Add EXAMPLES.md

* docs(action): fix input and output descriptions in action.yml

* Update Wording

Co-authored-by: Copilot Autofix powered by AI <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

---------

Co-authored-by: Kranthi Poturaju <Kranthi.Poturaju1@aexp.com>
Co-authored-by: Stefan Zweifel <stefanzweifel@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Copilot Autofix powered by AI <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

.github/workflows/release-drafter.yml

@@ -15,6 +15,6 @@ jobs:
       contents: write
 
     steps:
-      - uses: release-drafter/release-drafter@v6
+      - uses: release-drafter/release-drafter@v7
         env:
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md

@@ -72,5 +72,4 @@ available at https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/1/4/code-of-conduct.ht
 
 [homepage]: https://www.contributor-covenant.org
 
-For answers to common questions about this code of conduct, see
-https://www.contributor-covenant.org/faq
+For answers to common questions about this code of conduct, see the [Contributor Covenant FAQ](https://www.contributor-covenant.org/faq).

EXAMPLES.md

@@ -0,0 +1,551 @@
+# Examples
+
+This document shows real-world scenarios where `git-auto-commit` is useful, with a working GitHub Actions workflow for each. The scenarios are based on questions and use cases that have come up in the [issues](https://github.com/stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action/issues) and [discussions](https://github.com/stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action/discussions) of this repository over the years.
+
+If you have a use case that isn't covered here, [open a discussion](https://github.com/stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action/discussions) — we may add it.
+
+## Table of Contents
+
+- [Auto-format code on pull requests](#auto-format-code-on-pull-requests)
+- [Auto-fix lint errors](#auto-fix-lint-errors)
+- [Update dependency lock files](#update-dependency-lock-files)
+- [Build and commit compiled assets](#build-and-commit-compiled-assets)
+- [Auto-generate API documentation](#auto-generate-api-documentation)
+- [Update README with generated content](#update-readme-with-generated-content)
+- [Maintain a CHANGELOG](#maintain-a-changelog)
+- [Sync translations / i18n files](#sync-translations--i18n-files)
+- [Publish a static site to a separate branch](#publish-a-static-site-to-a-separate-branch)
+- [Scheduled data refresh](#scheduled-data-refresh)
+- [Create a release tag without a commit](#create-a-release-tag-without-a-commit)
+- [Fail the build instead of pushing changes (drift check)](#fail-the-build-instead-of-pushing-changes-drift-check)
+- [Sign automated commits with GPG](#sign-automated-commits-with-gpg)
+- [Squash automated changes into the previous commit](#squash-automated-changes-into-the-previous-commit)
+
+---
+
+## Auto-format code on pull requests
+
+**Description:** Run a code formatter (Prettier, php-cs-fixer, Black, gofmt, rustfmt, …) on every pull request and commit the resulting changes back to the contributor's branch. Contributors don't have to think about style; the bot fixes it for them.
+
+This is the most common use case for this Action. Running it on `pull_request` means the formatter only touches the PR branch — never your default branch directly.
+
+```yaml
+name: Format
+
+on: pull_request
+
+jobs:
+  prettier:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ github.head_ref }}
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: 20
+
+      - run: npx prettier --write .
+
+      - uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v7
+        with:
+          commit_message: "style: apply prettier formatting"
+```
+
+> [!TIP]
+> If the PR comes from a fork, the Action can only push back if the contributor enabled "Allow edits by maintainers". See the [forks section in the README](README.md#use-in-forks-from-public-repositories) for details.
+
+---
+
+## Auto-fix lint errors
+
+**Description:** Many linters can both report and auto-fix problems (`eslint --fix`, `rubocop -a`, `ruff --fix`, `stylelint --fix`, …). Use the Action to commit the auto-fixed result so reviewers only see the issues that need human judgement.
+
+```yaml
+name: Lint and fix
+
+on: pull_request
+
+jobs:
+  eslint:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ github.head_ref }}
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: 20
+          cache: npm
+
+      - run: npm ci
+      - run: npx eslint . --fix
+
+      - uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v7
+        with:
+          commit_message: "chore: apply eslint --fix"
+```
+
+> [!TIP]
+> `file_pattern` is intentionally omitted here. If one of several custom patterns does not match a file in the repository, `git add` can fail with a pathspec error. Let the linter decide which files to change, or use a custom pattern that you know exists in your repository.
+
+---
+
+## Update dependency lock files
+
+**Description:** When a dependency tool produces a fresh lock file (`package-lock.json`, `composer.lock`, `Gemfile.lock`, `poetry.lock`, …), commit only the lock file. Pair this with a scheduled job to keep lock files in sync without manual intervention.
+
+```yaml
+name: Refresh lock file
