From ff31d3c77b930806c68d3f051c77994b6d158a5e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefanie Plieschnegger <stefanie.plieschnegger@localstack.cloud>
Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2026 14:45:32 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 01/16] test retry loops to create ephemeral instances

---
 .github/workflows/ephemeral.yml |   5 +-
 ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml   |  48 +++++++++----
 ephemeral/startup/action.yml    | 120 +++++++++++++++++++++++++-------
 3 files changed, 136 insertions(+), 37 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/ephemeral.yml b/.github/workflows/ephemeral.yml
index 1da24a3..4c4fc09 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ephemeral.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ephemeral.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 name: LocalStack Ephemeral Instance Test
 on:  
-  workflow_dispatch:
+  pull_request:
+    paths-ignore:
+      - ./*.md
+      - LICENSE
 
 jobs:
   preview-test:
diff --git a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
index 6b7910b..89bae14 100644
--- a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 name: Shutdown Ephemeral Instance
+description: 'Shutdowns an Ephemeral Instance (PR Preview)'
 
 inputs:
-  localstack-api-key:
-    description: 'LocalStack API key used to access the platform api'
-    required: true
+  localstack-auth-token:
+    description: 'LocalStack Auth Token used to access the platform api'
+    required: false
   github-token:
     description: 'Github token used to create PR comments'
     required: true
@@ -34,16 +35,39 @@ runs:
     - name: Shutdown ephemeral instance
       shell: bash
       run: |
-        response=$(curl -X DELETE \
-            -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" \
-            -H "ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-api-key }}}}" \
-            -H "content-type: application/json" \
-            https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances/$previewName)
-        if [[ "$response" -ne 200 ]]; then
-          # In case the deletion fails, e.g. if the instance cannot be found, we raise a proper error on the platform
-          echo "Unable to delete preview environment. API response: $response"
-          exit 1
+        AUTH_HEADER="ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-auth-token }}}}"
+        CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER="content-type: application/json"
+        API_URL_BASE="https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances"
+
+        retry() {
+            local retries=5
+            local count=0
+            local wait=5
+            while [ $count -lt $retries ]; do
+                "$@"
+                local exit_code=$?
+                if [ $exit_code -eq 0 ]; then
+                    return 0
+                fi
+                count=$((count + 1))
+                echo "Command failed with exit code $exit_code. Retrying in $wait seconds... ($count/$retries)"
+                sleep $wait
+            done
+            echo "Command failed after $retries retries."
+            return 1
+        }
+
+        shutdown_instance() {
+            http_code=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" -X DELETE \
+                -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
+                -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
+                "$API_URL_BASE/$previewName")
+            if [[ "$http_code" -ne 200 && "$http_code" -ne 404 ]]; then
+                echo "Unable to delete preview environment. API returned HTTP code: $http_code"
+                return 1
+            fi
         fi
+        retry shutdown_instance
     
     - name: Update status comment
       uses: actions-cool/maintain-one-comment@v3.1.1
diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
index fb4bce1..02f8180 100644
--- a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 name: Create PR Preview
+description: 'Spins up an Ephemeral Instance for a PR Preview'
 
 inputs:
   github-token:
     description: 'Github token used to create PR comments'
     required: true
-  localstack-api-key:
-    description: 'LocalStack API key used to create the preview environment'
+  localstack-auth-token:
+    description: 'LocalStack Auth Token used to create the preview environment'
     required: false
   preview-cmd:
     description: 'Command(s) used to create a preview of the PR (can use $AWS_ENDPOINT_URL)'
@@ -68,33 +69,78 @@ runs:
       shell: bash
       id: create-instance
       run: |
+        AUTH_HEADER="ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-auth-token }}}}"
+        CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER="content-type: application/json"
+        API_URL_BASE="https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances"
+
+        retry() {
+            local retries=5
+            local count=0
+            local wait=5
+            while [ $count -lt $retries ]; do
+                "$@"
+                local exit_code=$?
+                if [ $exit_code -eq 0 ]; then
+                    return 0
+                fi
+                count=$((count + 1))
+                echo "Command failed with exit code $exit_code. Retrying in $wait seconds... ($count/$retries)"
+                sleep $wait
+            done
+            echo "Command failed after $retries retries."
+            return 1
+        }
+
+        fetch_instances() {
+            list_response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -X GET \
+                -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
+                -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
+                "$API_URL_BASE")
+            if echo "$list_response" | jq -e '.error == true' > /dev/null; then
+                echo "API returned an error: $list_response"
+                return 1
+            fi
+        }
+
+        retry fetch_instances
+
         autoLoadPod="${AUTO_LOAD_POD:-${{ inputs.auto-load-pod }}}"
         extensionAutoInstall="${EXTENSION_AUTO_INSTALL:-${{ inputs.extension-auto-install }}}"
         lifetime="${{ inputs.lifetime }}"
 
-        list_response=$(curl -X GET \
-            -H "ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-api-key }}}}" \
-            -H "content-type: application/json" \
-            https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances)
-
         instance_exists=$(echo "$list_response" | jq --arg NAME "$previewName" '.[] | select(.instance_name == $NAME)')
 
+        delete_instance() {
+            # We expect a 200 on success or 404 if it's already gone. Other codes are errors.
+            http_code=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" -X DELETE \
+                -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
+                -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
+                "$API_URL_BASE/$previewName")
+            if [ "$http_code" -ne 200 ] && [ "$http_code" -ne 404 ]; then
+                echo "Error deleting instance, HTTP code: $http_code"
+                return 1
+            fi
+        }
+
         if [ -n "$instance_exists" ]; then
-          del_response=$(curl -X DELETE \
-            -H "ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-api-key }}}}" \
-            -H "content-type: application/json" \
-            https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances/$previewName)
+          retry delete_instance
         fi
 
