· ReadyStack
Worked example
Real numbers from this tool, line by line.
Six Anaconda ties turned up in one 41-line GitHub Actions ci.yml, the kind an ML or platform engineer at a company with more than 200 employees or contractors keeps in .github/workflows. Five are errors and one is a warning:
| Line | Anaconda line | Miniforge line |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@v3 | miniforge-version: latest |
| 19 | run: conda tos accept | delete the line |
| 26 | container: continuumio/miniconda3:latest | container: condaforge/miniforge3:latest |
| 28 | CONDA_PLUGINS_AUTO_ACCEPT_TOS: "yes" | delete the variable |
| 31 | conda install -y -c defaults numpy pandas | -c conda-forge --override-channels |
| 39 | wget repo.anaconda.com/miniconda/Miniconda3-latest-Linux-x86_64.sh | the Miniforge3 installer from github.com/conda-forge/miniforge releases |
Three jobs, tests, a Docker smoke test and a nightly run, each reach Anaconda in a different way.
What Anaconda's terms say
Anaconda's Terms of Service, read on 2026-10-10 at anaconda.com/legal/terms/terms-of-service, say a for-profit organization with more than 200 total employees or contractors, including all affiliates, must pay for a Business Plan to use the Platform. Section 5 defines a User as any party, human or non-human. It names CI/CD jobs, system or service accounts, serverless processes and AI agents. A User counts as active for 12 months after it accesses packages on repo.anaconda.com. Anaconda's pricing page lists Business at $50 per user per month.
So the question is which pipelines still pull from repo.anaconda.com or accept the terms for the company.
Why grep is not enough
Searching for "anaconda" misses three of the six lines:
- setup-miniconda installs Miniconda unless the step sets miniforge-version. The step line names neither Anaconda nor Miniconda.
- conda tos accept and CONDA_PLUGINS_AUTO_ACCEPT_TOS accept Anaconda's terms. Neither contains the word anaconda.
- continuumio/miniconda3 is Anaconda's image, but under the old company name.
The check reads each line, skips comments and looks at each setup-miniconda step's own with: block. It flags the step only when miniforge-version is missing from that block.
The 12 rules
Images: continuumio/miniconda3, anaconda3 and conda-ci images. Installers: repo.anaconda.com/miniconda, repo.anaconda.com/archive, the old repo.continuum.io, and brew, choco or winget installs of Miniconda. GitHub Actions: setup-miniconda without miniforge-version, and the miniconda-version input. Terms: conda tos accept and CONDA_PLUGINS_AUTO_ACCEPT_TOS. Channels: -c defaults, -c anaconda, and pkgs/main, pkgs/r or pkgs/msys2.
The clean version
Moved to Miniforge, the same workflow gives zero findings. The test step adds miniforge-version: latest. The smoke job runs in condaforge/miniforge3:latest. The install line uses -c conda-forge --override-channels. The nightly job downloads Miniforge3-$(uname)-$(uname -m).sh from the conda-forge GitHub releases. The terms lines are gone because a conda-forge-only install never asks for them.
What it cannot tell you
It reads text. It cannot tell your head count or whether you hold an Anaconda licence, and it does not read environment.yml channel lists. The terms on anaconda.com decide.
Try it
Open a Dockerfile or workflow in VS Code with Miniforge Migration Check installed, or paste it into the free web page. Each finding comes with its line number and the replacement. A licence key adds a one-pass workspace scan and a dated Markdown migration plan.
15 seconds — what it actually does
Questions people ask
What does Miniforge Migration Check do?
It reads a Dockerfile, GitHub Actions workflow or .gitlab-ci.yml and flags every line that still pulls from Anaconda: continuumio/miniconda3 and anaconda3 images, repo.anaconda.com installer downloads, setup-miniconda steps without miniforge-version, conda tos accept, CONDA_PLUGINS_AUTO_ACCEPT_TOS and defaults or pkgs/main channels. Each finding has its line number and the exact Miniforge or conda-forge line that replaces it. It has 12 rules.
Who is Miniforge Migration Check for?
It is for data, ML and platform engineers at for-profit companies with more than 200 employees or contractors. Anaconda's terms require a paid Business Plan at that size. These engineers need to find every place their Docker images and CI pipelines still install Miniconda or accept Anaconda's terms, and then move those jobs to Miniforge, micromamba or conda-forge before someone counts them.
Why not just grep for anaconda or ask a chatbot?
A grep for anaconda misses setup-miniconda steps, which install Miniconda unless miniforge-version is set. It also misses conda tos accept and the CONDA_PLUGINS_AUTO_ACCEPT_TOS variable. A chatbot cannot see your workflow files and guesses the replacement line. This check reads each line and skips comments. It flags a setup-miniconda step only when that step's own with: block has no miniforge-version.
What is free and what needs a licence key?
Free, with no key: check the open Dockerfile or CI YAML in VS Code, or paste it into the web page. You get every finding with its line and its Miniforge replacement. A $29 licence key scans every Dockerfile and CI file in the workspace in one pass. It also exports a dated Markdown migration plan that maps each Anaconda pull to its Miniforge line.
What does staying on Anaconda cost compared with this check?
Anaconda's pricing page lists the Business plan at $50 per user per month (read 2026-10-10). Its terms count CI/CD jobs and service accounts as users, and a user stays active for 12 months after one access to repo.anaconda.com. Miniforge and conda-forge are free. The check itself is free per file, and the workspace plan is a one-time $29 key.
When do Anaconda's terms change next?
Anaconda has not announced a dated change. The terms page at anaconda.com/legal/terms/terms-of-service was read on 2026-10-10. It sets the paid threshold at more than 200 employees or contractors, including affiliates, and counts CI/CD jobs as users. Read that page before you rely on a threshold, because Anaconda edits it in place.
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