This AZ-400 practice question tests your understanding of configure processes and communications. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Your team uses GitHub Actions for CI/CD. You need to ensure that secrets used in workflows are automatically rotated every 90 days. What is the best approach?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Use OpenID Connect (OIDC) to authenticate.
Why wrong: OIDC avoids long-lived secrets but does not rotate existing ones.
Use a script that calls the GitHub API to update the secret and run it in a scheduled workflow.
Automated rotation via API.
Manually update the secrets every 90 days.
Why wrong: Not automated.
Store secrets as environment secrets and configure expiration.
Why wrong: Environment secrets do not support automatic rotation.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Use a script that calls the GitHub API to update the secret and run it in a scheduled workflow.
Option B is correct because it uses the GitHub API within a scheduled workflow to programmatically rotate secrets, ensuring automation without manual intervention. This approach directly addresses the requirement for automatic rotation every 90 days by generating new secret values and updating the repository or organization secrets via the API.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Use OpenID Connect (OIDC) to authenticate.
Why it's wrong here
OIDC avoids long-lived secrets but does not rotate existing ones.
Use a script that calls the GitHub API to update the secret and run it in a scheduled workflow.
Why this is correct
Automated rotation via API.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Manually update the secrets every 90 days.
Why it's wrong here
Not automated.
Store secrets as environment secrets and configure expiration.
Why it's wrong here
Environment secrets do not support automatic rotation.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may confuse OIDC with secret management, assuming it provides rotation capabilities, when in fact OIDC only handles authentication without any secret lifecycle management.
Detailed technical explanation
The GitHub API endpoint for updating a repository secret is `PATCH /repos/{owner}/{repo}/actions/secrets/{secret_name}`, which requires a token with `repo` scope. A scheduled workflow using `on: schedule` with a cron expression like `0 0 */90 * *` triggers the rotation script, which generates a new secret value (e.g., via OpenSSL) and calls the API. This approach also supports organization-level secrets using the `PATCH /orgs/{org}/actions/secrets/{secret_name}` endpoint, but requires appropriate permissions and a PAT or GitHub App token.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
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FAQ
Configure processes and communications — This question tests Configure processes and communications — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Use a script that calls the GitHub API to update the secret and run it in a scheduled workflow. — Option B is correct because it uses the GitHub API within a scheduled workflow to programmatically rotate secrets, ensuring automation without manual intervention. This approach directly addresses the requirement for automatic rotation every 90 days by generating new secret values and updating the repository or organization secrets via the API.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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