-        response=$(curl -X POST -d "{\"instance_name\": \"${previewName}\", \"lifetime\": ${lifetime} ,\"env_vars\": {\"AUTO_LOAD_POD\": \"${autoLoadPod}\", \"EXTENSION_AUTO_INSTALL\": \"${extensionAutoInstall}\"}}"\
-            -H "ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-api-key }}}}" \
-            -H "content-type: application/json" \
-            https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances)
-        endpointUrl=$(echo "$response" | jq -r .endpoint_url)
-        if [ "$endpointUrl" = "null" ] || [ "$endpointUrl" = "" ]; then
-          echo "Unable to create preview environment. API response: $response"
-          exit 1
+        create_instance_func() {
+            response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -X POST -d "{\"instance_name\": \"${previewName}\", \"lifetime\": ${lifetime} ,\"env_vars\": {\"AUTO_LOAD_POD\": \"${autoLoadPod}\", \"EXTENSION_AUTO_INSTALL\": \"${extensionAutoInstall}\"}}"\
+                -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
+                -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
+                "$API_URL_BASE")
+            
+            endpointUrl=$(echo "$response" | jq -r .endpoint_url)
+            if [ "$endpointUrl" = "null" ] || [ "$endpointUrl" = "" ]; then
+              echo "Unable to create preview environment. API response: $response"
+              return 1
+            fi
         fi
+
+        retry create_instance_func
+
         echo "Created preview environment with endpoint URL: $endpointUrl"
 
         echo $endpointUrl > ./ls-preview-url.txt
@@ -117,9 +163,35 @@ runs:
       if: ${{ !cancelled() && steps.create-instance.outcome == 'success' }}
       shell: bash
       run: |
-        log_response=$(curl -X GET \
-            -H "ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-api-key }}}}" \
-            -H "content-type: application/json" \
-            https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances/$previewName/logs)
-        
+        AUTH_HEADER="ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-auth-token }}}}"
+        CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER="content-type: application/json"
+        API_URL_BASE="https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances"
+
+        # TODO code duplication
+        retry() {
+            local retries=5
+            local count=0
+            local wait=5
+            while [ $count -lt $retries ]; do
+                "$@"
+                local exit_code=$?
+                if [ $exit_code -eq 0 ]; then
+                    return 0
+                fi
+                count=$((count + 1))
+                echo "Command failed with exit code $exit_code. Retrying in $wait seconds... ($count/$retries)"
+                sleep $wait
+            done
+            echo "Command failed after $retries retries."
+            return 1
+        }
+
+        fetch_logs() {
+            log_response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -X GET \
+                -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
+                -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
+                "$API_URL_BASE/$previewName/logs")
+        }
+
+        retry fetch_logs
         echo "$log_response" | jq -r '.[].content'

From 3ca264ff5cc388c715f038fad88b780e091f20b2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefanie Plieschnegger <stefanie.plieschnegger@localstack.cloud>
Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2026 14:53:07 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 02/16] fixup

---
 ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml | 2 +-
 ephemeral/startup/action.yml  | 4 ++--
 2 files changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
index 89bae14..e444ce0 100644
--- a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ runs:
                 echo "Unable to delete preview environment. API returned HTTP code: $http_code"
                 return 1
             fi
-        fi
+        }
         retry shutdown_instance
     
     - name: Update status comment
diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
index 02f8180..e5d55f9 100644
--- a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ runs:
                 -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
                 -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
                 "$API_URL_BASE")
-            if echo "$list_response" | jq -e '.error == true' > /dev/null; then
+            if ! echo "$list_response" | jq -e 'type == "array"' > /dev/null; then
                 echo "API returned an error: $list_response"
                 return 1
             fi
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ runs:
               echo "Unable to create preview environment. API response: $response"
               return 1
             fi
-        fi
+        }
 
         retry create_instance_func
 

From dc0474e4e48eb84947d55246ba15d57fcdffc528 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefanie Plieschnegger <stefanie.plieschnegger@localstack.cloud>
Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2026 15:49:12 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 03/16] fixup

---
 ephemeral/startup/action.yml | 12 ++++++++----
 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
index e5d55f9..c016094 100644
--- a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
@@ -58,12 +58,14 @@ runs:
 
     - name: Setup preview name
       shell: bash
+      id: preview-name
       run: |
         prId=$(<pr-id.txt)
         repoName=$GITHUB_REPOSITORY
         repoNameCleaned=$(echo -n "$repoName" | tr -c '[:alnum:]' '-')
         previewName=preview-$repoNameCleaned-$prId
         echo "previewName=$previewName" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+        echo "name=$previewName" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
     - name: Create preview environment
       shell: bash
@@ -92,7 +94,7 @@ runs:
         }
 
         fetch_instances() {
-            list_response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -X GET \
+            list_response=$(curl --fail-with-body -X GET \
                 -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
                 -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
                 "$API_URL_BASE")
@@ -112,7 +114,7 @@ runs:
 
         delete_instance() {
             # We expect a 200 on success or 404 if it's already gone. Other codes are errors.
-            http_code=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" -X DELETE \
+            http_code=$(curl -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" -X DELETE \
                 -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
                 -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
                 "$API_URL_BASE/$previewName")
@@ -127,7 +129,7 @@ runs:
         fi
 
         create_instance_func() {
-            response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -X POST -d "{\"instance_name\": \"${previewName}\", \"lifetime\": ${lifetime} ,\"env_vars\": {\"AUTO_LOAD_POD\": \"${autoLoadPod}\", \"EXTENSION_AUTO_INSTALL\": \"${extensionAutoInstall}\"}}"\
+            response=$(curl --fail-with-body -X POST -d "{\"instance_name\": \"${previewName}\", \"lifetime\": ${lifetime} ,\"env_vars\": {\"AUTO_LOAD_POD\": \"${autoLoadPod}\", \"EXTENSION_AUTO_INSTALL\": \"${extensionAutoInstall}\"}}"\
                 -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
                 -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
                 "$API_URL_BASE")
@@ -156,12 +158,14 @@ runs:
     - name: Run preview deployment
       if: ${{ inputs.preview-cmd != '' }}
       shell: bash
-      run:
+      run: |
         ${{ inputs.preview-cmd }}
 