+
+on:
+  schedule:
+    - cron: "0 6 * * 1" # every Monday at 06:00 UTC
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+jobs:
+  refresh:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: 20
+
+      - run: npm install --package-lock-only
+
+      - uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v7
+        with:
+          commit_message: "chore(deps): refresh package-lock.json"
+          file_pattern: package-lock.json
+```
+
+---
+
+## Build and commit compiled assets
+
+**Description:** For projects that ship a `dist/` folder (libraries, browser extensions, themes), build the assets in CI and commit them so consumers can install directly from the repo without a build step.
+
+```yaml
+name: Build dist
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: 20
+          cache: npm
+
+      - run: npm ci
+      - run: npm run build
+
+      - uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v7
+        with:
+          commit_message: "build: update dist/"
+          file_pattern: "dist/**"
+```
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> If `dist/` is in `.gitignore`, the Action will not pick up changes. See the [troubleshooting section in the README](README.md#change-to-file-is-not-detected).
+
+---
+
+## Auto-generate API documentation
+
+**Description:** Tools like TypeDoc, Doxygen, Sphinx, or `cargo doc` generate documentation from source comments. Regenerate on every push to `main` and commit the output so the published docs always match the latest code.
+
+```yaml
+name: Docs
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+
+jobs:
+  typedoc:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: 20
+          cache: npm
+
+      - run: npm ci
+      - run: npx typedoc --out docs/api src/index.ts
+
+      - uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v7
+        with:
+          commit_message: "docs: regenerate API reference"
+          file_pattern: "docs/api/**"
+```
+
+---
+
+## Update README with generated content
+
+**Description:** Many projects keep dynamic sections in the README — a contributor list, a badge gallery, a table of contents, a list of supported plugins. Regenerate them on a schedule (or when a related file changes) and commit the result.
+
+```yaml
+name: Update contributors
+
+on:
+  schedule:
+    - cron: "0 0 * * 0" # weekly
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+jobs:
+  contributors:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+
+      - uses: akhilmhdh/contributors-readme-action@v2.3.10
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v7
+        with:
+          commit_message: "docs: update contributors"
+          file_pattern: README.md
+```
+
+---
+
+## Maintain a CHANGELOG
+
+**Description:** Generate or update `CHANGELOG.md` from commit history or release notes after each merge to `main`, and commit it back.
+
+```yaml
+name: Update CHANGELOG
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+
+jobs:
+  changelog:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0 # full history so the generator sees all commits
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: 20
+
+      - run: npx conventional-changelog -p angular -i CHANGELOG.md -s
+
+      - uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v7
+        with:
+          commit_message: "docs: update CHANGELOG"
+          file_pattern: CHANGELOG.md
+```
+
+---
+
+## Sync translations / i18n files
+
+**Description:** When translations are managed in an external service (Crowdin, Lokalise, Weblate) or extracted from source, pull or generate the latest catalogs on a schedule and commit them.
+
+```yaml
+name: Sync translations
+
+on:
+  schedule:
+    - cron: "0 3 * * *" # daily at 03:00 UTC
+
+jobs:
+  sync:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+
+      - name: Download translations
+        run: ./scripts/pull-translations.sh
+        env:
+          CROWDIN_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.CROWDIN_TOKEN }}
+
+      - uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v7
+        with:
+          commit_message: "i18n: sync translations from Crowdin"
+          file_pattern: "locales/**/*.json"
+```
+
+---
+
+## Publish a static site to a separate branch
+
+**Description:** Build a static site on `main` and push the generated output to a `gh-pages` branch so GitHub Pages can serve it. Use a second checkout directory for the publish branch so the source checkout and generated site do not get mixed together.
+
+Create the `gh-pages` branch once before using this workflow.
+
+```yaml
+name: Build site
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+        with:
+          path: source
+
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+        with:
+          ref: gh-pages
+          path: site
+
+      - name: Build site
+        working-directory: source
+        run: ./build-site.sh # produces output in ./public
+
+      - name: Replace publish branch contents
+        run: |
+          find site -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 ! -name .git -exec rm -rf {} +
+          cp -R source/public/. site/
+
+      - uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v7
+        with:
+          repository: site
+          branch: gh-pages
