# GitHub Dependency Release Monitor (`frankycheese/github-release-dependency-watch`) Actor

Watch an explicit public GitHub repository allowlist for new releases and later source corrections. Get exact release links, notes, tags, prerelease flags, replay suppression, and bounded event charges.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/frankycheese/github-release-dependency-watch.md
- **Developed by:** [franklin mccheese](https://apify.com/frankycheese) (community)
- **Categories:** Automation, Business
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $40.00 / 1,000 new matched source events

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## GitHub Dependency Release Monitor

**Buyer:** engineering, security, platform, and product teams that maintain a known public dependency allowlist.

**Result:** typed `NEW_RELEASE` rows for first-seen GitHub releases and `SOURCE_CORRECTION` rows when a previously tracked release changes materially. Each event includes the exact GitHub release page, tag, prerelease flag, notes, fingerprint, and replay-safe watchlist state.

**Official source:** GitHub's public releases API and the publisher-controlled `html_url` for each release.

**First useful run:** the Store prefill checks `apify/apify-sdk-python`, emits at most one event, evaluates at most 10 releases, and caps event charges at **$0.04**. An unchanged replay emits nothing and costs `$0.00`.

### Source-backed example

Verified against GitHub on November 3, 2026: `apify/apify-sdk-python` release `v4.2.0` was published October 30, 2026 and links to:

`https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/releases/tag/v4.2.0`

The release notes include SDK changes such as support for task charge ceilings and child-run handling. The Actor preserves GitHub's release title, publication timestamp, notes, tag, prerelease flag, and exact release URL; it does not infer vulnerability, compatibility, or upgrade urgency.

### 60-second quick start

```json
{
  "watchlistId": "apify-python-release-preview",
  "repositories": ["apify/apify-sdk-python"],
  "baselineMode": "emit_matches",
  "maxEvents": 1,
  "maxTotalChargeUsd": 0.04,
  "maxSourceRecords": 10,
  "stateStoreName": "apify-python-release-preview",
  "resetState": false,
  "qualityTestMode": false
}
```

For production, use `baselineMode: "silent"` once under a stable watchlist and state-store name, then schedule the identical repository allowlist. That baseline records current releases without charging; later new or corrected releases become events.

### Events and pricing

- `NEW_RELEASE` / `dependency-release-new` — `$0.04`
- `SOURCE_CORRECTION` / `github-release-dependency-watch-source-correction` — `$0.01`

`maxEvents` and `maxTotalChargeUsd` bound each run. Candidates deferred by either cap remain pending instead of entering delivered state, so they can emit on a later run. Unchanged, empty, failed-source, and silent-baseline runs produce zero paid events.

### Illustrative output shape

*Illustrative — not a run receipt. The source-backed example above identifies a real release; this shape documents the event contract.*

```json
{
  "eventType": "NEW_RELEASE",
  "sourceId": "apify/apify-sdk-python:428974193",
  "title": "apify/apify-sdk-python 4.2.0",
  "publishedAt": "2026-10-30T11:52:50Z",
  "metadata": {
    "repository": "apify/apify-sdk-python",
    "tag": "v4.2.0",
    "prerelease": false
  },
  "sourceRecordUrl": "https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/releases/tag/v4.2.0",
  "sourceFingerprint": "sha256:…"
}
```

### Recommended workflow

1. use the bounded preview to inspect the event shape;
2. create a stable production watchlist for repositories you actually depend on;
3. run a silent baseline once;
4. schedule hourly, daily, or weekly according to upgrade urgency;
5. route events to dependency review, release-note triage, or ticket automation;
6. verify compatibility and security consequences against the project and your own dependency graph.

### Limitations

- public repositories only; this Actor does not authenticate to private repositories.
- input is an explicit repository allowlist, not automatic dependency-file discovery.
- GitHub API availability and unauthenticated rate limits apply.
- `maxSourceRecords` is a global processing cap; the GitHub endpoint returns at most 100 releases per repository request.
- a release event is not a vulnerability alert, compatibility verdict, or recommendation to upgrade.
- release notes are publisher-controlled text and may be incomplete or corrected later.

### Buyer bundle

Pair this Actor with a ticketing webhook or your software-composition-analysis process: this monitor supplies source-linked release deltas; your dependency inventory determines relevance; your security and engineering teams decide action.

# Actor input Schema

## `watchlistId` (type: `string`):

Stable URL-safe identifier that scopes replay state.

## `repositories` (type: `array`):

Explicit public-source allowlist or match terms for this recurring job.

## `baselineMode` (type: `string`):

Choose a free silent baseline or emit current matches as paid events.

## `maxEvents` (type: `integer`):

Hard cap on paid events emitted by one run.

## `maxTotalChargeUsd` (type: `number`):

Hard cap on pay-per-event charges for one run.

## `maxSourceRecords` (type: `integer`):

Hard cap on source records fetched and evaluated per run.

## `stateStoreName` (type: `string`):

Named key-value store used for deterministic replay suppression.

## `resetState` (type: `boolean`):

Discard prior replay state; may cause current matches to emit again.

## `qualityTestMode` (type: `boolean`):

Apify Store automated smoke-test mode. It validates runtime and input startup, emits one unbilled summary, and does not query sources, mutate state, deliver business events, or charge.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "watchlistId": "apify-python-release-preview",
  "repositories": [
    "apify/apify-sdk-python"
  ],
  "baselineMode": "emit_matches",
  "maxEvents": 1,
  "maxTotalChargeUsd": 0.04,
  "maxSourceRecords": 10,
  "stateStoreName": "apify-python-release-preview",
  "resetState": false,
  "qualityTestMode": false
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

## `report` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "watchlistId": "apify-python-release-preview",
    "repositories": [
        "apify/apify-sdk-python"
    ],
    "baselineMode": "emit_matches",
    "maxEvents": 1,
    "maxTotalChargeUsd": 0.04,
    "maxSourceRecords": 10,
    "stateStoreName": "apify-python-release-preview",
    "resetState": false,
    "qualityTestMode": false
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("frankycheese/github-release-dependency-watch").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "watchlistId": "apify-python-release-preview",
    "repositories": ["apify/apify-sdk-python"],
    "baselineMode": "emit_matches",
    "maxEvents": 1,
    "maxTotalChargeUsd": 0.04,
    "maxSourceRecords": 10,
    "stateStoreName": "apify-python-release-preview",
    "resetState": False,
    "qualityTestMode": False,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("frankycheese/github-release-dependency-watch").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "watchlistId": "apify-python-release-preview",
  "repositories": [
    "apify/apify-sdk-python"
  ],
  "baselineMode": "emit_matches",
  "maxEvents": 1,
  "maxTotalChargeUsd": 0.04,
  "maxSourceRecords": 10,
  "stateStoreName": "apify-python-release-preview",
  "resetState": false,
  "qualityTestMode": false
}' |
apify call frankycheese/github-release-dependency-watch --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,frankycheese/github-release-dependency-watch"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/nGfcZLgPbMePLmMSy/builds/d8ufNCJ7tmM5eDALa/openapi.json