     - name: Print logs of ephemeral instance
       if: ${{ !cancelled() && steps.create-instance.outcome == 'success' }}
       shell: bash
+      env:
+        previewName: ${{ steps.preview-name.outputs.name }}
       run: |
         AUTH_HEADER="ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-auth-token }}}}"
         CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER="content-type: application/json"

From 363f2879fe9f5896d185a1cba4b68164421d0524 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefanie Plieschnegger <stefanie.plieschnegger@localstack.cloud>
Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:05:54 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 04/16] fixup

---
 ephemeral/startup/action.yml | 10 ++++++----
 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
index c016094..4a02bea 100644
--- a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ runs:
 
         delete_instance() {
             # We expect a 200 on success or 404 if it's already gone. Other codes are errors.
-            http_code=$(curl -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" -X DELETE \
+            http_code=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" -X DELETE \
                 -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
                 -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
                 "$API_URL_BASE/$previewName")
@@ -125,11 +125,12 @@ runs:
         }
 
         if [ -n "$instance_exists" ]; then
+          echo "Found existing instance using '$previewName', trying to delete the old one..."
           retry delete_instance
         fi
 
         create_instance_func() {
-            response=$(curl --fail-with-body -X POST -d "{\"instance_name\": \"${previewName}\", \"lifetime\": ${lifetime} ,\"env_vars\": {\"AUTO_LOAD_POD\": \"${autoLoadPod}\", \"EXTENSION_AUTO_INSTALL\": \"${extensionAutoInstall}\"}}"\
+            response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -X POST -d "{\"instance_name\": \"${previewName}\", \"lifetime\": ${lifetime} ,\"env_vars\": {\"AUTO_LOAD_POD\": \"${autoLoadPod}\", \"EXTENSION_AUTO_INSTALL\": \"${extensionAutoInstall}\"}}"\
                 -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
                 -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
                 "$API_URL_BASE")
@@ -141,6 +142,7 @@ runs:
             fi
         }
 
+        echo "Creating preview environment ..."
         retry create_instance_func
 
         echo "Created preview environment with endpoint URL: $endpointUrl"
@@ -196,6 +198,6 @@ runs:
                 -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
                 "$API_URL_BASE/$previewName/logs")
         }
-
+        echo "Fetching logs for $previewName ..."
         retry fetch_logs
-        echo "$log_response" | jq -r '.[].content'
+        echo "Logs:\n$log_response" | jq -r '.[].content'

From b7d3d582b7fcd507d1eb8f9fb50f18b89a1fb96e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefanie Plieschnegger <stefanie.plieschnegger@localstack.cloud>
Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:13:22 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 05/16] set +e inside the retry loop

---
 ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml | 2 +-
 ephemeral/startup/action.yml  | 4 ++--
 2 files changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
index e444ce0..0721d18 100644
--- a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ runs:
             local count=0
             local wait=5
             while [ $count -lt $retries ]; do
-                "$@"
+                ( set +e; "$@"; ) # Run command in subshell with set -e disabled
                 local exit_code=$?
                 if [ $exit_code -eq 0 ]; then
                     return 0
diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
index 4a02bea..1a6e084 100644
--- a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ runs:
             local count=0
             local wait=5
             while [ $count -lt $retries ]; do
-                "$@"
+                ( set +e; "$@"; ) # Run command in subshell with set -e disabled
                 local exit_code=$?
                 if [ $exit_code -eq 0 ]; then
                     return 0
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ runs:
         }
 
         fetch_instances() {
-            list_response=$(curl --fail-with-body -X GET \
+            list_response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -X GET \
                 -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
                 -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
                 "$API_URL_BASE")

From 44a4b1e1fd7064e662c632affdf889a4d645ed73 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefanie Plieschnegger <stefanie.plieschnegger@localstack.cloud>
Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:40:26 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 06/16] add more debug messages

---
 ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml | 14 ++++++++----
 ephemeral/startup/action.yml  | 40 +++++++++++++++++++++++------------
 2 files changed, 37 insertions(+), 17 deletions(-)

diff --git a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
index 0721d18..84e7423 100644
--- a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
@@ -58,13 +58,19 @@ runs:
         }
 
         shutdown_instance() {
-            http_code=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" -X DELETE \
+            # The API returns a 200 on successful deletion.
+            # We use --fail-with-body so curl fails on server errors (5xx) and triggers the retry.
+            # We allow a 404 since that means the instance is already gone.
+            http_code=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" -X DELETE \
                 -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
                 -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
                 "$API_URL_BASE/$previewName")
-            if [[ "$http_code" -ne 200 && "$http_code" -ne 404 ]]; then
-                echo "Unable to delete preview environment. API returned HTTP code: $http_code"
-                return 1
+            if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+              if [ "$http_code" -eq 200 ]; then
+                  echo "Instance '$previewName' deleted successfully."
+              elif [ "$http_code" -eq 404 ]; then
+                  echo "Instance '$previewName' was already deleted (not found)."
+              fi
             fi
         }
         retry shutdown_instance
diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
index 1a6e084..995e100 100644
--- a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
@@ -94,17 +94,19 @@ runs:
         }
 
         fetch_instances() {
+            local list_response
             list_response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -X GET \
-                -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
-                -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
-                "$API_URL_BASE")
-            if ! echo "$list_response" | jq -e 'type == "array"' > /dev/null; then
-                echo "API returned an error: $list_response"
-                return 1
+              -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
+              -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
+              "$API_URL_BASE")
+            if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+              echo "API returned an error: $list_response"
+              return 1
             fi
+            echo "$list_response"
         }
 
