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_NAME	string	Name of the chart directory under charts/	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

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 npx semver -i <UPGRADE_TYPE> (adding --preid <PRERELEASE_IDENTIFIER> when UPGRADE_TYPE=prerelease), updates both version and appVersion, regenerates docs with helm-docs, and creates/updates a PR containing the bump.
• Branch naming pattern: <chart-name>-v<NEXT_VERSION>.
• Tooling requirements: yq, node (for npx semver), and docker (for jnorwood/helm-docs). Use an image / setup step that provides them.
• UPGRADE_TYPE=prerelease increments the prerelease component (e.g. 1.2.3 -> 1.2.4-rc, subsequent runs -> 1.2.4-rc.1, etc.).
• No explicit outputs are exposed; derive the new version from the PR title or branch name if needed.

Examples

Caller mode

jobs:
  trigger-chart-update:
    uses: this-is-tobi/github-workflows/.github/workflows/update-helm-chart.yml@main
    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

jobs:
  bump-chart-prerelease:
    uses: this-is-tobi/github-workflows/.github/workflows/update-helm-chart.yml@main
    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

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