+          commit_message: "site: rebuild from ${{ github.sha }}"
+```
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> For most Pages workflows the official [`actions/deploy-pages`](https://github.com/actions/deploy-pages) is a better fit. Use this approach when you specifically want the build output stored in a branch.
+
+---
+
+## Scheduled data refresh
+
+**Description:** Pull data from an external source on a schedule and commit it. Common examples: tracking statistics, snapshotting an API response, refreshing a cached dataset.
+
+```yaml
+name: Refresh stats
+
+on:
+  schedule:
+    - cron: "0 * * * *" # hourly
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+jobs:
+  refresh:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+
+      - run: curl -sSL https://api.example.com/stats.json -o data/stats.json
+
+      - uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v7
+        with:
+          commit_message: "data: refresh hourly stats"
+          file_pattern: "data/*.json"
+```
+
+---
+
+## Create a release tag without a commit
+
+**Description:** Sometimes you want to tag the current HEAD as a release without committing any files. Use `create_git_tag_only` together with `tag_name` and `tagging_message`.
+
+```yaml
+name: Tag release
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      version:
+        description: "Version to tag (e.g. v1.4.0)"
+        required: true
+
+jobs:
+  tag:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+
+      - uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v7
+        with:
+          create_git_tag_only: true
+          tag_name: ${{ inputs.version }}
+          tagging_message: "Release ${{ inputs.version }}"
+```
+
+---
+
+## Fail the build instead of pushing changes (drift check)
+
+**Description:** Sometimes you don't want a bot to push fixes — you want to fail the build so the contributor fixes them locally. Use the `changes_detected` output as a check: run the formatter, skip branch checkout/fetch/push, and fail if anything changed.
+
+```yaml
+name: Format check
+
+on: pull_request
+
+jobs:
+  check:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: 20
+
+      - run: npx prettier --write .
+
+      - uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v7
+        id: auto-commit
+        with:
+          skip_checkout: true
+          skip_fetch: true
+          skip_push: true
+
+      - name: Fail if formatting was needed
+        if: steps.auto-commit.outputs.changes_detected == 'true'
+        run: |
+          echo "::error::Code is not formatted. Run 'npx prettier --write .' locally."
+          exit 1
+```
+
+---
+
+## Sign automated commits with GPG
+
+**Description:** If your branch protection rules require signed commits, the bot's commits need to be signed too. Import a GPG key first, then tell the Action to use the key's identity as the commit author.
+
+```yaml
+name: Format (signed)
+
+on: pull_request
+
+jobs:
+  format:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ github.head_ref }}
+
+      - name: Import GPG key
+        id: import-gpg
+        uses: crazy-max/ghaction-import-gpg@v6
+        with:
+          gpg_private_key: ${{ secrets.GPG_PRIVATE_KEY }}
+          passphrase: ${{ secrets.GPG_PASSPHRASE }}
+          git_user_signingkey: true
+          git_commit_gpgsign: true
+
+      - run: npx prettier --write .
+
+      - uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v7
+        with:
+          commit_message: "style: apply prettier"
+          commit_user_name: ${{ steps.import-gpg.outputs.name }}
+          commit_user_email: ${{ steps.import-gpg.outputs.email }}
+          commit_author: "${{ steps.import-gpg.outputs.name }} <${{ steps.import-gpg.outputs.email }}>"
+```
+
+See discussion [#334](https://github.com/stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action/discussions/334) for background.
+
+---
+
+## Squash automated changes into the previous commit
+
+**Description:** Avoid noisy "apply automatic changes" commits by amending the last commit instead. Useful when the bot fix is trivial and you don't want a separate entry in the history.
+
+> [!CAUTION]
+> Amending rewrites history. Only use this on branches where force-pushing is acceptable (typically PR branches, never `main`).
+
+```yaml
+name: Format (amend)
+
+on: pull_request
+
+jobs:
+  format:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ github.head_ref }}
+          fetch-depth: 2 # need previous commit for --amend
+
+      - run: npx prettier --write .
+
+      - name: Read previous commit metadata
+        id: last
+        run: |
+          echo "message=$(git log -1 --pretty=%s)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "author=$(git log -1 --pretty='%an <%ae>')" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+      - uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v7
+        with:
+          commit_message: ${{ steps.last.outputs.message }}
+          commit_author: ${{ steps.last.outputs.author }}
+          commit_options: "--amend --no-edit"
+          push_options: "--force"
+          skip_fetch: true
+```
+
+See discussion [#159](https://github.com/stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action/issues/159#issuecomment-845347950) for details.