-        retry fetch_instances
+        list_response=$(retry fetch_instances)
 
         autoLoadPod="${AUTO_LOAD_POD:-${{ inputs.auto-load-pod }}}"
         extensionAutoInstall="${EXTENSION_AUTO_INSTALL:-${{ inputs.extension-auto-install }}}"
@@ -130,20 +132,21 @@ runs:
         fi
 
         create_instance_func() {
+            local response
             response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -X POST -d "{\"instance_name\": \"${previewName}\", \"lifetime\": ${lifetime} ,\"env_vars\": {\"AUTO_LOAD_POD\": \"${autoLoadPod}\", \"EXTENSION_AUTO_INSTALL\": \"${extensionAutoInstall}\"}}"\
                 -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
                 -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
                 "$API_URL_BASE")
-            
-            endpointUrl=$(echo "$response" | jq -r .endpoint_url)
-            if [ "$endpointUrl" = "null" ] || [ "$endpointUrl" = "" ]; then
+            if [ $? -ne 0 ] || ! echo "$response" | jq -e 'has("endpoint_url") and (.endpoint_url | test(".+"))' > /dev/null; then
               echo "Unable to create preview environment. API response: $response"
               return 1
             fi
+            echo "$response"
         }
 
         echo "Creating preview environment ..."
-        retry create_instance_func
+        response=$(retry create_instance_func)
+        endpointUrl=$(echo "$response" | jq -r .endpoint_url)
 
         echo "Created preview environment with endpoint URL: $endpointUrl"
 
@@ -193,11 +196,22 @@ runs:
         }
 
         fetch_logs() {
+            local log_response
             log_response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -X GET \
                 -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
                 -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
                 "$API_URL_BASE/$previewName/logs")
+            if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+              echo "API returned an error while fetching logs: $log_response"
+              return 1
+            fi
+            if [ -z "$log_response" ]; then
+              echo "API returned an empty response when fetching logs."
+              return 1
+            fi
+            echo "$log_response"
         }
         echo "Fetching logs for $previewName ..."
-        retry fetch_logs
-        echo "Logs:\n$log_response" | jq -r '.[].content'
+        log_response=$(retry fetch_logs)
+        echo "Logs:"
+        echo "$log_response" | jq -r '.[].content'

From 8d3353d17955e22586f2364b7994b8e9ecf205af Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefanie Plieschnegger <stefanie.plieschnegger@localstack.cloud>
Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2026 16:53:04 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 07/16] retry retrieving logs

---
 ephemeral/startup/action.yml | 10 ++++++++++
 1 file changed, 10 insertions(+)

diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
index 995e100..77e19ee 100644
--- a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
@@ -209,6 +209,16 @@ runs:
               echo "API returned an empty response when fetching logs."
               return 1
             fi
+
+            # Now, check if jq extracts any content
+            local extracted_content
+            extracted_content=$(echo "$log_response" | jq -r '.[].content')
+            if [ -z "$extracted_content" ]; then
+              echo "No content found in logs or logs are empty after extraction."
+              echo "Raw API response for logs: $log_response" # This will be printed on retry attempts
+              return 1
+            fi
+
             echo "$log_response"
         }
         echo "Fetching logs for $previewName ..."

From 89ed7049a580bd6c9477c93165f5ccafce4fd833 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefanie Plieschnegger <stefanie.plieschnegger@localstack.cloud>
Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2026 17:06:19 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 08/16] adding more debug information for logs

---
 ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml |  4 ++--
 ephemeral/startup/action.yml  | 12 ++++++++----
 2 files changed, 10 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
index 84e7423..2b5d579 100644
--- a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
@@ -50,10 +50,10 @@ runs:
                     return 0
                 fi
                 count=$((count + 1))
-                echo "Command failed with exit code $exit_code. Retrying in $wait seconds... ($count/$retries)"
+                echo "Command failed with exit code $exit_code. Retrying in $wait seconds... ($count/$retries)" > /dev/tty
                 sleep $wait
             done
-            echo "Command failed after $retries retries."
+            echo "Command failed after $retries retries." > /dev/tty
             return 1
         }
 
diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
index 77e19ee..e736538 100644
--- a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
@@ -86,10 +86,10 @@ runs:
                     return 0
                 fi
                 count=$((count + 1))
-                echo "Command failed with exit code $exit_code. Retrying in $wait seconds... ($count/$retries)"
+                echo "Command failed with exit code $exit_code. Retrying in $wait seconds... ($count/$retries)" > /dev/tty
                 sleep $wait
             done
-            echo "Command failed after $retries retries."
+            echo "Command failed after $retries retries." > /dev/tty
             return 1
         }
 
@@ -188,10 +188,10 @@ runs:
                     return 0
                 fi
                 count=$((count + 1))
-                echo "Command failed with exit code $exit_code. Retrying in $wait seconds... ($count/$retries)"
+                echo "Command failed with exit code $exit_code. Retrying in $wait seconds... ($count/$retries)" > /dev/tty
                 sleep $wait
             done
-            echo "Command failed after $retries retries."
+            echo "Command failed after $retries retries." > /dev/tty
             return 1
         }
 
@@ -223,5 +223,9 @@ runs:
         }
         echo "Fetching logs for $previewName ..."
         log_response=$(retry fetch_logs)
+        if [ -z "$log_response" ]; then
+          echo "Error: Failed to fetch logs after multiple retries."
+          exit 1
+        fi
         echo "Logs:"
         echo "$log_response" | jq -r '.[].content'

From 8f70f753b48440e8c563049afb6863ede3fb5dd3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefanie Plieschnegger <stefanie.plieschnegger@localstack.cloud>
Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2026 17:17:21 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 09/16] refactored retry function into separate script

---
 ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml       | 24 ++++-----------
 ephemeral/startup/action.yml        | 47 ++++++-----------------------
 ephemeral/startup/retry-function.sh | 22 ++++++++++++++
 3 files changed, 38 insertions(+), 55 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 ephemeral/startup/retry-function.sh

diff --git a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
index 2b5d579..4145efc 100644
--- a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
@@ -33,30 +33,18 @@ runs:
         echo "previewName=$previewName" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
     - name: Shutdown ephemeral instance
+      # Source shared retry function
+      # GH_ACTION_ROOT is set in the main action.yml and points to the root of the action
+      # This ensures the script is found regardless of where the action is run from.
+      env:
+        SHARED_SCRIPTS_PATH: ${{ env.GH_ACTION_ROOT }}/.github/actions/shared-scripts
       shell: bash
       run: |
         AUTH_HEADER="ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-auth-token }}}}"
         CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER="content-type: application/json"
         API_URL_BASE="https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances"
 
