Getting Started
Everything you need to know about RunnerForge and self-hosted GitHub Actions runners.
What is RunnerForge?
RunnerForge is a platform that automatically provisions self-hosted GitHub Actions runners on Google Cloud Platform. Instead of using GitHub's shared runners, your CI/CD jobs run on dedicated VMs in your own GCP project.
Ephemeral Runners
Each workflow job gets a fresh VM. No state pollution between runs. VMs are automatically deleted after use.
Your Infrastructure
Runners run in your GCP project. You control the network, security, and billing.
Fast Provisioning
Runners are provisioned in seconds using pre-built images optimized for CI/CD workloads.
Cost Tracking
Monitor your runner usage and costs in real-time. Pay only for what you use.
How It Works
Configure Your Repository
Connect your GitHub account and GCP project. Configure runner labels, machine type, and zone. We create a dedicated service account in your GCP project for provisioning.
Trigger a Workflow
When a GitHub Actions workflow requests a runner with your configured labels, GitHub sends a webhook to RunnerForge.
runs-on: [self-hosted, runnerforge]Runner Provisioned
RunnerForge provisions a GCP Compute Engine VM in your project. The VM registers itself as a GitHub runner and picks up your workflow job.
Job Executes
Your workflow runs on the dedicated VM with full access to your configured resources. No queuing, no sharing.
Automatic Cleanup
When the job completes, the VM is automatically deleted. Each run starts fresh with no state from previous jobs.
Getting Started
To start using RunnerForge, you'll need:
- A GitHub account with access to the repositories you want to use
- A Google Cloud Platform project with billing enabled
- Owner or Admin access to the GitHub repository (to install the webhook)
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost?
RunnerForge uses a simple credits-based system. All users start with $10 welcome credits (1 credit = $0.01). Credits cover both platform fees and compute costs. During beta, usage is tracked but not charged. See our pricing page for detailed rates.
Why do you need the cloud-platform OAuth scope?
We need this scope to create a dedicated service account in your GCP project and grant it permissions to manage Compute Engine VMs. This service account is used to provision runners when webhooks arrive from GitHub.
Do you access my source code?
No. RunnerForge only accesses repository metadata (name, labels) and workflow job information. Your source code is checked out by the runner VM in your GCP project, not by RunnerForge.
Can I use private repositories?
Yes! RunnerForge works with both public and private repositories. The runner VMs use GitHub's runner registration token to authenticate, which works the same for public and private repos.
What machine types are available?
You can configure any GCP Compute Engine machine type. Common choices include e2-medium (2 vCPU, 4GB RAM) for light workloads and n2-standard-4 (4 vCPU, 16GB RAM) for heavier builds.
How do I update my workflow files?
Update your workflow's runs-on field to include your configured labels. For example: runs-on: [self-hosted, runnerforge]
What happens if a runner fails?
RunnerForge includes automatic reconciliation. If a VM gets stuck or fails, it will be detected and cleaned up. A new runner will be provisioned for retried jobs.
Need Help?
If you have questions or run into issues, we're here to help.
Contact support@runnerforge.com