Workflow Failures Due to Inconsistent macOS Version Selection on macos-13 Runner

[yksingh12]

Description

Description

I am experiencing an issue with the macos-13 runner in GitHub Actions, specifically related to the macOS version inconsistency during workflow runs. According to the documentation, the macos-13 runner should select macOS version 13.6.3. When it does, my workflow, which includes uploading a React Native app to the Apple App Store, completes successfully. However, occasionally, the runner selects macOS version 13.6.4 instead, leading to job failures, particularly at the pod install step.

Workaround or Mitigation

There is no known workaround at this time, other than retrying the workflow in hopes of getting the desired macOS version.

Additional Context

• This inconsistency in macOS version selection does not align with the expected behavior outlined in the GitHub Actions documentation for the macos-13 runner.
• The failure is specifically tied to the pod install command, which suggests that there may be differences in the environment or installed dependencies between macOS versions 13.6.3 and 13.6.4 that affect this step.

I believe aligning the runner's behavior with the documentation, or providing a way to specify a more precise macOS version, could mitigate this issue. Any assistance or guidance on how to ensure consistent macOS version selection would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your support and for maintaining the runner images.

Platforms affected

• Azure DevOps
• GitHub Actions - Standard Runners
• GitHub Actions - Larger Runners

Runner images affected

• Ubuntu 20.04
• Ubuntu 22.04
• macOS 11
• macOS 12
• macOS 13
• macOS 13 Arm64
• macOS 14
• macOS 14 Arm64
• Windows Server 2019
• Windows Server 2022

Image version and build link

Image: macos-13
Version: 20240204.1

Operating System

macOS
13.6.4
22G513

Is it regression?

Yes, this issue appears to be a regression. The workflow was successful when the runner used macOS version 13.6.3, and issues began when the runner occasionally selected macOS version 13.6.4, leading to failures in the pod install step.

Expected behavior

When specifying the macos-13 runner in my GitHub Actions workflow, I expect the system to consistently select a specific macOS version that is documented or has been reliably used in past successful runs. Based on the documentation and previous successful workflows, the expected macOS version is 13.6.3. This consistency is crucial for ensuring that our build and deployment processes are stable and predictable.

Actual behavior

Intermittently, the runner selects macOS version 13.6.4, causing the workflow to fail, especially at the pod install step, due to incompatibilities or other issues not present in version 13.6.3.

Repro steps

1. Configure a GitHub Actions workflow with the macos-13 runner.
2. Trigger the workflow.
3. Observe the macOS version selected for the run (via logs or other means).

[mikhailkoliada]

Closing as #9292 not yet have been merged and the difference is expected, as soon as the pr is merged versions should be consistent.