Nota:
Job logs are only available for repositories with Dependabot version updates enabled.
Whenever a Dependabot job runs, the details of the job are captured in the job logs list, which is accessible from the dependency graph.
What job logs contain
For each manifest file in your repository, Dependabot maintains a list of recent job runs. Every log entry includes:
- Job type: The kind of update Dependabot performed (version update, security update, or rebase update)
- Job ID: A unique identifier for the run
- Timestamp: When the job executed
- Associated pull requests: Links to any pull requests created or updated by the job
- Error messages: Brief diagnostic information when jobs fail
If you need to troubleshoot further, you can click view logs to access the full log files for a specific run.
Job types
You will see the following job types recorded in the log list:
Version update: Dependabot checked your manifest files for outdated dependencies and opened or updated pull requests to bring them current. These runs happen on the schedule defined in your dependabot.yml configuration file.
Security update: Dependabot detected a security vulnerability in one of your dependencies and opened a pull request to upgrade to a patched version. These updates happen automatically when GitHub identifies new security advisories.
Rebase update: Dependabot automatically rebased an existing pull request to resolve a merge conflict with your target branch. This can apply to pull requests for either Dependabot version updates or Dependabot security updates.
Debugging with job logs
Job logs give you two levels of detail for troubleshooting:
Log list entries show a quick summary of each job, including short error messages that often point directly to the problem, like authentication failures, unreachable registries, or incompatible version constraints.
Full log files provide complete output from the Dependabot job, including every dependency checked, version resolution details, and the full stack trace for any errors. Access these when you need to investigate complex failures or understand exactly what Dependabot attempted.
Next steps
Now that you know what Dependabot job logs are, you may want to find out how to access them. See Viewing Dependabot job logs.