-        retry() {
-            local retries=5
-            local count=0
-            local wait=5
-            while [ $count -lt $retries ]; do
-                ( set +e; "$@"; ) # Run command in subshell with set -e disabled
-                local exit_code=$?
-                if [ $exit_code -eq 0 ]; then
-                    return 0
-                fi
-                count=$((count + 1))
-                echo "Command failed with exit code $exit_code. Retrying in $wait seconds... ($count/$retries)" > /dev/tty
-                sleep $wait
-            done
-            echo "Command failed after $retries retries." > /dev/tty
-            return 1
-        }
-
+        source "$SHARED_SCRIPTS_PATH/retry-function.sh"
         shutdown_instance() {
             # The API returns a 200 on successful deletion.
             # We use --fail-with-body so curl fails on server errors (5xx) and triggers the retry.
diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
index e736538..008becf 100644
--- a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
@@ -68,6 +68,11 @@ runs:
         echo "name=$previewName" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
     - name: Create preview environment
+      # Source shared retry function
+      # GH_ACTION_ROOT is set in the main action.yml and points to the root of the action
+      # This ensures the script is found regardless of where the action is run from.
+      env:
+        SHARED_SCRIPTS_PATH: ${{ env.GH_ACTION_ROOT }}/.github/actions/shared-scripts
       shell: bash
       id: create-instance
       run: |
@@ -75,24 +80,7 @@ runs:
         CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER="content-type: application/json"
         API_URL_BASE="https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances"
 
-        retry() {
-            local retries=5
-            local count=0
-            local wait=5
-            while [ $count -lt $retries ]; do
-                ( set +e; "$@"; ) # Run command in subshell with set -e disabled
-                local exit_code=$?
-                if [ $exit_code -eq 0 ]; then
-                    return 0
-                fi
-                count=$((count + 1))
-                echo "Command failed with exit code $exit_code. Retrying in $wait seconds... ($count/$retries)" > /dev/tty
-                sleep $wait
-            done
-            echo "Command failed after $retries retries." > /dev/tty
-            return 1
-        }
-
+        source "$SHARED_SCRIPTS_PATH/retry-function.sh"
         fetch_instances() {
             local list_response
             list_response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -X GET \
@@ -171,30 +159,15 @@ runs:
       shell: bash
       env:
         previewName: ${{ steps.preview-name.outputs.name }}
+        # Source shared retry function
+        # GH_ACTION_ROOT is set in the main action.yml and points to the root of the action
+        SHARED_SCRIPTS_PATH: ${{ env.GH_ACTION_ROOT }}/.github/actions/shared-scripts
       run: |
         AUTH_HEADER="ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-auth-token }}}}"
         CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER="content-type: application/json"
         API_URL_BASE="https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances"
 
-        # TODO code duplication
-        retry() {
-            local retries=5
-            local count=0
-            local wait=5
-            while [ $count -lt $retries ]; do
-                "$@"
-                local exit_code=$?
-                if [ $exit_code -eq 0 ]; then
-                    return 0
-                fi
-                count=$((count + 1))
-                echo "Command failed with exit code $exit_code. Retrying in $wait seconds... ($count/$retries)" > /dev/tty
-                sleep $wait
-            done
-            echo "Command failed after $retries retries." > /dev/tty
-            return 1
-        }
-
+        source "$SHARED_SCRIPTS_PATH/retry-function.sh"
         fetch_logs() {
             local log_response
             log_response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -X GET \
diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/retry-function.sh b/ephemeral/startup/retry-function.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..59daf1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ephemeral/startup/retry-function.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# retry() function: Retries a given command up to 'retries' times with a 'wait' interval.
+# Usage: retry <command>
+# Example: retry my_api_call_function
+retry() {
+    local retries=5
+    local count=0
+    local wait=5
+    while [ $count -lt $retries ]; do
+        ( set +e; "$@"; ) # Run command in subshell with set -e disabled
+        local exit_code=$?
+        if [ $exit_code -eq 0 ]; then
+            return 0
+        fi
+        count=$((count + 1))
+        echo "Command failed with exit code $exit_code. Retrying in $wait seconds... ($count/$retries)" >&2
+        sleep $wait
+    done
+    echo "Command failed after $retries retries." >&2
+    return 1
+}
\ No newline at end of file

From b3ad5bc0a9a412fd846ba862c0777e45f9d11703 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefanie Plieschnegger <stefanie.plieschnegger@localstack.cloud>
Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2026 17:24:04 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 10/16] fixup

---
 ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml |  7 +------
 ephemeral/startup/action.yml  | 24 ++----------------------
 2 files changed, 3 insertions(+), 28 deletions(-)

diff --git a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
index 4145efc..593d0b0 100644
--- a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
@@ -33,18 +33,13 @@ runs:
         echo "previewName=$previewName" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
     - name: Shutdown ephemeral instance
-      # Source shared retry function
-      # GH_ACTION_ROOT is set in the main action.yml and points to the root of the action
-      # This ensures the script is found regardless of where the action is run from.
-      env:
-        SHARED_SCRIPTS_PATH: ${{ env.GH_ACTION_ROOT }}/.github/actions/shared-scripts
       shell: bash
       run: |
         AUTH_HEADER="ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-auth-token }}}}"
         CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER="content-type: application/json"
         API_URL_BASE="https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances"
 
-        source "$SHARED_SCRIPTS_PATH/retry-function.sh"
+        source ${{ github.action_path }}/retry-function.sh
         shutdown_instance() {
             # The API returns a 200 on successful deletion.
             # We use --fail-with-body so curl fails on server errors (5xx) and triggers the retry.
diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
index 008becf..5e46a8f 100644
--- a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
@@ -29,18 +29,6 @@ inputs:
 runs:
   using: composite
   steps:
-    - run: >
-        echo "GH_ACTION_ROOT=$(
-          ls -d $(
-            ls -d ./../../_actions/* |
-            grep -i localstack |
-            tail -n1
-          )/setup-localstack/* | 
-          grep -v completed | 
-          tail -n1
-        )" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-      shell: bash
-
     - name: Initial PR comment
       if: inputs.github-token
       uses: jenseng/dynamic-uses@5175289a9a87978dcfcb9cf512b821d23b2a53eb # v1
@@ -68,11 +56,6 @@ runs:
         echo "name=$previewName" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
     - name: Create preview environment
-      # Source shared retry function
-      # GH_ACTION_ROOT is set in the main action.yml and points to the root of the action
-      # This ensures the script is found regardless of where the action is run from.
-      env:
-        SHARED_SCRIPTS_PATH: ${{ env.GH_ACTION_ROOT }}/.github/actions/shared-scripts
       shell: bash
       id: create-instance
       run: |
@@ -80,7 +63,7 @@ runs:
         CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER="content-type: application/json"
         API_URL_BASE="https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances"
 
