namecheap · kurok · Jul 2, 2026 · Jul 2, 2026
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ And all this automatically as a part of your GitHub Actions workflow.
 >
 > The bootstrap script that this action injects as EC2 `user-data` is hardcoded to use `yum`, `useradd`, `sudo`, `bash`, and a `tmpfs` `/tmp`. That means the AMI you pass via `ec2-image-id` **must** be a yum-based distribution — Amazon Linux 2023 (the tested baseline), Amazon Linux 2, or a RHEL-family image (RHEL / CentOS Stream / Rocky / Alma) whose `/tmp` is mounted as tmpfs.
 >
-> **Debian, Ubuntu, Alpine, and any other non-yum distributions are not supported.** If you launch this action against such an AMI, the EC2 instance will boot but the runner bootstrap will fail. The action now surfaces this quickly: it fails fast naming the failing step and prints the instance's console output (see [Troubleshooting a failed start](#troubleshooting-a-failed-start)). Cross-distro support is not on the roadmap — if you need it, fork and replace the `userData` bootstrap in `src/aws.js`.
+> **The built-in bootstrap targets yum-based Linux (Amazon Linux 2023) only.** Launching the built-in bootstrap against a non-yum AMI (Debian, Ubuntu, Alpine, …) fails — the action surfaces this fast, naming the failing step and printing the console output (see [Troubleshooting a failed start](#troubleshooting-a-failed-start)). You **don't need to fork** for other distros or extra setup: use [`pre-runner-script`](#custom-bootstrap-pre-runner-script--user-data-template) to inject steps into the built-in bootstrap, or [`user-data-template`](#custom-bootstrap-pre-runner-script--user-data-template) to replace it entirely (an Ubuntu example ships in [`examples/user-data/`](examples/user-data/)). Custom templates are unsupported by design — the boundary *is* the feature.
 
 ![GitHub Actions self-hosted EC2 runner](docs/images/github-actions-runner.gif)
 
@@ -323,6 +323,8 @@ Now you're ready to go!
 | `eip-allocation-id` | Optional. Used only with the `start` mode. | Allocation Id of an Elastic IP to associate with the runner instance once it is running. |
 | `runner-version` | Optional. Used only with the `start` mode. | Version of the `actions/runner` binary to download and register (default `2.335.1`). <br><br> Must have a matching entry in `src/runner-checksums.js`; the action verifies the downloaded tarball's SHA-256 against that table before extraction. |
 | `architecture` | Optional. Used only with the `start` mode. | Runner CPU architecture: `x64` (default) or `arm64` (Graviton). Must match the AMI (validated at start). All types in an `ec2-instance-type` fallback list must share this arch. See [Running on Graviton (arm64)](#running-on-graviton-arm64). |
+| `pre-runner-script` | Optional. Used only with the `start` mode. | Shell snippet run as root by the built-in bootstrap **before** runner config (install docker, mount caches, add certs). Fail-fast, tagged `failed:pre-runner-script`. Mutually exclusive with `user-data-template`. See [Custom bootstrap](#custom-bootstrap-pre-runner-script--user-data-template). |
+| `user-data-template` | Optional. Used only with the `start` mode. | Full bootstrap override — a repo-relative file path or inline string with `{{PLACEHOLDERS}}`. Replaces the built-in bootstrap (unsupported by design). Mutually exclusive with `pre-runner-script`. See [Custom bootstrap](#custom-bootstrap-pre-runner-script--user-data-template). |
 | `http-tokens` | Optional. Used only with the `start` mode. | Instance Metadata Service (IMDS) token mode (default `required`). <br><br> - `required` — IMDSv2 only; mitigates SSRF-style credential theft. <br> - `optional` — also allows IMDSv1; set only if a workload on the runner needs it. |
 | `encrypt-ebs` | Optional. Used only with the `start` mode. | When `true`, the root EBS volume is created with SSE-EBS encryption using the account's default AWS-managed key (default `false`). Volume size / type / IOPS are preserved from the AMI unless overridden by the `volume-*` inputs below. |
 | `volume-size` | Optional. Used only with the `start` mode. | Root EBS volume size in GiB. Omitted = AMI default (Amazon Linux 2023: 8 GiB). Must be ≥ the AMI snapshot size. See [Disk space for Docker workloads](#disk-space-for-docker-workloads). |
@@ -524,6 +526,51 @@ A single `subnet-id` + `ec2-instance-type` means a single point of failure: when
 
 The `instance-type-used` and `subnet-id-used` outputs report what actually launched. Single values keep the original single-attempt behavior.
 
