This is basically how most other CI systems work. GitLab CI, Jenkins, Buildbot, Cirrus CI, etc. are all other systems I've used and they work this way.
I find GitHub Actions abhorrent in a way that I never found a CI/CD system before...
> I find GitHub Actions abhorrent in a way that I never found a CI/CD system before...
That's just the good old Microsoft effect, they have a reverse-midas-touch when it comes to actually delivering good UX experiences.
as usual for Microslop products: it's designed for maximum lock-in
everything is including some crappy proprietary yaml rather than using standard tooling
so instead of being a collection of easily composable and testable bits it's a mess that only works on their platform