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First live run

Live mode executes steps inside a runner container that Overwire manages. Workflow commands never run directly on your machine: the host plans, schedules, and observes; the container executes.

Requirements

Section titled “Requirements”

A Docker-API-compatible container engine (e.g., Docker Desktop, Colima, OrbStack, Rancher Desktop) must be running. Check with:

Terminal window
overwire doctor

Run with a container

Section titled “Run with a container”
Terminal window
overwire run .github/workflows/ci.yml --docker

Live steps execute in the overwire/runner image, one container per job. JavaScript, composite, and Docker actions are fetched at run time by your machine and staged into the container.

You can mix modes freely: set the deploy steps to mock, keep build and test live, and skip what you do not need. See step modes for how mode selection works.

Secrets stay protected

Section titled “Secrets stay protected”

Step output capture is redacted by default, even in live mode, so secret values do not leak into logs. Secret values resolve from .overwire/secrets.yml or your environment and are local-only.

In the desktop app

Section titled “In the desktop app”

The workbench shows the same run on the DAG canvas: jobs and steps update as they execute, with logs streaming in the run panel. The Runner page manages the runner image, including pulling and version checks.

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