+## Custom bootstrap (`pre-runner-script` / `user-data-template`)
+
+Need an extra package or a different distro? Two escape hatches mean you never have to fork.
+
+### `pre-runner-script` — the 80% case
+
+Inject shell into the built-in (supported) bootstrap, run as root before the runner registers:
+
+```yml
+- uses: namecheap/ec2-github-runner@v3
+  with:
+    mode: start
+    # ... other inputs ...
+    pre-runner-script: |
+      yum install -y docker
+      systemctl start docker
+```
+
+It runs under `set -euo pipefail` and a failure is tagged `failed:pre-runner-script`, so it shows up in the [fast-fail diagnostics](#troubleshooting-a-failed-start) like any other phase.
+
+### `user-data-template` — full control
+
+Replace the bootstrap entirely with your own script (repo-relative path or inline string). The action substitutes documented placeholders and submits the result:
+
+```yml
+- uses: namecheap/ec2-github-runner@v3
+  with:
+    mode: start
+    # ... other inputs ...
+    user-data-template: ./examples/user-data/ubuntu.sh.tpl
+```
+
+| Placeholder | Value |
+| --- | --- |
+| `{{RUNNER_VERSION}}` | Pinned `actions/runner` version |
+| `{{RUNNER_CHECKSUM_X64}}` / `{{RUNNER_CHECKSUM_ARM64}}` | Tarball SHA-256 per arch |
+| `{{REGISTRATION_TOKEN}}` | Ephemeral registration token (secret) |
+| `{{REPO_URL}}` | `https://github.com/<owner>/<repo>` |
+| `{{LABEL}}` | The unique runner label |
+| `{{TTL_MINUTES}}` | `max-lifetime-minutes` (`0` = disabled) |
+
+Unknown `{{...}}` tokens fail the run (typo protection); the rendered payload must stay under the EC2 16 KB limit.
+
+**Support boundary:** the built-in yum bootstrap is the only *supported* path. With a custom template, the action renders your placeholders and gives you the diagnostics tooling — but the script is yours. See [`examples/user-data/`](examples/user-data/) (an Ubuntu 24.04 template ships there as a community-maintained starting point). The two inputs are mutually exclusive.
+
 ## Running on Graviton (arm64)
 
 Graviton instances (c7g/m7g/r7g/…) deliver ~20–40% better price/performance for the compile/test workloads CI runs, and Go/Rust/Node/Java toolchains are all arm64-native. Set `architecture: arm64` and point at an arm64 AMI:

diff --git a/action.yml b/action.yml
@@ -118,6 +118,26 @@ inputs:
       change is needed to run on Graviton.
     required: false
     default: 'x64'
+  pre-runner-script:
+    description: >-
+      Used only with the 'start' mode. A shell snippet run as root by the
+      built-in bootstrap BEFORE runner configuration (e.g. install docker,
+      mount caches, add corporate certs). Runs under set -euo pipefail; a
+      failure is tagged 'failed:pre-runner-script'. Mutually exclusive with
+      user-data-template.
+    required: false
+  user-data-template:
+    description: >-
+      Used only with the 'start' mode. Full user-data bootstrap override —
+      a repo-relative file path or an inline template string. The action
+      substitutes the documented placeholders ({{RUNNER_VERSION}},
+      {{RUNNER_CHECKSUM_X64}}, {{RUNNER_CHECKSUM_ARM64}},
+      {{REGISTRATION_TOKEN}}, {{REPO_URL}}, {{LABEL}}, {{TTL_MINUTES}}) and
+      submits the result as-is. The template MUST register the runner.
+      Custom templates are unsupported (the built-in bootstrap is the
+      supported path); see examples/user-data/. Mutually exclusive with
+      pre-runner-script.
+    required: false
   encrypt-ebs:
     description: >-
       When 'true', the root EBS volume is created with SSE-EBS

diff --git a/dist/index.js b/dist/index.js
@@ -104659,11 +104659,13 @@ const {
   AssociateAddressCommand,
   waitUntilInstanceRunning,
 } = __nccwpck_require__(5193);
+const fs = __nccwpck_require__(9896);
 const core = __nccwpck_require__(7484);
 const config = __nccwpck_require__(1283);
 const log = __nccwpck_require__(7223);
 const { withRetry } = __nccwpck_require__(6759);
 const { sortByCreationDate, parseCsv } = __nccwpck_require__(5804);
+const { renderUserDataTemplate, assertUserDataSize } = __nccwpck_require__(9275);
 const checksums = __nccwpck_require__(2874);
 
