This GitHub Action deploys everything in GITHUB_WORKSPACE to a folder on a server via rsync over ssh.

This action would usually follow a build/test action which leaves deployable code in GITHUB_WORKSPACE.

This action needs a DEPLOY_KEY secret variable. This should be the private key part of an ssh key pair. The public key part should be added to the authorized_keys file on the server that receives the deployment.

This action can receive three ARGs:

1. The first is for any initial/required rsync flags, eg: -avzr --delete

2. The second is for any --exclude flags and directory pairs, eg: --exclude .htaccess --exclude /uploads/. Use "" if none required.

3. The third is for the deployment target, and should be in the format: [USER]@[HOST]:[PATH]

workflow "All pushes" {
  on = "push"
  resolves = ["Deploy to Staging"]
}

action "Deploy to Staging" {
  uses = "contention/action-rsync-deploy@master"
  secrets = ["DEPLOY_KEY"]
  args = ["-avzr --delete", "--exclude .htaccess --exclude /uploads/", "[email protected]:/srv/myapp/public/htdocs/"]
} 

If you're using GitHub Actions, you'll probably already know that it's still in limited public beta, and GitHub advise against using Actions in production.

So, check your keys. Check your deployment paths. And use at your own risk.