-        source "$SHARED_SCRIPTS_PATH/retry-function.sh"
+        source ${{ github.action_path }}/retry-function.sh
         fetch_instances() {
             local list_response
             list_response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -X GET \
@@ -159,15 +142,12 @@ runs:
       shell: bash
       env:
         previewName: ${{ steps.preview-name.outputs.name }}
-        # Source shared retry function
-        # GH_ACTION_ROOT is set in the main action.yml and points to the root of the action
-        SHARED_SCRIPTS_PATH: ${{ env.GH_ACTION_ROOT }}/.github/actions/shared-scripts
       run: |
         AUTH_HEADER="ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-auth-token }}}}"
         CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER="content-type: application/json"
         API_URL_BASE="https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances"
 
-        source "$SHARED_SCRIPTS_PATH/retry-function.sh"
+        source ${{ github.action_path }}/retry-function.sh
         fetch_logs() {
             local log_response
             log_response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -X GET \

From 5f7b1696f98cb7aea1aa139f03e088be8ca67adb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefanie Plieschnegger <stefanie.plieschnegger@localstack.cloud>
Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2026 17:42:25 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 11/16] fixup

---
 ephemeral/{startup => }/retry-function.sh |  0
 ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml             | 18 +++++++-----
 ephemeral/startup/action.yml              | 34 ++++++++++++++++-------
 3 files changed, 35 insertions(+), 17 deletions(-)
 rename ephemeral/{startup => }/retry-function.sh (100%)

diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/retry-function.sh b/ephemeral/retry-function.sh
similarity index 100%
rename from ephemeral/startup/retry-function.sh
rename to ephemeral/retry-function.sh
diff --git a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
index 593d0b0..9f7ca63 100644
--- a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
@@ -39,21 +39,25 @@ runs:
         CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER="content-type: application/json"
         API_URL_BASE="https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances"
 
-        source ${{ github.action_path }}/retry-function.sh
+        source ${{ github.action_path }}/../retry-function.sh
         shutdown_instance() {
             # The API returns a 200 on successful deletion.
             # We use --fail-with-body so curl fails on server errors (5xx) and triggers the retry.
             # We allow a 404 since that means the instance is already gone.
+            local http_code
             http_code=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" -X DELETE \
                 -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
                 -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
                 "$API_URL_BASE/$previewName")
-            if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
-              if [ "$http_code" -eq 200 ]; then
-                  echo "Instance '$previewName' deleted successfully."
-              elif [ "$http_code" -eq 404 ]; then
-                  echo "Instance '$previewName' was already deleted (not found)."
-              fi
+            local exit_code=$?
+            if [ $exit_code -ne 0 ]; then
+              echo "Error deleting instance, curl failed with exit code $exit_code. API response: $http_code" >&2
+              return 1
+            fi
+            if [ "$http_code" -eq 200 ]; then
+                echo "Instance '$previewName' deleted successfully."
+            elif [ "$http_code" -eq 404 ]; then
+                echo "Instance '$previewName' was already deleted (not found)."
             fi
         }
         retry shutdown_instance
diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
index 5e46a8f..f711697 100644
--- a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ runs:
         CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER="content-type: application/json"
         API_URL_BASE="https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances"
 
-        source ${{ github.action_path }}/retry-function.sh
+        source ${{ github.action_path }}/../retry-function.sh
         fetch_instances() {
             local list_response
             list_response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -X GET \
@@ -77,7 +77,10 @@ runs:
             echo "$list_response"
         }
 
-        list_response=$(retry fetch_instances)
+        if ! list_response=$(retry fetch_instances); then
+          echo "Error: Failed to fetch instances after multiple retries."
+          exit 1
+        fi
 
         autoLoadPod="${AUTO_LOAD_POD:-${{ inputs.auto-load-pod }}}"
         extensionAutoInstall="${EXTENSION_AUTO_INSTALL:-${{ inputs.extension-auto-install }}}"
@@ -87,19 +90,27 @@ runs:
 
         delete_instance() {
             # We expect a 200 on success or 404 if it's already gone. Other codes are errors.
-            http_code=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" -X DELETE \
+            local http_code
+            http_code=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" -X DELETE \
                 -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
                 -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
                 "$API_URL_BASE/$previewName")
-            if [ "$http_code" -ne 200 ] && [ "$http_code" -ne 404 ]; then
-                echo "Error deleting instance, HTTP code: $http_code"
+            local exit_code=$?
+            if [ $exit_code -ne 0 ]; then
+                echo "Error deleting instance, curl failed with exit code $exit_code. API response: $http_code" >&2
                 return 1
             fi
+            if [ "$http_code" -eq 200 ]; then
+                echo "Instance '$previewName' deleted successfully."
+            fi
         }
 
         if [ -n "$instance_exists" ]; then
           echo "Found existing instance using '$previewName', trying to delete the old one..."
-          retry delete_instance
+          if ! retry delete_instance; then
+            echo "Error: Failed to delete existing instance after multiple retries."
+            exit 1
+          fi
         fi
 
         create_instance_func() {
@@ -116,7 +127,11 @@ runs:
         }
 
         echo "Creating preview environment ..."
-        response=$(retry create_instance_func)
+        if ! response=$(retry create_instance_func); then
+          echo "Error: Failed to create preview environment after multiple retries."
+          exit 1
+        fi
+        
         endpointUrl=$(echo "$response" | jq -r .endpoint_url)
 
         echo "Created preview environment with endpoint URL: $endpointUrl"
@@ -147,7 +162,7 @@ runs:
         CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER="content-type: application/json"
         API_URL_BASE="https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances"
 
