Added Organizations secrets only few secrets showing in modules

[naveen-syn]

Select Topic Area

Question

Body

I have added GitHub secrets at the organization level and marked them as available to all repositories, but only a few of the secrets are appearing in the individual modules.

[jihanurrahman33]

Hi @naveen-syn,

Organization-level secrets can be a little tricky — whether they show up in a given repository depends on both scope and repository/module configuration. A few things to check:

1. Scope of the secret

• When you add a secret at the org level, you can set it to:
  • All repositories
  • Selected repositories
  • Private repositories only
• Double-check that the repositories/modules where you expect the secrets are actually included in the scope. Even if you chose “All,” confirm that the repos haven’t been excluded due to org policy.

2. Actions permissions

• For org/repo secrets to be injected into workflows, Actions must be enabled for that repository.
• Go to Repo → Settings → Actions → General and verify that Actions are allowed and that workflows can use org secrets.

3. Environment vs Repository vs Org secrets

• If you’re using Environments in the repo (e.g., production, staging), note that environment-level secrets override/restrict what’s visible.
• Secrets only appear in a workflow if it references the correct environment.

4. Name collisions / overrides

• If a repository has a secret with the same name as an org secret, the repo secret takes precedence and you won’t see the org one.
• Check for duplicates that may be shadowing the org secrets.

5. Accessing them in modules/workflows

• Secrets are only available inside the job steps that reference them.
• Example:

  steps:
    - name: Show secret
      run: echo "Value is $MY_SECRET"
      env:
        MY_SECRET: ${{ secrets.MY_SECRET }}

• If you’re expecting them to automatically appear in a “module,” make sure the workflow is correctly referencing secrets.<NAME>.

---

✅ Summary:
Only some of your org secrets appear because of scope, overrides, or environment restrictions. Re-check each secret’s visibility settings in Org Settings → Secrets and variables, confirm the target repos are allowed to use them, and ensure there are no naming conflicts.

If everything looks correct and the secrets still don’t show up, I’d suggest opening a ticket with GitHub Support so they can check your org’s configuration.

[PRIYAtechky]

It sounds like you're running into GitHub’s scoping and inheritance rules for organization-level secrets. A few points to check:

1. Repository Access Scope

   • When creating secrets at the organization level, you must explicitly select which repositories can access them.
   • Even if you set "All repositories," restrictions like visibility (private/public) and security policies may limit access.

2. Environment vs. Repository Secrets

   • Secrets defined at the organization level may not propagate to environments directly.
   • If you’re using environments (e.g., production, staging), make sure you add the secrets at the environment level or confirm the repo has access to org secrets.

3. Name Conflicts

   • If a secret with the same name exists at the repository level, it will override the organization-level secret, potentially causing some secrets to appear missing.

4. Policy Restrictions

   • GitHub organization admins can restrict which secrets are shared with private repositories. Check your org security policies.

👉 To resolve:

• Verify that the secrets are scoped correctly to all intended repositories.
• If you’re using environments, ensure secrets are mapped properly there.
• Double-check for duplicate secret names between repo and org levels.

If none of these solve it, it may be a limitation/bug, in which case raising a ticket with GitHub Support is recommended.

[joseangel190]

Just to add some context: even if organization-level secrets are marked as available to all repositories, GitHub enforces certain limits that can affect their visibility in workflows.

• Only the first 100 secrets (sorted alphabetically) are accessible per repository, even if more are defined at the organization level.
• The same applies to variables: there are limits per organization, repository, and environment, plus a combined size cap per workflow run.

This might explain why some secrets or variables aren't showing up in specific modules. You can find more details in the official documentation:

• GitHub Actions secrets limits
• GitHub Actions variables limits

[github-actions[bot]]

🕒 Discussion Activity Reminder 🕒

This Discussion has been labeled as dormant by an automated system for having no activity in the last 60 days. Please consider one the following actions:

1️⃣ Close as Out of Date: If the topic is no longer relevant, close the Discussion as out of date at the bottom of the page.

2️⃣ Provide More Information: Share additional details or context — or let the community know if you've found a solution on your own.

3️⃣ Mark a Reply as Answer: If your question has been answered by a reply, mark the most helpful reply as the solution.

Note: This dormant notification will only apply to Discussions with the Question label. To learn more, see our recent announcement.

Thank you for helping bring this Discussion to a resolution! 💬