GitHub Actions
GitHub Actions workflow failed because a special pattern was not quoted
Invalid - creates a parse error that prevents your workflow from running.
GitHub Actions could not parse the workflow because a branch, tag, or path pattern beginning with special YAML characters was left unquoted.
Observed message
Invalid - creates a parse error that prevents your workflow from running.
Why it happens
- A branch, tag, or path pattern starts with a special YAML character and was not quoted.
- A flow sequence contains a pattern with square brackets but the value is unquoted.
- The workflow mixes glob-style patterns with raw YAML in a way that breaks parsing.
How to fix it
- Quote branch, tag, and path patterns that begin with special YAML characters.
- Use quoted strings for patterns containing brackets inside flow sequences.
- Revalidate the workflow YAML after updating filter syntax.
