Register an GitHub actions runner scale set in an enterprise using GitHub app based authentication

[steinwelberg]

Why are you starting this discussion?

Bug

What GitHub Actions topic or product is this about?

ARC (Actions Runner Controller)

Discussion Details

I'm trying to register a GitHub actions runner scale set in my GitHub cloud enterprise using app based authentication but the scale set cannot obtain a registration token due to the following error:

{"severity":"error","ts":"2025-12-09T14:58:25Z","logger":"AutoscalingRunnerSet","message":"Failed to get runner scale set from Actions service","version":"0.13.0","autoscalingrunnerset":{"name":"kubernetes-runner","namespace":"infra-gha-runners"},"runnerGroupId":"1","runn
erScaleSetName":"kubernetes-runner","error":"failed to create new actions service request: failed to issue update token if needed: failed to get runner registration token on refresh: github api error: StatusCode 403, RequestID \"B07E:1CC95C:3AF4DB2:3672BD0:69383911\": {\"
message\":\"Resource not accessible by integration\",\"documentation_url\":\"https://docs.github.com/rest/actions/self-hosted-runners#create-a-registration-token-for-an-enterprise\",\"status\":\"403\"}","stacktrace":"github.com/actions/actions-runner-controller/controller
s/actions%2egithub%2ecom.(*AutoscalingRunnerSetReconciler).createRunnerScaleSet\n\tgithub.com/actions/actions-runner-controller/controllers/actions.github.com/autoscalingrunnerset_controller.go:419\ngithub.com/actions/actions-runner-controller/controllers/actions%2egithub
%2ecom.(*AutoscalingRunnerSetReconciler).Reconcile\n\tgithub.com/actions/actions-runner-controller/controllers/actions.github.com/autoscalingrunnerset_controller.go:187\nsigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/internal/controller.(*Controller[...]).Reconcile\n\tsigs.k8s.io/con
troller-runtime@v0.22.3/pkg/internal/controller/controller.go:216\nsigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/internal/controller.(*Controller[...]).reconcileHandler\n\tsigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime@v0.22.3/pkg/internal/controller/controller.go:461\nsigs.k8s.io/controller-runtim
e/pkg/internal/controller.(*Controller[...]).processNextWorkItem\n\tsigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime@v0.22.3/pkg/internal/controller/controller.go:421\nsigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/internal/controller.(*Controller[...]).Start.func1.1\n\tsigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime@
v0.22.3/pkg/internal/controller/controller.go:296"}

Due to the 403 response I assume that it is a permission error. When I follow the link that is suggested in the error, I see that my app requires the manage_runners:enterprise scope. When I look at the possible permissions for my app, I cannot see any actions related permissions on the enterprise level:

The API docs hint towards the fact that OAuth app tokens can have this scope:

OAuth app tokens and personal access tokens (classic) need the manage_runners:enterprise scope to use this endpoint.

Does this mean that it is currently impossible to grant my app this permission?

[github-actions[bot]]

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