[BUG] Error on first run: "Error: Could not retrieve repository contents. Status: 404"

[liffiton]

Describe the bug
The first time a contributor triggered the workflow (v2.4.0) on a repository, the action failed before doing much of anything. The error message is "Error: Could not retrieve repository contents. Status: 404".

Here's an example in a clean repository with the Action installed simply by copy/pasting YAML from the action's Marketplace page: https://github.com/liffiton/testrepotest/actions/runs/9551059846

The error appears to come from SetupClaCheck.ts. However, I can't tell how the error is being thrown, because if error.status is 404, which the error message says it is, then the conditional should trigger the createClaFileAndPRComment() call instead. Maybe a type issue where error.status is a string for some reason?

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

1. Create a new repository.
2. Set up the workflow on that repository by copying the .yml file from contributor-assistant/github-action's README.
3. Trigger the action with a new pull request on the repository.

[nvzkupu]

I'm encountering this same problem in my test repo as well:

https://github.com/nvzkupu/cla-test/actions/runs/9572474510/job/26391861486?pr=1

[tilorspace]

same here, thanks for looking into it;
I also noticed that when I close/reopen the pull request:

• the workflow succeeds without any messages or apparent checking for signatures, unless I also add [reopened] to the types in the cla.yml
• when I have added [reopened], the flow manages to lock the PR, but without any messages or apparent checking for signatures

[ronald-jaepel]

Same here. It works on existing repositories and fails on new repositories.

[piyo7]

I manually created a file for storing CLA Signatures as a workaround.
arktwin/arktwin@2d19501

[cicdguy]

Also encountered with with v2.3.1 of the action.

[bosconi]

As @piyo7 mentioned, manually creating the signatures file solves the problem. The instructions specifically say not to create the file, so one possible fix would be to change the instructions.