 // RunInstances error classification for the capacity-fallback chain.
@@ -104994,7 +104996,21 @@ function buildRootDeviceMapping(image, opts = {}) {
 //   registration timeout. Tagging is best-effort: it needs
 //   `ec2:CreateTags` on the instance profile and degrades to
 //   timeout-only detection when absent (every write is `|| true`).
-function buildUserData({ runnerVersion, owner, repo, label, githubRegistrationToken, shaX64, shaArm64, maxLifetimeMinutes }) {
+function buildUserData({ runnerVersion, owner, repo, label, githubRegistrationToken, shaX64, shaArm64, maxLifetimeMinutes, preRunnerScript }) {
+  // User-supplied pre-runner-script (#46): injected verbatim into the outer
+  // (root) shell before runner configuration, under the same set -euo
+  // pipefail + ERR trap, tagged as its own phase so a failure surfaces as
+  // failed:pre-runner-script.
+  const preRunnerLines = preRunnerScript && preRunnerScript.trim()
+    ? [
+      '# User-supplied pre-runner-script (runs as root before runner config).',
+      'GH_RUNNER_STEP=pre-runner-script',
+      'gh_runner_phone_home pre-runner-script',
+      ...preRunnerScript.replace(/\r\n/g, '\n').split('\n'),
+      '',
+    ]
+    : [];
+
   // TTL self-destruct (#42): arm a shutdown timer as an absolute upper
   // bound on instance lifetime. Combined with
   // InstanceInitiatedShutdownBehavior: terminate on RunInstances (set in
@@ -105053,6 +105069,7 @@ function buildUserData({ runnerVersion, owner, repo, label, githubRegistrationTo
     '  useradd -m -s /bin/bash runner',
     'fi',
     '',
+    ...preRunnerLines,
     '# The runner-user shell owns the download/configure/register phases and',
     '# reports them itself; drop the outer ERR trap so it does not overwrite',
     '# the inner shell\'s more specific failed:<step> tag.',
@@ -105127,6 +105144,15 @@ function buildTagSpecifications(label, startedAtIso) {
   ];
 }
 
+// Resolve the user-data-template input: a repo-relative path is read from
+// disk; anything else is treated as an inline template string.
+function resolveUserDataTemplate(templateInput) {
+  if (fs.existsSync(templateInput)) {
+    return fs.readFileSync(templateInput, 'utf8');
+  }
+  return templateInput;
+}
+
 async function startEc2Instance(label, githubRegistrationToken) {
   const client = ec2Client();
 
@@ -105144,7 +105170,30 @@ async function startEc2Instance(label, githubRegistrationToken) {
   }
 
   const maxLifetimeMinutes = config.input.maxLifetimeMinutes;
-  const userData = buildUserData({ runnerVersion, owner, repo, label, githubRegistrationToken, shaX64, shaArm64, maxLifetimeMinutes });
+
+  // Bootstrap source (#46): a full user-data-template override renders the
+  // documented placeholders; otherwise the built-in yum bootstrap is used,
+  // optionally with an injected pre-runner-script. Either way the rendered
+  // payload is size-checked against the EC2 16 KB limit.
+  let userData;
+  if (config.input.userDataTemplate) {
+    const template = resolveUserDataTemplate(config.input.userDataTemplate);
+    userData = renderUserDataTemplate(template, {
+      RUNNER_VERSION: runnerVersion,
+      RUNNER_CHECKSUM_X64: shaX64,
+      RUNNER_CHECKSUM_ARM64: shaArm64,
+      REGISTRATION_TOKEN: githubRegistrationToken,
+      REPO_URL: `https://github.com/${owner}/${repo}`,
+      LABEL: label,
+      TTL_MINUTES: maxLifetimeMinutes,
+    });
+  } else {
+    userData = buildUserData({
+      runnerVersion, owner, repo, label, githubRegistrationToken, shaX64, shaArm64, maxLifetimeMinutes,
+      preRunnerScript: config.input.preRunnerScript,
+    });
+  }
+  assertUserDataSize(userData);
 
