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Micheal Angelo
Micheal Angelo

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Auto-Update “Last Updated” Date in README on Every GitHub Push

#github #automation #beginners

Auto-Update “Last Updated” Date on GitHub Push

This guide shows how to automatically update a Last updated date in your README.md every time you push code to GitHub — using GitHub Actions.

Why This Is Needed

GitHub does not automatically modify file contents on push.

So if you want a line like:

_Last updated: 2026-01-14_
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to stay current, you need automation.

Final Result

After setup:

  • Every push triggers a GitHub Action
  • The README date updates automatically
  • A commit is created by github-actions

No manual edits required.

Step 1️⃣ Add a Placeholder in README

In your README.md (must be at repo root):

_Last updated: AUTO_
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⚠️ This line must match exactly (case-sensitive).

Step 2️⃣ Create the GitHub Actions Folder

Create this structure:

.github/
└── workflows/
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Step 3️⃣ Create the Workflow File

Create this file:

.github/workflows/update-date.yml
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Paste the following:

name: Update README date

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
      - master

jobs:
  update-date:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repo
        uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          persist-credentials: true

      - name: Update date
        run: |
          DATE=$(date +"%Y-%m-%d")
          sed -i "s/_Last updated:.*_/_Last updated: ${DATE}_/" README.md

      - name: Commit and push
        run: |
          git config user.name "github-actions"
          git config user.email "github-actions@github.com"
          git add README.md
          git commit -m "chore: auto update last updated date" || echo "No changes"
          git push
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Step 4️⃣ Enable Workflow Permissions (Very Important)

Go to:

Repo → Settings → Actions → General
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Under Workflow permissions:

  • ✅ Select Read and write permissions
  • ✅ Click Save

Without this, the workflow will fail silently.

Step 5️⃣ Trigger the Workflow

The workflow runs only on new pushes.

Make a small change and push:

git add README.md
git commit -m "trigger workflow"
git push
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Step 6️⃣ Verify

  • Go to the Actions tab
  • Open the latest workflow run
  • Ensure all steps are ✅ green
  • Check README.md

You should now see:

_Last updated: 2026-01-14_
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TL;DR

  • GitHub doesn’t auto-update files
  • GitHub Actions can
  • A small workflow keeps your README date accurate
  • Zero manual effort after setup

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