Shadow Jobs

This post details the design and implementation of 'Shadow Jobs' within GitHub Actions. These jobs run custom CI builds against pre-release versions of core build tools (e.g., Android Gradle Plugin, Kotlin) on a scheduled basis. The post provides a detailed example of a GitHub Actions workflow using a matrix strategy to test various tool versions and configurations, including how to pass these versions as Gradle properties. It also outlines other potential use cases for this pattern, such as testing internal changes or new library dependencies.