   const resolved = await resolveImage(client);
   config.input.ec2ImageId = resolved.id;
@@ -105682,6 +105731,8 @@ class Config {
       ec2InstanceIds: core.getInput('ec2-instance-ids') ? JSON.parse(core.getInput('ec2-instance-ids')) : null,
       count: core.getInput('count') || '1',
       allowPartial: core.getInput('allow-partial') || 'false',
+      preRunnerScript: core.getInput('pre-runner-script'),
+      userDataTemplate: core.getInput('user-data-template'),
       iamRoleName: core.getInput('iam-role-name'),
       runnerVersion: core.getInput('runner-version') || '2.335.1',
       architecture: core.getInput('architecture') || 'x64',
@@ -105735,6 +105786,7 @@ class Config {
       this.validateMarketInputs();
       this.validateArchitectureInputs();
       this.validateCountInput();
+      this.validateBootstrapInputs();
     } else if (this.input.mode === 'stop') {
       // A stop needs the shared label plus at least one instance id — either
       // the compat scalar or the JSON array from a batched start.
@@ -105813,6 +105865,14 @@ class Config {
     }
   }
 
+  // The two bootstrap-extension inputs are mutually exclusive: pre-runner-
+  // script augments the built-in bootstrap, user-data-template replaces it.
+  validateBootstrapInputs() {
+    if (this.input.userDataTemplate && this.input.preRunnerScript) {
+      throw new Error(`'user-data-template' and 'pre-runner-script' are mutually exclusive`);
+    }
+  }
+
   // Validate the multi-runner batch size.
   validateCountInput() {
     if (!(/^[0-9]+$/.test(this.input.count) && Number(this.input.count) >= 1)) {
@@ -106159,6 +106219,71 @@ module.exports = {
 };
 
 
+/***/ }),
+
+/***/ 9275:
+/***/ ((module) => {
+
+// User-data template rendering for the `user-data-template` input (full
+// bootstrap override). The action renders a fixed set of placeholders and
+// submits the result verbatim; the script itself is the user's business.
+// Pure functions — no I/O — so rendering and validation are unit-testable.
+
+// EC2 caps user-data at 16 KB (raw, before base64). Guard against it up
+// front with a clear error rather than a cryptic RunInstances rejection.
+const MAX_USER_DATA_BYTES = 16 * 1024;
+
+// The documented placeholders a template may reference.
+const PLACEHOLDERS = [
+  'RUNNER_VERSION',
+  'RUNNER_CHECKSUM_X64',
+  'RUNNER_CHECKSUM_ARM64',
+  'REGISTRATION_TOKEN',
+  'REPO_URL',
+  'LABEL',
+  'TTL_MINUTES',
+];
+
+// Substitute every documented {{PLACEHOLDER}} with its value, then fail if
+// any unknown {{TOKEN}} remains (catches typos before boot). Unused known
+// placeholders are fine.
+function renderUserDataTemplate(template, vars) {
+  let out = template;
+  for (const key of PLACEHOLDERS) {
+    const value = vars[key] != null ? String(vars[key]) : '';
+    out = out.split(`{{${key}}}`).join(value);
+  }
+  const unknown = [...out.matchAll(/\{\{\s*([A-Za-z0-9_]+)\s*\}\}/g)].map((m) => m[1]);
+  if (unknown.length > 0) {
+    const uniq = [...new Set(unknown)];
+    throw new Error(
+      `Unknown placeholder(s) in user-data-template: ${uniq.join(', ')}. ` +
+      `Supported placeholders: ${PLACEHOLDERS.join(', ')}`,
+    );
+  }
+  return out;
+}
+
+// Throw if the rendered user-data exceeds the EC2 16 KB limit.
+function assertUserDataSize(userData) {
+  const bytes = Buffer.byteLength(userData, 'utf8');
+  if (bytes > MAX_USER_DATA_BYTES) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Rendered user-data is ${bytes} bytes, over the EC2 limit of ${MAX_USER_DATA_BYTES} bytes. ` +
+      'Trim the pre-runner-script / user-data-template (fetch large payloads at runtime instead).',
+    );
+  }
+  return userData;
+}
+
+module.exports = {
+  renderUserDataTemplate,
+  assertUserDataSize,
+  MAX_USER_DATA_BYTES,
+  PLACEHOLDERS,
+};
+
+
 /***/ }),
 
