improve clarity: when build is skipped, run is canceled no green check mark is shown (#472)

Author: marionbarker

.github/workflows/build_loop_auto.yml

@@ -148,6 +148,30 @@ jobs:
             echo "is_second_instance=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
           fi
 
+  # When a scheduled run finds nothing new to build, cancel the run so it shows
+  # as "cancelled" instead of "success" — a green check should always mean a
+  # new build was made.
+  cancel_when_no_build:
+    needs: check_status
+    name: Cancel run when there is nothing to build
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      actions: write
+    if: |
+      github.event_name == 'schedule' &&
+        !(vars.SCHEDULED_BUILD != 'false' && needs.check_status.outputs.IS_SECOND_IN_MONTH == 'true') &&
+        !(vars.SCHEDULED_SYNC != 'false' && needs.check_status.outputs.NEW_COMMITS == 'true')
+    steps:
+      - name: Cancel the run
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+        run: |
+          echo "Repository is up to date and no monthly build is due — cancelling this run so it is not reported as a successful build." >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+          gh run cancel ${{ github.run_id }} --repo ${{ github.repository }}
+          # Keep the job alive until the cancellation lands, so the run ends as
+          # "cancelled" rather than completing successfully first.
+          sleep 300
+
   # Checks if Distribution certificate is present and valid, optionally nukes and
   # creates new certs if the repository variable ENABLE_NUKE_CERTS == 'true'
   # only run if a build is planned

fastlane/testflight.md

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ These instructions allow you to build your app without having access to a Mac.
 > The browser build **defaults to** automatically updating and building a new version of Loop according to this schedule:
 > - automatically checks for updates weekly and if updates are found, it will build a new version of the app
 >   - even when there are no updates, it builds on the second Sunday of the month
-> - with each scheduled weekly run, a successful build log appears - if the time is very short, it did not need to build - only the long actions (>20 minutes) built a new app
+> - if a scheduled run finds nothing new to build, the run is cancelled and shows as cancelled (grey) in the Actions list - a green check always means a new build was made and uploaded to TestFlight
 > 
 > The [**Optional**](#optional) section provides instructions to modify the default behavior if desired.