Returning a license

GameCI returns a license automatically at the end of a normal build or test job when it activated a seat for that job. Manually returning one is usually only needed after an interrupted job or a confirmed unavailable-seat error on a later run.

Unity documents command-line return for serial and named-user licenses. Its documented Personal flow is to sign out of Unity Hub, so do not rely on a command-line cleanup step as the recovery mechanism for a Personal seat.

Return warnings

Unity's licensing client can print authentication or licensing errors while a return has succeeded, and can use the same messages for permanent failures. Therefore, a License return failed message alone does not prove that a seat was leaked. Read the surrounding Unity licensing output for a successful return message or a specific cause.

GameCI retries only an explicit licensing-client timeout during cleanup. It does not retry generic messages such as Access token is unavailable, because waiting and repeating the return has not been shown to fix those cases. Clearing the GitHub Actions cache does not affect Unity's server-side licensing state.

If later runs report that no seats are available, release the stale activation in Unity ID. This is also the recovery route when the machine that activated the license is unavailable or its machine binding has changed.

Basic setup

The normal GameCI build already performs its return in the same process and container that activated the license. Do not add a second return step to every hosted-runner build: a separately started Docker container has a different machine identity and Unity can reject its return.

On a self-hosted runner, where the manual return runs on the same persistent machine that activated a serial license, you may use Unity - Return license to release it.

Add this step to your workflow:

# Return License
- name: Return license
  uses: game-ci/unity-return-license@v2
  if: always()