Soften language re overlay failures

Author: henrymercer

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ See the [releases page](https://github.com/github/codeql-action/releases) for th
 ## 4.32.5 - 02 Mar 2026
 
 - Repositories owned by an organization can now set up the `github-codeql-disable-overlay` custom repository property to disable [improved incremental analysis for CodeQL](https://github.com/github/roadmap/issues/1158). First, create a custom repository property with the name `github-codeql-disable-overlay` and the type "True/false" in the organization's settings. Then in the repository's settings, set this property to `true` to disable improved incremental analysis. For more information, see [Managing custom properties for repositories in your organization](https://docs.github.com/en/organizations/managing-organization-settings/managing-custom-properties-for-repositories-in-your-organization). This feature is not yet available on GitHub Enterprise Server. [#3507](https://github.com/github/codeql-action/pull/3507)
-- Added an experimental change so that when [improved incremental analysis](https://github.com/github/roadmap/issues/1158) fails on a runner — often due to insufficient disk space — the failure is recorded in the Actions cache so that subsequent runs will automatically skip improved incremental analysis until something changes (e.g. a larger runner is provisioned or a new CodeQL version is released). We expect to roll this change out to everyone in March. [#3487](https://github.com/github/codeql-action/pull/3487)
+- Added an experimental change so that when [improved incremental analysis](https://github.com/github/roadmap/issues/1158) fails on a runner — potentially due to insufficient disk space — the failure is recorded in the Actions cache so that subsequent runs will automatically skip improved incremental analysis until something changes (e.g. a larger runner is provisioned or a new CodeQL version is released). We expect to roll this change out to everyone in March. [#3487](https://github.com/github/codeql-action/pull/3487)
 - The minimum memory check for improved incremental analysis is now skipped for CodeQL 2.24.3 and later, which has reduced peak RAM usage. [#3515](https://github.com/github/codeql-action/pull/3515)
 - Reduced log levels for best-effort private package registry connection check failures to reduce noise from workflow annotations. [#3516](https://github.com/github/codeql-action/pull/3516)
 - Added an experimental change which lowers the minimum disk space requirement for [improved incremental analysis](https://github.com/github/roadmap/issues/1158), enabling it to run on standard GitHub Actions runners. We expect to roll this change out to everyone in March. [#3498](https://github.com/github/codeql-action/pull/3498)

lib/init-action-post.js

@@ -293,15 +293,15 @@ async function recordOverlayStatus(
 
   const blurb =
     "This job attempted to run with improved incremental analysis but it did not complete successfully. " +
-    "This may have been due to disk space constraints: using improved incremental analysis can " +
+    "One possible reason for this is disk space constraints, since improved incremental analysis can " +
     "require a significant amount of disk space for some repositories.";
 
   if (saved) {
     logger.error(
       `${blurb} ` +
         "This failure has been recorded in the Actions cache, so the next CodeQL analysis will run " +
         "without improved incremental analysis. If you want to enable improved incremental analysis, " +
-        "increase the disk space available to the runner. " +
+        "try increasing the disk space available to the runner. " +
         "If that doesn't help, contact GitHub Support for further assistance.",
     );
   } else {

lib/init-action.js

@@ -68,8 +68,8 @@ export async function addOverlayDisablementDiagnostics(
           markdownMessage:
             `Improved incremental analysis was skipped because it previously failed for this repository ` +
             `with CodeQL version ${(await codeql.getVersion()).version} on a runner with similar hardware resources. ` +
-            "Improved incremental analysis may require a significant amount of disk space for some repositories. " +
-            "If you want to enable improved incremental analysis, increase the disk space available " +
+            "One possible reason for this is that improved incremental analysis can require a significant amount of disk space for some repositories. " +
+            "If you want to try re-enabling improved incremental analysis, increase the disk space available " +
             "to the runner. If that doesn't help, contact GitHub Support for further assistance.\n\n" +
             "Improved incremental analysis will be automatically retried when the next version of CodeQL is released. " +
             `You can also manually trigger a retry by [removing](${DocUrl.DELETE_ACTIONS_CACHE_ENTRIES}) \`codeql-overlay-status-*\` entries from the Actions cache.`,