 /***/ 5804:

diff --git a/examples/user-data/README.md b/examples/user-data/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+# Custom user-data templates
+
+> **Support boundary.** The built-in **yum-based** bootstrap (Amazon Linux 2023) is the only *supported* path. Templates in this directory are **community-maintained starting points**. When you supply `user-data-template`, the action renders your placeholders and gives you the same diagnostics tooling (bootstrap phone-home tags, console capture, cleanup) — but the script is yours to maintain. Bugs in a custom bootstrap are not action bugs.
+
+## Using a template
+
+```yml
+- uses: namecheap/ec2-github-runner@v3
+  with:
+    mode: start
+    github-token: ${{ secrets.GH_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN }}
+    ec2-image-id: ami-ubuntu-...        # an Ubuntu AMI
+    ec2-instance-type: c7i.4xlarge
+    subnet-id: subnet-123
+    security-group-id: sg-123
+    user-data-template: ./examples/user-data/ubuntu.sh.tpl
+```
+
+`user-data-template` accepts a **repo-relative file path** or an **inline string**.
+
+## Placeholders
+
+The action substitutes these before launch (unknown `{{...}}` tokens fail the run so typos are caught early):
+
+| Placeholder | Value |
+| --- | --- |
+| `{{RUNNER_VERSION}}` | Pinned `actions/runner` version |
+| `{{RUNNER_CHECKSUM_X64}}` | SHA-256 of the linux-x64 tarball |
+| `{{RUNNER_CHECKSUM_ARM64}}` | SHA-256 of the linux-arm64 tarball |
+| `{{REGISTRATION_TOKEN}}` | Ephemeral runner registration token (secret — never logged) |
+| `{{REPO_URL}}` | `https://github.com/<owner>/<repo>` |
+| `{{LABEL}}` | The unique runner label |
+| `{{TTL_MINUTES}}` | `max-lifetime-minutes` (`0` = disabled) |
+
+**Contract:** the template must register the runner (`config.sh … --ephemeral --unattended` then `run.sh`). Verify the tarball checksum. Everything else is your distro's business. Rendered user-data must stay under the EC2 16 KB limit — fetch large payloads at runtime.
+
+## Templates here
+
+- [`ubuntu.sh.tpl`](ubuntu.sh.tpl) — Ubuntu 24.04 (community-maintained).
+
+For a one-package tweak (e.g. install docker) you usually don't need a full template — use `pre-runner-script` instead, which keeps the supported bootstrap.
diff --git a/examples/user-data/ubuntu.sh.tpl b/examples/user-data/ubuntu.sh.tpl
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Community-maintained user-data-template for Ubuntu (24.04 tested).
+#
+# UNSUPPORTED: the built-in yum bootstrap is the only supported path. This
+# template is a starting point so Ubuntu users copy one file instead of
+# forking. The action substitutes the {{PLACEHOLDERS}} before launch; keep
+# them intact. Pass it via:  user-data-template: ./examples/user-data/ubuntu.sh.tpl
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# TTL self-destruct (max-lifetime-minutes). Requires the action's
+# InstanceInitiatedShutdownBehavior=terminate, which it sets when TTL > 0.
+if [ "{{TTL_MINUTES}}" != "0" ]; then
+  shutdown -h +{{TTL_MINUTES}} || true
+fi
+
+export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
+apt-get update -y
+apt-get install -y curl tar libicu-dev sudo
+
+# Non-root runner user (idempotent).
+if ! id runner >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  useradd -m -s /bin/bash runner
+fi
+
+sudo -u runner -H bash <<'RUNNER_BOOTSTRAP'
+set -euo pipefail
+cd "$HOME"
+mkdir -p actions-runner && cd actions-runner
+
+case "$(uname -m)" in
+  aarch64) RUNNER_ARCH="arm64"; EXPECTED_SHA="{{RUNNER_CHECKSUM_ARM64}}" ;;
+  amd64|x86_64) RUNNER_ARCH="x64"; EXPECTED_SHA="{{RUNNER_CHECKSUM_X64}}" ;;
+  *) echo "unsupported arch: $(uname -m)" >&2; exit 1 ;;
+esac
+
+RUNNER_VERSION="{{RUNNER_VERSION}}"
+TARBALL="actions-runner-linux-${RUNNER_ARCH}-${RUNNER_VERSION}.tar.gz"
+curl -fsSLo "$TARBALL" "https://github.com/actions/runner/releases/download/v${RUNNER_VERSION}/${TARBALL}"
+echo "$EXPECTED_SHA  $TARBALL" | sha256sum -c -
+tar xzf "$TARBALL"
+
+export DOTNET_SYSTEM_GLOBALIZATION_INVARIANT=1
+./config.sh --url "{{REPO_URL}}" --token "{{REGISTRATION_TOKEN}}" --labels "{{LABEL}}" --ephemeral --unattended --disableupdate
+./run.sh
+RUNNER_BOOTSTRAP