README.md

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ If your use case is not covered by git-auto-commit, you might want to check out
 
 Adding git-auto-commit to your Workflow only takes a couple lines of code.
 
-1. Set the `contents`-permission of the default GITHUB_TOKEN to `true`. (Required to push new commits to the repository)
+1. Set the `contents`-permission of the default GITHUB_TOKEN to `write`. (Required to push new commits to the repository)
 2. Add the following step at the end of your job, after other steps that might add or change files.
 
 ```yaml
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ The following is an extended example with all available options.
     # Defaults to "Apply automatic changes"
     commit_message: Automated Change
 
-    # Optional. Remote branch name where commit is going to be pushed to. 
+    # Optional. Remote branch name where commit is going to be pushed to.
     # Defaults to the current branch.
     branch: feature-123
 
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ The following is an extended example with all available options.
     # - https://git-scm.com/docs/gitglossary#Documentation/gitglossary.txt-aiddefpathspecapathspec
     file_pattern: '*.php src/*.js tests/*.js'
 
-    # Optional. Local file path to the repository.
+    # Optional. Relative file path under $GITHUB_WORKSPACE to the repository.
     # Defaults to the root of the repository.
     repository: .
 
@@ -92,8 +92,8 @@ The following is an extended example with all available options.
     commit_user_name: My GitHub Actions Bot # defaults to "github-actions[bot]"
     commit_user_email: my-github-actions-bot@example.org # defaults to "41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
     commit_author: Author <actions@github.com> # defaults to "username <numeric_id+username@users.noreply.github.com>", where "numeric_id" and "username" belong to the author of the commit that triggered the run
-        
-    # Optional. Tag name to be created in the local repository and 
+
+    # Optional. Tag name to be created in the local repository and
     # pushed to the remote repository on the defined branch.
     # If only one of `tag_name` or `tagging_message` is provided, the value of the provided field will be used for both tag name and message.
     tag_name: 'v1.0.0'
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ The following is an extended example with all available options.
     # If only one of `tag_name` or `tagging_message` is provided, the value of the provided field will be used for both tag name and message.
     tagging_message: 'Codename "Sunshine"'
 
-    # Optional. Option used by `git-status` to determine if the repository is 
+    # Optional. Option used by `git-status` to determine if the repository is
     # dirty. See https://git-scm.com/docs/git-status#_options
     status_options: '--untracked-files=no'
 
@@ -113,27 +113,27 @@ The following is an extended example with all available options.
     # Optional. Options used by `git-push`.
     # See https://git-scm.com/docs/git-push#_options
     push_options: '--force'
-    
+
     # Optional. Disable dirty check and always try to create a commit and push
-    skip_dirty_check: true    
+    skip_dirty_check: true
 
     # Optional. Skip internal call to `git fetch`
     skip_fetch: true
 
     # Optional. Skip internal call to `git checkout`
     skip_checkout: true
-    
+
     # Optional. Skip internal call to `git push`
     skip_push: true
 
-    # Optional. Prevents the shell from expanding filenames. 
+    # Optional. Prevents the shell from expanding filenames.
     # Details: https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/html_node/Filename-Expansion.html
     disable_globbing: true
 
     # Optional. Create given branch name in local and remote repository.
     create_branch: true
 
-    # Optional. Creates a new tag and pushes it to remote without creating a commit. 
+    # Optional. Creates a new tag and pushes it to remote without creating a commit.
     # Skips dirty check and changed files. Must be used in combination with `tag` and `tagging_message`.
     create_git_tag_only: false
 ```
@@ -177,6 +177,8 @@ jobs:
         commit_message: Apply php-cs-fixer changes
 ```
 
