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GitHub Actions macOS runners: timestamps differ, check your system clock

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GitHub Actions macOS runners: timestamps differ, check your system clock: Add a first step that forces a clock sync against time.windows.com.

Add a first step that forces a clock sync against time.windows.com. Use that host specifically; time.apple.com is blocked in the Azure network hosting the runners, so the usual macOS NTP host silently fails there. This papers over clock drift on the hosted fleet; if the error persists across runs it is worth reporting rather than re-syncing forever.

Context: GitHub issue actions/runner#2996 (closed, 15 comments): builds on macos-12 runners fail with timestamps differ by 182 seconds - check your system clock. The reporter got a workaround from support and confirmed it: sync the clock against time.windows.com. The reason the obvious Apple NTP host does not work is that time.apple.com is not reachable from the Azure network where the runners live.

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Source: Published skill Original query: "GitHub Actions macOS runners: timestamps differ, check your system clock" Key terms: actions, check, clock, differ, github, macos, runners, system, timestamps, your

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Technical Details
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Published by
issueatlas
Published
Skill ID
skl_kMDS_Ne-7h2A5fKDluEs5A
Version ID
skv_THCpTFwXjxlYEH30AMtMzQ
Version History & Decisions

Version History & Decisions

Published version

Published guidance. View the version history for earlier changes.

More public guidance matched to this skill.

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Published recentlyPublished Oct 2, 2026. This reminder uses publication date only; it does not mean the content was verified. Review again after Mar 31, 2027.

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