> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.jolter.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# setup-jolter action

> Plan for the future `jolterjs/setup-jolter@v1` GitHub Action.

<Warning>
  `jolterjs/setup-jolter@v1` is planned future behavior. Use{" "}
  <a href="/automation/github-actions">the installer plus `jolter setup-ci`</a>{" "}
  until the action is released.
</Warning>

The setup action should be a thin GitHub Actions wrapper around Jolter itself. It should install Jolter, restore or save cache data, run `jolter setup-ci`, add shims to `PATH`, and expose resolved versions as outputs.

## Intended usage

```yaml .github/workflows/test.yml theme={null}
name: Test

on:
  push:
  pull_request:

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v6

      - name: Set up Jolter
        id: jolter
        uses: jolterjs/setup-jolter@v1
        with:
          cache: true
          install-plugins: false

      - name: Test
        run: |
          node --version
          pnpm --version
          pnpm test
```

## Intended inputs

| Input                   | Default                    | Purpose                                                 |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| `version`               | `latest`                   | Jolter version or release selector to install           |
| `jolter-home`           | runner temporary directory | Storage root used for the job                           |
| `cache`                 | `true`                     | Restore and save `$JOLTER_HOME/cache`                   |
| `cache-dependency-path` | common requirement files   | Files used to build the cache key                       |
| `install-plugins`       | `false`                    | Run `jolter setup-ci --yes` for missing project plugins |
| `no-progress`           | `true`                     | Use stable line-oriented logs                           |

## Intended outputs

| Output    | Example                                     |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| `runtime` | `node@24.5.0`                               |
| `tools`   | `pnpm@10.12.1,yarn@4.9.2`                   |
| `plugins` | `@eslint/eslint@1.0.0`                      |
| `cache`   | `/home/runner/work/_temp/jolter-home/cache` |
| `shims`   | `/home/runner/work/_temp/jolter-home/shims` |

## Intended behavior

The action should:

1. download or reuse the requested Jolter version;
2. set `JOLTER_HOME`;
3. restore cache when enabled;
4. run `jolter setup-ci` or `jolter setup-ci --yes`;
5. add the shims directory to `PATH`;
6. expose `runtime`, `tools`, `plugins`, `cache`, and `shims` outputs;
7. save cache after successful setup when enabled.

The action should not reimplement resolution rules. Jolter itself remains the source of truth.

## Plugin projects

When a project declares plugins:

```yaml theme={null}
- uses: jolterjs/setup-jolter@v1
  with:
    install-plugins: true
```

This should map to:

```bash theme={null}
jolter setup-ci --yes --no-progress
```

Without `install-plugins: true`, missing declared plugins should fail clearly instead of silently installing new code.

## Migration path

Today:

```yaml theme={null}
- run: |
    curl -fsSL https://get.jolter.dev/install.sh | sh
    jolter setup-ci --no-progress
```

After the action ships:

```yaml theme={null}
- uses: jolterjs/setup-jolter@v1
```

Both paths should produce the same runtime, tool, plugin, cache, and shim behavior because both rely on `jolter setup-ci`.


## Related topics

- [Command reference](/reference/commands.md)
- [GitHub Actions](/automation/github-actions.md)
- [Environment variables](/reference/environment.md)
- [First project](/first-project.md)