+See [EXAMPLES.md](EXAMPLES.md) for more scenarios, including auto-formatting, dependency updates, generated docs, release tagging, drift checks, and GPG-signed commits.
+
 ## Inputs
 
 Checkout [`action.yml`](https://github.com/stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action/blob/master/action.yml) for a full list of supported inputs.
@@ -214,11 +216,11 @@ The goal of this Action is to be "the Action for committing files for the 80% us
 
 The following is a list of edge cases the Action knowingly does not support:
 
-**No `git pull` when the repository is out of date with remote.** The Action will not do a `git pull` before doing the `git push`. **You** are responsible for keeping the repository up to date in your Workflow runs. 
+**No `git pull` when the repository is out of date with remote.** The Action will not do a `git pull` before doing the `git push`. **You** are responsible for keeping the repository up to date in your Workflow runs.
 
 **No support for running the Action in build matrices**. If your Workflow is using build matrices, and you want that each job commits and pushes files to the remote, you will run into the issue, that the repository in the workflow will become out of date. As the Action will not do a `git pull` for you, you have to do that yourself.
 
-**No support for `git rebase` or `git merge`**. There are many strategies on how to integrate remote upstream changes to a local repository. `git-auto-commit` does not want to be responsible for doing that. 
+**No support for `git rebase` or `git merge`**. There are many strategies on how to integrate remote upstream changes to a local repository. `git-auto-commit` does not want to be responsible for doing that.
 
 **No support for detecting line break changes between CR (Carriage Return) and LF (Line Feed)**. This is a low level issue, you have to resolve differently in your project. Sorry.
 
@@ -256,13 +258,13 @@ storing the token as a secret in your repository and then passing the new token
 If you create a personal access token (classic), apply the `repo` and `workflow` scopes.
 If you create a fine-grained personal access token, apply the `Contents`-permissions.
 
-If you work in an organization and don't want to create a PAT from your personal account, we recommend using a [robot account](https://docs.github.com/en/github/getting-started-with-github/types-of-github-accounts) for the token.
+If you work in an organization and don't want to create a PAT from your personal account, we recommend using a [robot account](https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/learning-about-github/types-of-github-accounts) for the token.
 
 ### Prevent Infinite Loop when using a Personal Access Token
 
 If you're using a Personal Access Token (PAT) to push commits to GitHub repository, the resulting commit or push can trigger other GitHub Actions workflows. This can result in an infinite loop.
 
-If you would like to prevent this, you can add `skip-checks:true` to the commit message. See [Skipping workflow runs](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/managing-workflow-runs/skipping-workflow-runs) for details.
+If you would like to prevent this, you can add `skip-checks:true` to the commit message. See [Skipping workflow runs](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/how-tos/manage-workflow-runs/skip-workflow-runs) for details.
 
 ### Change to file is not detected
 
@@ -272,9 +274,9 @@ Does your workflow change a file, but "git-auto-commit" does not detect the chan
 
 ### Multiline Commit Messages
 
-If your commit message should span multiple lines, you have to create a separate step to generate the string. 
+If your commit message should span multiple lines, you have to create a separate step to generate the string.
 
-The example below can be used as a starting point to generate a multiline commit meesage. Learn more how multiline strings in GitHub Actions work in the [GitHub documentation](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-workflows/workflow-commands-for-github-actions#multiline-strings).
+The example below can be used as a starting point to generate a multiline commit meesage. Learn more how multiline strings in GitHub Actions work in the [GitHub documentation](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/reference/workflows-and-actions/workflow-commands#multiline-strings).
 
