed up a workflow by reusing installed dependencies between runs.

Quick Command

with:
  cache: 'pip'

Step 1: Enable caching

For Python, add cache: 'pip' to the setup step:

      - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
        with:
          python-version: "3.12"
          cache: 'pip'

It caches your packages, keyed on requirements.txt.

How it behaves

  • First run: saves the cache (a miss).
  • Later runs: restores it if requirements.txt is unchanged (a hit).
  • If requirements.txt changes: it rebuilds the cache.

Common Issues

Always a cache miss

The cache key is your dependency file. If it keeps changing, the cache keeps rebuilding, which is expected.

No speed difference the first time

The first run only saves the cache. The benefit shows from the second run on.