Recently while running apt update in a GitHub Actions workflow, I hit this error:
E: Repository 'https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/ondrej/php/ubuntu noble InRelease' changed its 'Label' value from '***** The main PPA for supported PHP versions with many PECL extensions *****' to 'PPA for PHP'
If you've worked with apt long enough, you've probably seen variations of this error before. It happens when a repository (in this case, the popular ondrej/php PPA) updates its metadata — specifically fields like Label, Origin, or Suite.
By default, apt is strict about these changes to protect against malicious mirrors or misconfigurations. However, in trusted environments like GitHub Actions CI, we often just want the build to proceed without manual intervention.
To allow apt to accept release metadata changes automatically, you can pass --allow-releaseinfo-change to apt-get update.
In a GitHub Actions workflow, add a step like this before you install packages:
- name: Update APT repositories
run: sudo apt-get update --allow-releaseinfo-change
Alternatively, you can combine it with your package installation steps if you prefer fewer lines.
- name: Install PHP dependencies
run: |
sudo apt-get update --allow-releaseinfo-change
sudo apt-get install -y php php-cli php-mbstring
This ensures your CI jobs remain stable even if external repositories update their metadata.
If you're curious, you can view the repository's release metadata manually:
curl https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/ondrej/php/ubuntu/dists/noble/InRelease
and see the Label: field yourself.
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