 ```yaml
     # Building a multiline commit message
@@ -298,11 +300,11 @@ The example below can be used as a starting point to generate a multiline commit
       id: commit
       with:
         commit_message: ${{ steps.commit_message_step.outputs.commit_message }}
-```  
+```
 
 ### Signing Commits
 
-If you would like to sign your commits using a GPG key, you will need to use an additional action. 
+If you would like to sign your commits using a GPG key, you will need to use an additional action.
 You can use the [crazy-max/ghaction-import-gpg](https://github.com/crazy-max/ghaction-import-gpg) action and follow its setup instructions.
 
 As git-auto-commit by default does not use **your** username and email when creating a commit, you have to override these values in your workflow.
@@ -329,33 +331,34 @@ See discussion [#334](https://github.com/stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action/di
 
 ### Use in forks from private repositories
 
+
 By default, GitHub Actions doesn't run Workflows on forks from **private** repositories. To enable Actions for **private** repositories enable "Run workflows from pull requests" in your repository settings.
 
-See [this announcement from GitHub](https://github.blog/2020-08-03-github-actions-improvements-for-fork-and-pull-request-workflows/) or the [GitHub docs](https://docs.github.com/en/github/administering-a-repository/disabling-or-limiting-github-actions-for-a-repository#enabling-workflows-for-private-repository-forks) for details.
+See [this announcement from GitHub](https://github.blog/2020-08-03-github-actions-improvements-for-fork-and-pull-request-workflows/) or the [GitHub docs](https://docs.github.com/en/repositories/managing-your-repositorys-settings-and-features/enabling-features-for-your-repository/managing-github-actions-settings-for-a-repository#enabling-workflows-for-private-repository-forks) for details.
 
 
 ### Use in forks from public repositories
 
 > [!NOTE] 
-> This Action technically works with forks. However, please note that the combination of triggers and their options can cause issues. Please read [the documentation](https://docs.github.com/en/free-pro-team@latest/actions/reference/events-that-trigger-workflows) on which triggers GitHub Actions support.\
+> This Action technically works with forks. However, please note that the combination of triggers and their options can cause issues. Please read [the documentation](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/reference/workflows-and-actions/events-that-trigger-workflows) on which triggers GitHub Actions support.\
 > Ensure your contributors enable "Allow edits by maintainers" when opening a pull request. ([Learn more](https://docs.github.com/en/pull-requests/collaborating-with-pull-requests/working-with-forks/allowing-changes-to-a-pull-request-branch-created-from-a-fork)) \
 > \
 > **If you use this Action in combination with a linter/fixer, it's easier if you run the Action on `push` on your `main`-branch.**
 
-> [!WARNING] 
+> [!WARNING]
 > Due to limitations of GitHub, this Action currently can't push commits to a base repository, if the fork _lives_ under an organisation. See [github/community#6634](https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/5634) and [this comment](https://github.com/stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action/issues/211#issuecomment-1428849944) for details.
 
-By default, this Action will not run on Pull Requests which have been opened by forks. (This is a limitation by GitHub, not by us.)   
-However, there are a couple of ways to use this Actions in Workflows that should be triggered by forked repositories.
+By default, this Action will not run on Pull Requests which have been opened by forks. (This is a limitation by GitHub, not by us.)
+However, there are a couple of ways to use this Action in Workflows that should be triggered by forked repositories.
 
 ### Workflow should run in **base** repository
 
 > [!CAUTION]
-> The following section explains how you can use git-auto-commit in combination with the `pull_request_target` trigger.   
-> **Using `pull_request_target` in your workflows can lead to repository compromise as [mentioned](https://securitylab.github.com/research/github-actions-preventing-pwn-requests/) by GitHub's own security team. This means, that a bad actor could potentially leak/steal your GitHub Actions repository secrets.**   
+> The following section explains how you can use git-auto-commit in combination with the `pull_request_target` trigger.
+> **Using `pull_request_target` in your workflows can lead to repository compromise as [mentioned](https://securitylab.github.com/research/github-actions-preventing-pwn-requests/) by GitHub's own security team. This means, that a bad actor could potentially leak/steal your GitHub Actions repository secrets.**
 > Please be aware of this risk when using `pull_request_target` in your workflows.
-> 
-> If your workflow runs code-fixing tools, consider running the workflow on your default branch by listening to the `push` event or use a third-party tool like [autofix.ci](https://autofix.ci/).   
+>
+> If your workflow runs code-fixing tools, consider running the workflow on your default branch by listening to the `push` event or use a third-party tool like [autofix.ci](https://autofix.ci/).
 > We keep this documentation around, as many questions came in over the years, on how to use this action for public forks.
 
