apt-install failing in actions

[mia-trilo]

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Starting approximately yesterday, we've been getting 404 errors when installing packages on Ubuntu. I tried this script manually and it works fine on my computer. Here are the relevant logs

Run sudo apt install quilt qemu-user-static debootstrap libarchive-tools arch-test
  sudo apt install quilt qemu-user-static debootstrap libarchive-tools arch-test
  shell: /usr/bin/bash -e {0}

WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in scripts.

Reading package lists...
Building dependency tree...
Reading state information...
The following additional packages will be installed:
  diffstat gettext
Suggested packages:
  squid-deb-proxy-client debian-archive-keyring autopoint gettext-doc
  libasprintf-dev libgettextpo-dev default-mta | mail-transport-agent graphviz
  procmail
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  arch-test debootstrap diffstat gettext libarchive-tools qemu-user-static
  quilt
0 upgraded, 7 newly installed, 0 to remove and 35 not upgraded.
Need to get 18.[2](https://github.com/trilobio/rpi-image/actions/runs/14866753447/job/41745351000#step:3:2) MB of archives.
After this operation, 173 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Get:1 http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports noble/universe arm64 arch-test all 0.21-1 [12.7 kB]
Get:2 http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports noble/main arm64 diffstat arm64 1.66-1build1 [28.1 kB]
Get:[3](https://github.com/trilobio/rpi-image/actions/runs/14866753447/job/41745351000#step:3:3) http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports noble/main arm6[4](https://github.com/trilobio/rpi-image/actions/runs/14866753447/job/41745351000#step:3:5) gettext arm64 0.21-14ubuntu2 [84[5](https://github.com/trilobio/rpi-image/actions/runs/14866753447/job/41745351000#step:3:6) kB]
Ign:4 http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports noble-updates/universe arm64 libarchive-tools arm[6](https://github.com/trilobio/rpi-image/actions/runs/14866753447/job/41745351000#step:3:7)4 3.[7](https://github.com/trilobio/rpi-image/actions/runs/14866753447/job/41745351000#step:3:8).2-2ubuntu0.3
Get:5 http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports noble-updates/universe arm64 qemu-user-static arm64 1:[8](https://github.com/trilobio/rpi-image/actions/runs/14866753447/job/41745351000#step:3:9).2.2+ds-0ubuntu1.6 [16.8 MB]
Get:6 http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports noble/universe arm64 quilt all 0.67+really0.67-4 [436 kB]
Get:7 http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports noble/main arm64 debootstrap all 1.0.134ubuntu1 [48.0 kB]
Err:4 http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports noble-updates/universe arm64 libarchive-tools arm64 3.7.2-2ubuntu0.3
  404  Not Found [IP: [9](https://github.com/trilobio/rpi-image/actions/runs/14866753447/job/41745351000#step:3:10)1.189.91.104 80]
Fetched 18.2 MB in 1s (25.4 MB/s)
E: Failed to fetch http://ports.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-ports/pool/universe/liba/libarchive/libarchive-tools_3.7.2-2ubuntu0.3_arm64.deb  404  Not Found [IP: 91.189.91.[10](https://github.com/trilobio/rpi-image/actions/runs/14866753447/job/41745351000#step:3:11)4 80]
E: Unable to fetch some archives, maybe run apt-get update or try with --fix-missing?
Error: Process completed with exit code 100.

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[users-pc]

Hey @mia-trilo,

It looks like your issue might be caused by outdated or missing package information in the APT cache. This can often happen in GitHub Actions when the image has recently changed (e.g., to a new Ubuntu release like noble) and the package mirrors haven’t fully caught up yet.

Possible Solutions

1. Run  `sudo apt-get update` before installing packages
2.  Use a stable or latest Ubuntu version in Github Actions `runs-on: ubuntu-22.04  # or ubuntu-latest`
3. Optional: Override the APT mirrors manually (If you suspect mirror issues, you can update /etc/apt/sources.list with working mirrors (e.g., from a local mirror or a more stable one).) 

[mia-trilo]

Thank you. Running apt update before installing packages did fix my issues. I unfortunately cannot run the workflow on ubuntu-latest because it has to be run on an ARM64 machine, which necessitates a custom large-runner last I checked. It would be ideal if there's a way to use an ARM machine without using a large runner.

[users-pc]

You might want to check out these links for more details:
• ARM64 on GitHub Actions
• GitHub Actions with ARM Runners

If possible, please mark this answer as accepted so the thread can be closed. Thanks!

[lanhuongsocute]

Hi Mia, it looks like the 404 errors you're encountering during apt install on Ubuntu (likely Noble) in GitHub Actions are caused by outdated or unsynced package mirrors — a common issue shortly after a new Ubuntu release. Since you’re using an ARM64 machine and can’t switch to ubuntu-latest (which requires a custom large-runner), here are a few ways to fix it:
Before installing any packages, make sure to update the APT cache:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y quilt qemu-user-static debootstrap libarchive-tools arch-test

If you still encounter missing package errors (e.g., 404 for libarchive-tools), try:
sudo apt-get install -y --fix-missing quilt qemu-user-static debootstrap libarchive-tools arch-test

Or manually install the missing .deb package if needed:

wget http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/liba/libarchive/libarchive-tools_3.6.1-1ubuntu1_arm64.deb
sudo dpkg -i libarchive-tools_3.6.1-1ubuntu1_arm64.deb

This issue happens when Ubuntu mirrors lag behind the release. You can also consider pinning to ubuntu-22.04 in your workflow if x86_64 is acceptable, or look into GitHub's large runners for ARM64 support:
ARM64 on GitHub Actions
GitHub Actions with ARM Runners