-        source ${{ github.action_path }}/retry-function.sh
+        source ${{ github.action_path }}/../retry-function.sh
         fetch_logs() {
             local log_response
             log_response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -X GET \
@@ -175,8 +190,7 @@ runs:
             echo "$log_response"
         }
         echo "Fetching logs for $previewName ..."
-        log_response=$(retry fetch_logs)
-        if [ -z "$log_response" ]; then
+        if ! log_response=$(retry fetch_logs); then
           echo "Error: Failed to fetch logs after multiple retries."
           exit 1
         fi

From 3ba8a36c8d2338bf12c3191bf18a0cb2b296675b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefanie Plieschnegger <stefanie.plieschnegger@localstack.cloud>
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:53:57 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 12/16] debug log result

---
 ephemeral/startup/action.yml | 1 +
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)

diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
index f711697..460938d 100644
--- a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
@@ -194,5 +194,6 @@ runs:
           echo "Error: Failed to fetch logs after multiple retries."
           exit 1
         fi
+        echo "raw logs: $log_response"
         echo "Logs:"
         echo "$log_response" | jq -r '.[].content'

From 0ff0b96c521547f5307080734cea58f9c2cbed63 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefanie Plieschnegger <stefanie.plieschnegger@localstack.cloud>
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2026 17:18:53 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 13/16] more debug messages, fail if the response contains
 error key

---
 ephemeral/retry-function.sh   | 12 +++++++++
 ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml | 16 ++++++++----
 ephemeral/startup/action.yml  | 48 +++++++++++++++--------------------
 3 files changed, 43 insertions(+), 33 deletions(-)

diff --git a/ephemeral/retry-function.sh b/ephemeral/retry-function.sh
index 59daf1f..d107e18 100644
--- a/ephemeral/retry-function.sh
+++ b/ephemeral/retry-function.sh
@@ -19,4 +19,16 @@ retry() {
     done
     echo "Command failed after $retries retries." >&2
     return 1
+}
+
+# Helper function to check for a JSON error response from the API
+# Usage: check_for_api_error "<response_body>" "<context_message>"
+check_for_api_error() {
+    local response="$1"
+    local context_message="$2"
+    if echo "$response" | jq -e 'if type == "object" and has("error") then true else false end' > /dev/null; then
+      echo "API error during '$context_message': $response" >&2
+      return 1
+    fi
+    return 0
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
index 9f7ca63..3e886e8 100644
--- a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
@@ -43,16 +43,21 @@ runs:
         shutdown_instance() {
             # The API returns a 200 on successful deletion.
             # We use --fail-with-body so curl fails on server errors (5xx) and triggers the retry.
-            # We allow a 404 since that means the instance is already gone.
-            local http_code
-            http_code=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" -X DELETE \
+            local response
+            response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -w "\n%{http_code}" -X DELETE \
                 -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
                 -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
                 "$API_URL_BASE/$previewName")
             local exit_code=$?
+            local http_code=$(echo "$response" | tail -n1)
+            local body=$(echo "$response" | sed '$d')
+
             if [ $exit_code -ne 0 ]; then
-              echo "Error deleting instance, curl failed with exit code $exit_code. API response: $http_code" >&2
-              return 1
+              # A 404 means it's already gone, which is a success case for shutdown.
+              if [ "$http_code" -ne 404 ]; then
+                echo "Error deleting instance, curl failed with exit code $exit_code. API response: $body" >&2
+                return 1
+              fi
             fi
             if [ "$http_code" -eq 200 ]; then
                 echo "Instance '$previewName' deleted successfully."
@@ -60,6 +65,7 @@ runs:
                 echo "Instance '$previewName' was already deleted (not found)."
             fi
         }
+
         retry shutdown_instance
     
     - name: Update status comment
diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
index 460938d..e3c8da8 100644
--- a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
@@ -64,16 +64,15 @@ runs:
         API_URL_BASE="https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances"
 
         source ${{ github.action_path }}/../retry-function.sh
+
         fetch_instances() {
             local list_response
             list_response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -X GET \
               -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
               -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
               "$API_URL_BASE")
-            if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
-              echo "API returned an error: $list_response"
-              return 1
-            fi
+            if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then echo "curl command failed while fetching instances. Response: $list_response" >&2; return 1; fi
+            if ! check_for_api_error "$list_response" "fetch instances"; then return 1; fi
             echo "$list_response"
         }
 
@@ -90,16 +89,18 @@ runs:
 
         delete_instance() {
             # We expect a 200 on success or 404 if it's already gone. Other codes are errors.
-            local http_code
-            http_code=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" -X DELETE \
+            local response
+            response=$(curl --fail-with-body -s -w "\n%{http_code}" -X DELETE \
                 -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
                 -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
                 "$API_URL_BASE/$previewName")
             local exit_code=$?
-            if [ $exit_code -ne 0 ]; then
-                echo "Error deleting instance, curl failed with exit code $exit_code. API response: $http_code" >&2
-                return 1
-            fi
+            local http_code=$(echo "$response" | tail -n1)
+            local body=$(echo "$response" | sed '$d')
+
+            if [ $exit_code -ne 0 ]; then echo "curl command failed while deleting instance. Response: $body" >&2; return 1; fi
+            if ! check_for_api_error "$body" "delete instance"; then return 1; fi
+
             if [ "$http_code" -eq 200 ]; then
                 echo "Instance '$previewName' deleted successfully."
             fi
@@ -119,9 +120,10 @@ runs:
                 -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
                 -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
                 "$API_URL_BASE")
-            if [ $? -ne 0 ] || ! echo "$response" | jq -e 'has("endpoint_url") and (.endpoint_url | test(".+"))' > /dev/null; then
-              echo "Unable to create preview environment. API response: $response"
-              return 1
+            if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then echo "curl command failed while creating instance. Response: $response" >&2; return 1; fi
+            if ! check_for_api_error "$response" "create instance"; then return 1; fi
+            if ! echo "$response" | jq -e 'has("endpoint_url") and (.endpoint_url | test(".+"))' > /dev/null; then
+              echo "Invalid response from instance creation API: $response" >&2; return 1;
             fi
             echo "$response"
         }
@@ -169,22 +171,12 @@ runs:
                 -H "$AUTH_HEADER" \
                 -H "$CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER" \
                 "$API_URL_BASE/$previewName/logs")
-            if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
-              echo "API returned an error while fetching logs: $log_response"
-              return 1
-            fi
-            if [ -z "$log_response" ]; then
-              echo "API returned an empty response when fetching logs."
-              return 1
-            fi
+            if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then echo "curl command failed while fetching logs. Response: $log_response" >&2; return 1; fi
+            if ! check_for_api_error "$log_response" "fetch logs"; then return 1; fi
 