 The workflow below runs whenever a commit is pushed to the `main`-branch or when activity on a pull request happens, by listening to the [`pull_request_target`](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-workflows/events-that-trigger-workflows#pull_request_target) event.
@@ -404,7 +407,7 @@ For more information about running Actions on forks, see [this announcement from
 
 If you would like to use this Action to create a commit using [`--amend`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-commit#Documentation/git-commit.txt---amend) and [`--no-edit`](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-commit#Documentation/git-commit.txt---no-edit) you need to make some adjustments.
 
-> [!CAUTION] 
+> [!CAUTION]
 > You should understand the implications of rewriting history if you amend a commit that has already been published. [See rebasing](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-rebase#_recovering_from_upstream_rebase).
 
 First, you need to extract the previous commit message by using `git log -1 --pretty=%s`.
@@ -417,7 +420,7 @@ Finally, you have to use `push_options: '--force'` to overwrite the git history
 The steps in your workflow might look like this:
 
 ```yaml
-- uses: actions/checkout@4
+- uses: actions/checkout@v4
   with:
     # Fetch the last 2 commits instead of just 1. (Fetching just 1 commit would overwrite the whole history)
     fetch-depth: 2
@@ -442,6 +445,7 @@ The steps in your workflow might look like this:
 See discussion in [#159](https://github.com/stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action/issues/159#issuecomment-845347950) for details.
 
 ## Troubleshooting
+
 ### Action does not push commit to repository
 
 Make sure to [checkout the correct branch](#checkout-the-correct-branch).
@@ -460,7 +464,7 @@ If you still can't push the commit, and you're using branch protection rules or
 The default `GITHUB_TOKEN` issued by GitHub Action does not have permission to make changes to workflow files located in `.github/workflows/`.
 To fix this, please create a personal access token (PAT) and pass the token to the `actions/checkout`-step in your workflow. (Similar to [how to push to protected branches](https://github.com/stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action?tab=readme-ov-file#push-to-protected-branches)).
 
-If a PAT does not work for you, you could also create a new GitHub app and use it's token in your workflows. See [this comment in #87](https://github.com/stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action/issues/87#issuecomment-1939138661) for details.
+If a PAT does not work for you, you could also create a new GitHub app and use its token in your workflows. See [this comment in #87](https://github.com/stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action/issues/87#issuecomment-1939138661) for details.
 
 See [#322](https://github.com/stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action/issues/322) for details and discussions around this topic.
 
@@ -480,13 +484,13 @@ If you create a fine-grained personal access token, apply the `Contents`-permiss
     # We pass the "PAT" secret to the checkout action; if no PAT secret is available to the workflow runner (eg. Dependabot) we fall back to the default "GITHUB_TOKEN".
     token: ${{ secrets.PAT || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
 ```
-You can learn more about Personal Access Token in the [GitHub documentation](https://docs.github.com/en/github/authenticating-to-github/creating-a-personal-access-token).
+You can learn more about Personal Access Token in the [GitHub documentation](https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/keeping-your-account-and-data-secure/managing-your-personal-access-tokens).
 
 
-> [!TIP] 
+> [!TIP]
 > If you're working in an organisation, and you don't want to create the PAT from your personal account, we recommend using a bot-account for such tokens.
 
