Stack Monitors
Monitor GitHub with Crowswatch
Monitor Actions workflow runs, Dependabot alerts, and commit activity across your GitHub repositories directly from Crowswatch.
What This Integration Provides
- Actions: workflow run status, duration, and failure rate by repository
- Dependabot alerts: open vulnerability count and severity breakdown
- Commit activity: commit frequency and contributor activity over time
- Repository health: open issue count, pull request volume, and release history
- Runner status: self-hosted runner availability (where applicable)
Requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| GitHub account | Free or above |
| Fine-grained Personal Access Token | Recommended over classic PATs |
| Repository or organisation access | Configured in the token |
| Estimated setup time | ~5 minutes |
Step 1: Generate Credentials
GitHub supports two types of Personal Access Token (PAT). Fine-grained tokens are recommended, as they let you select exactly which permissions are needed and limit the token to specific repositories.
To create a fine-grained PAT:
- Log in to github.com
- Go to Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens → Fine-grained tokens
- Click Generate new token
- Enter a name (e.g.
crowswatch-monitor) and set an expiration - Under Repository access, choose All repositories or select specific repositories
- Under Permissions, set the following to Read-only:
Permission Purpose Actions Read workflow runs, jobs, and run history Contents Read commit history and code frequency stats Dependabot alerts Read open security vulnerability alerts Metadata Required by default (grants access to repository metadata) - Click Generate token
- Copy the token, as it is only shown once
repo scope for private repositories. Fine-grained tokens are preferred for better security.Step 2: Locate Required IDs
Repository name
GitHub API calls reference repositories by their owner and name: {owner}/{repo} (e.g. my-org/my-app). This is visible in the URL of any repository page.
Organisation name
Your organisation name is visible in the URL when navigating your organisation on GitHub (e.g. github.com/my-org). No additional numeric IDs are required.
Step 3: Add Credentials to Crowswatch
Navigate to: Crowswatch → Add Service → GitHub
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Personal Access Token | The fine-grained token from Step 1 |
| Organisation or username | Your GitHub org name or personal username |
Select which repositories you want to monitor after connecting.
Available Metrics
Actions
- Workflow run count (total, success, failure) per repository
- Workflow run duration (average, p95)
- Failure rate by workflow
- Currently running workflows
Dependabot Alerts
- Open alert count by severity (Critical, High, Medium, Low)
- Alerts by repository
- Recently opened and dismissed alerts
Commit Activity
- Commit count over time per repository
- Active contributor count
- Push frequency
Repository Health
- Open issue count
- Open pull request count
- Days since last commit
- Latest release tag and date
Connect
- Enter your Personal Access Token and organisation or username
- Click Verify to confirm the credentials are valid
- Select the repositories and metrics to monitor
- Click Connect
Security
- Use a fine-grained token with only the permissions listed above. Avoid broad classic
reposcope where possible - Set an expiration date and rotate the token before it expires
- Limit the token to specific repositories if you only need to monitor a subset
- Create a dedicated token for Crowswatch. Do not reuse tokens from other integrations
Troubleshooting
Authentication error
Verify the token has not expired. Fine-grained tokens require an expiration date. Confirm the token is for the correct GitHub account or organisation.
Workflow data not appearing
Ensure the token has Actions: Read permission. Confirm at least one workflow run exists in the selected repositories.
Dependabot alerts not visible
The Dependabot alerts permission must be explicitly enabled on the token. Dependabot must also be enabled on the repository (Settings → Security → Dependabot alerts).
Private repository data missing
Fine-grained tokens must explicitly include private repositories under Repository access. Classic tokens require the repo scope to access private repository data.
Organisation data not accessible
For organisation-level data, the token owner must be a member of the organisation. Some organisation policies restrict PAT access, so check with your GitHub org admin.