-            # Now, check if jq extracts any content
-            local extracted_content
-            extracted_content=$(echo "$log_response" | jq -r '.[].content')
-            if [ -z "$extracted_content" ]; then
-              echo "No content found in logs or logs are empty after extraction."
-              echo "Raw API response for logs: $log_response" # This will be printed on retry attempts
-              return 1
+            # A valid log response must be a JSON array.
+            if ! echo "$log_response" | jq -e 'if type == "array" then true else false end' > /dev/null; then
+              echo "Invalid response from logs API (expected a JSON array): $log_response" >&2; return 1;
             fi
 
             echo "$log_response"

From dba16e56980fd2cfa8c6395edd613c2ee8c88f41 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefanie Plieschnegger <stefanie.plieschnegger@localstack.cloud>
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2026 17:38:14 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 14/16] fixup

---
 ephemeral/retry-function.sh  | 6 +++++-
 ephemeral/startup/action.yml | 6 ++++++
 2 files changed, 11 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/ephemeral/retry-function.sh b/ephemeral/retry-function.sh
index d107e18..0ee20e1 100644
--- a/ephemeral/retry-function.sh
+++ b/ephemeral/retry-function.sh
@@ -7,10 +7,13 @@ retry() {
     local retries=5
     local count=0
     local wait=5
+    local output
     while [ $count -lt $retries ]; do
-        ( set +e; "$@"; ) # Run command in subshell with set -e disabled
+        # We disable set -e for the command and capture its output.
+        output=$(set +e; "$@")
         local exit_code=$?
         if [ $exit_code -eq 0 ]; then
+            echo "$output"
             return 0
         fi
         count=$((count + 1))
@@ -18,6 +21,7 @@ retry() {
         sleep $wait
     done
     echo "Command failed after $retries retries." >&2
+    echo "$output" # Also return the output of the last failed attempt for debugging
     return 1
 }
 
diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
index e3c8da8..f3f1a30 100644
--- a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
@@ -179,6 +179,12 @@ runs:
               echo "Invalid response from logs API (expected a JSON array): $log_response" >&2; return 1;
             fi
 
+            # Check if the logs contain the "Ready." message, indicating the instance is fully started.
+            if ! echo "$log_response" | jq -e '.[] | select(.content | contains("Ready."))' > /dev/null; then
+              echo "Instance is not ready yet, waiting for 'Ready.' message in logs..." >&2
+              return 1
+            fi
+
             echo "$log_response"
         }
         echo "Fetching logs for $previewName ..."

From 9036a17c5ca701d1d4c0cd1767d87cdccd60988e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefanie Plieschnegger <stefanie.plieschnegger@localstack.cloud>
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2026 17:45:18 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 15/16] fixup

---
 ephemeral/startup/action.yml | 3 +--
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
index f3f1a30..72f5e69 100644
--- a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
@@ -192,6 +192,5 @@ runs:
           echo "Error: Failed to fetch logs after multiple retries."
           exit 1
         fi
-        echo "raw logs: $log_response"
-        echo "Logs:"
+        echo "$previewName logs:"
         echo "$log_response" | jq -r '.[].content'

From e88acfcf15363ca3b80e8a1b3381db34bd7c33ab Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Stefanie Plieschnegger <stefanie.plieschnegger@localstack.cloud>
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2026 18:08:19 +0100
Subject: [PATCH 16/16] fixup

---
 ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml | 4 ++--
 ephemeral/startup/action.yml  | 6 +++---
 2 files changed, 5 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
index 3e886e8..637962b 100644
--- a/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/shutdown/action.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ name: Shutdown Ephemeral Instance
 description: 'Shutdowns an Ephemeral Instance (PR Preview)'
 
 inputs:
-  localstack-auth-token:
+  localstack-api-key:
     description: 'LocalStack Auth Token used to access the platform api'
     required: false
   github-token:
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ runs:
     - name: Shutdown ephemeral instance
       shell: bash
       run: |
-        AUTH_HEADER="ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-auth-token }}}}"
+        AUTH_HEADER="ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-api-key }}}}"
         CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER="content-type: application/json"
         API_URL_BASE="https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances"
 
diff --git a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
index 72f5e69..eb802be 100644
--- a/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
+++ b/ephemeral/startup/action.yml
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ inputs:
   github-token:
     description: 'Github token used to create PR comments'
     required: true
-  localstack-auth-token:
+  localstack-api-key:
     description: 'LocalStack Auth Token used to create the preview environment'
     required: false
   preview-cmd:
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ runs:
       shell: bash
       id: create-instance
       run: |
-        AUTH_HEADER="ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-auth-token }}}}"
+        AUTH_HEADER="ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-api-key }}}}"
         CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER="content-type: application/json"
         API_URL_BASE="https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances"
 
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ runs:
       env:
         previewName: ${{ steps.preview-name.outputs.name }}
       run: |
-        AUTH_HEADER="ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-auth-token }}}}"
+        AUTH_HEADER="ls-api-key: ${LOCALSTACK_AUTH_TOKEN:-${LOCALSTACK_API_KEY:-${{ inputs.localstack-api-key }}}}"
         CONTENT_TYPE_HEADER="content-type: application/json"
         API_URL_BASE="https://api.localstack.cloud/v1/compute/instances"