-If you go the "force pushes" route, you have to enable force pushes to a protected branch (see [documentation](https://help.github.com/en/github/administering-a-repository/enabling-force-pushes-to-a-protected-branch)) and update your Workflow to use force push like this.
+If you go the "force pushes" route, you have to enable force pushes to a protected branch (see [documentation](https://docs.github.com/en/github/administering-a-repository/enabling-force-pushes-to-a-protected-branch)) and update your Workflow to use force push like this.
 
 ```yaml
     - uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v7
@@ -509,7 +513,7 @@ See [Issue #227](https://github.com/stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action/issues/
 
 ### Custom `file_pattern`, changed files but seeing "Working tree clean. Nothing to commit." in the logs
 
-If you're using a custom `file_pattern` and the Action does not detect the changes made in your worfklow, you're probably running into a globbing issue.
+If you're using a custom `file_pattern` and the Action does not detect the changes made in your workflow, you're probably running into a globbing issue.
 
 Let's imagine you use `file_pattern: '*.md'` to detect and commit changes to all Markdown files in your repository.
 If your Workflow now only updates `.md`-files in a subdirectory, but you have an untouched `.md`-file in the root of the repository, the git-auto-commit Action will display "Working tree clean. Nothing to commit." in the Workflow log.
@@ -545,10 +549,10 @@ yarn test
 
 ## Versioning
 
-We use [SemVer](http://semver.org/) for versioning. For the versions available, see the [tags on this repository](https://github.com/stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action/tags).
+We use [SemVer](https://semver.org/) for versioning. For the versions available, see the [tags on this repository](https://github.com/stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action/tags).
 
 We also provide major version tags to make it easier to always use the latest release of a major version. For example, you can use `stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v7` to always use the latest release of the current major version.
-(More information about this [here](https://help.github.com/en/actions/building-actions/about-actions#versioning-your-action).)
+(More information about this [here](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/building-actions/about-actions#versioning-your-action).)
 
 ## Credits
 

UPGRADING.md

@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@
 
 The previously removed options `create_branch`, `skip_fetch`, and `skip_checkout` have been reintroduced in git-auto-commit v7. If you had removed these options from your workflows when upgrading to v6, you can now add them back if needed.
 
-Tagging a commit has been reworked. In addition to the existing `tagging_message`-option, a new `tag_name` option has been added. If you were using `tagging_message`, you can continue to do so, but if you want to specify a custom tag name and tag message, you can now use the `tag_name` and `tagging_message` option.
+Tagging a commit has been reworked. In addition to the existing `tagging_message`-option, a new `tag_name` option has been added. If you were using `tagging_message`, you can continue to do so, but if you want to specify a custom tag name and tag message, you can now use the `tag_name` and `tagging_message` options.
+
 (Specifying a `tagging_message` without a `tag_name` will create a tag with the name and message both set to the value of `tagging_message`.)
 
 ## From v5 to v6

action.yml

@@ -25,11 +25,11 @@ inputs:
     required: false
     default: ''
   file_pattern:
-    description: File pattern used for `git add`. For example `src/*.js`
+    description: File pattern used for `git add` and the dirty-check (`git status`). Supports multiple space-separated patterns. For example `src/*.js`
     required: false
     default: '.'
   repository:
-    description: Local file path to the git repository. Defaults to the current directory (`.`)
+    description: Relative file path under $GITHUB_WORKSPACE to the git repository. Defaults to the current directory (`.`)
     required: false
     default: '.'
   commit_user_name:
@@ -74,9 +74,11 @@ inputs:
     default: false
   disable_globbing:
     description: Stop the shell from expanding filenames (https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/manual/html_node/Filename-Expansion.html)
+    required: false
     default: false
   create_branch:
     description: Create new branch with the name of `branch`-input in local and remote repository, if it doesn't exist yet.
+    required: false
     default: false
   create_git_tag_only:
     description: Perform a clean git tag and push, without commiting anything
@@ -84,16 +86,17 @@ inputs:
     default: false
   internal_git_binary:
     description: Internal use only! Path to git binary used to check if git is available. (Don't change this!)
+    required: false
     default: git
 
 
 outputs:
   changes_detected:
-    description: Value is "true", if the repository was dirty and file changes have been detected. Value is "false", if no changes have been detected.
+    description: Value is "true" if matching changes were detected and committed. Value is "false" if no matching changes were detected or only CRLF changes were staged. Not set in `create_git_tag_only` mode.
   commit_hash:
-    description: Full hash of the created commit. Only present if the "changes_detected" output is "true".
+    description: Full hash of the created commit. Only set when a commit was actually made (i.e. `changes_detected` is "true").
   create_git_tag_only:
-    description: Value is "true", if a git tag was created using the `create_git_tag_only`-input.
+    description: Set to "true" when the action ran in `create_git_tag_only` mode. Never set to "false".
 
 runs:
   using: 'node24'