update-helm-chart.yml

Trigger a chart update workflow in a remote Helm charts repository (caller mode) or update a chart in-place (called mode) by incrementing its version and regenerating documentation.

Inputs

Input	Type	Description	Required	Default
RUN_MODE	string	Execution mode caller (trigger remote repo workflow) or called (update chart in current repo)	Yes	-
WORKFLOW_NAME	string	Workflow file name in chart repo to trigger (caller mode)	No	update-app-version.yml
CHART_REPO	string	Target chart repository (owner/repo) when in caller mode	No	-
CHART_DIR	string	Directory containing the Helm charts	No	charts
CHART_NAME	string	Name of the chart directory under CHART_DIR	Yes	-
APP_VERSION	string	Application version to set in Chart.yaml (appVersion)	Yes	-
UPGRADE_TYPE	string	Which SemVer part to increment: major, minor, patch, or prerelease	No	patch
PRERELEASE_IDENTIFIER	string	Identifier used when UPGRADE_TYPE=prerelease (e.g. rc)	No	rc
RUNS_ON	string	Runner labels as JSON array	No	["ubuntu-24.04"]

Secrets

Secret	Description	Required	Default
GH_PAT	GitHub Personal Access Token (needed to trigger remote workflow / create PR)	No	-

Permissions

Scope	Access	Description
pull-requests	write	Create/update the chart update PR
contents	write	Commit modified chart & docs
actions	write	Trigger remote workflow (caller mode)

Notes

• RUN_MODE=caller: Validates CHART_REPO is provided, then invokes gh workflow run <WORKFLOW_NAME> in the target repo, forwarding: CHART_NAME, APP_VERSION, UPGRADE_TYPE, PRERELEASE_IDENTIFIER, and forcing RUN_MODE=called in the remote execution.
• RUN_MODE=called: Reads current chart version from charts/<CHART_NAME>/Chart.yaml (via yq), computes NEXT_VERSION using Release Please-compatible logic, updates both version and appVersion, regenerates docs with helm-docs, and creates/updates a PR containing the bump.
• Version bump logic (Release Please compatible):
  • major: 1.2.3 → 2.0.0
  • minor: 1.2.3 → 1.3.0
  • patch: 1.2.3 → 1.2.4
  • prerelease: 1.2.3 → 1.2.3-rc → 1.2.3-rc.1 → 1.2.3-rc.2 (increments prerelease number)
• Branch naming pattern: <chart-name>-v<NEXT_VERSION>.
• Tooling requirements: yq and docker (for jnorwood/helm-docs). No longer requires npx semver.
• No explicit outputs are exposed; derive the new version from the PR title or branch name if needed.

Examples

These examples illustrate both sides of the workflow_call pattern: the caller workflow that triggers the chart update in another repository, and the called workflow that applies the version bump locally.

Caller mode

Dispatches the update-app-version.yml workflow in the remote chart repository via gh workflow run. The remote workflow receives CHART_NAME, APP_VERSION, UPGRADE_TYPE, and PRERELEASE_IDENTIFIER and runs in called mode, opening a PR that bumps the chart version and sets appVersion.

jobs:
  trigger-chart-update:
    uses: this-is-tobi/github-workflows/.github/workflows/update-helm-chart.yml@v0
    with:
      RUN_MODE: caller
      WORKFLOW_NAME: update-app-version.yml
      CHART_REPO: this-is-tobi/helm-charts
      CHART_NAME: my-service
      APP_VERSION: 1.4.0
      UPGRADE_TYPE: minor
    secrets:
      GH_PAT: ${{ secrets.GH_PAT }}

Caller mode – prerelease bump

UPGRADE_TYPE: prerelease increments the prerelease counter (1.2.3-rc → 1.2.3-rc.1 → 1.2.3-rc.2). APP_VERSION is written as-is into appVersion; only the chart version field follows the prerelease bump logic.

jobs:
  bump-chart-prerelease:
    uses: this-is-tobi/github-workflows/.github/workflows/update-helm-chart.yml@v0
    with:
      RUN_MODE: caller
      WORKFLOW_NAME: update-app-version.yml
      CHART_REPO: this-is-tobi/helm-charts
      CHART_NAME: my-service
      APP_VERSION: 1.4.0-rc.1
      UPGRADE_TYPE: prerelease
      PRERELEASE_IDENTIFIER: rc
    secrets:
      GH_PAT: ${{ secrets.GH_PAT }}

Called mode

Runs the version update directly in the current repository without any remote dispatch. Reads charts/my-service/Chart.yaml, bumps version by a minor increment, sets appVersion: 1.4.0, regenerates docs with helm-docs, and opens a PR with the changes.

jobs:
  bump-chart:
    uses: this-is-tobi/github-workflows/.github/workflows/update-helm-chart.yml@v0
    with:
      RUN_MODE: called
      CHART_NAME: my-service
      APP_VERSION: 1.4.0
      UPGRADE_TYPE: minor