Add reusable GitHub Action to install and cache nats server

.github/actions/setup-nats-server/action.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+name: Setup NATS Server
+description: Install and cache NATS Server binary
+
+inputs:
+    version:
+        description: "NATS Server version (e.g., latest, v2.10.29, v2.11.8)"
+        required: false
+        default: "latest"
+
+runs:
+    using: composite
+    steps:
+        - name: Cache NATS Server
+          uses: actions/cache@v4
+          id: cache-nats
+          with:
+              path: ~/nats-server
+              key: nats-server-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-${{ inputs.version }}
+
+        - name: Install NATS Server
+          if: steps.cache-nats.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+          shell: bash
+          run: |
+              INSTALL_DIR="$HOME/nats-server"
+              mkdir -p "$INSTALL_DIR"
+              curl -fsSL https://binaries.nats.dev/nats-io/nats-server/v2@${{ inputs.version }} | PREFIX="$INSTALL_DIR" sh
+
+        - name: Add NATS Server to PATH
+          shell: bash
+          run: echo "$HOME/nats-server" >> $GITHUB_PATH
+
+        - name: Verify NATS Server
+          shell: bash
+          run: nats-server -v

.github/workflows/test.yml

@@ -18,10 +18,7 @@ jobs:
             fail-fast: false
             matrix:
                 python-version: ["3.8", "3.9", "3.10", "3.11", "3.12", "3.13"]
-                nats_version: ["v2.10.29", "v2.11.8", "main"]
-                include:
-                    - nats_version: "main"
-                      continue-on-error: true
+                nats_version: ["latest"]
 
         steps:
             - name: Check out repository
@@ -35,17 +32,18 @@ jobs:
             - name: Install uv
               uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v6
 
+            - name: Setup NATS Server
+              uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nats-server
+              with:
+                  version: ${{ matrix.nats_version }}
+
             - name: Install dependencies and project
-              run: |
-                  uv sync --dev
-                  ./nats/scripts/install_nats.sh
+              run: uv sync --dev
 
             - name: Run tests
               run: |
                   uv run flake8 --ignore="W391, W503, W504, E501" ./nats/src/nats/js/
                   uv run pytest -x -vv -s --continue-on-collection-errors ./nats/tests
-              env:
-                  PATH: $HOME/nats-server:$PATH
 
     project:
         name: ${{ matrix.project }} (python-${{ matrix.python-version }}, nats-server-${{ matrix.nats-server-version }}, ${{ matrix.os }})
@@ -60,15 +58,10 @@ jobs:
             - name: Checkout repository
               uses: actions/checkout@v5
 
-            - name: Set up Go
-              uses: actions/setup-go@v6
+            - name: Setup NATS Server
+              uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nats-server
               with:
-                  go-version: "stable"
-
-            - name: Install NATS Server
-              run: |
-                  go install github.com/nats-io/nats-server/v2@${{ matrix.nats-server-version }}
-              shell: bash
+                  version: ${{ matrix.nats-server-version }}
 
             - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
               uses: actions/setup-python@v6

nats-server/src/nats/server/__init__.py

@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 import logging
 import os
 import re
+import shutil
 import socket
 import tempfile
 from typing import Self
@@ -203,8 +204,18 @@ async def _create_server_process(
 
     Returns:
         The created subprocess.
+
+    Raises:
+        ServerError: If nats-server executable is not found in PATH.
     """
-    cmd = ["nats-server"]
+    nats_server_path = shutil.which("nats-server")
+    if not nats_server_path:
+        raise ServerError(
+            "nats-server executable not found in PATH. "
+            "Please install nats-server from https://github.com/nats-io/nats-server"
+        )
+
+    cmd = [nats_server_path]
 
     # Direct parameter to CLI flag mapping
     if host is not None:

nats-server/tests/conftest.py

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 particularly for verifying that the required nats-server executable is available.
 """
 
+import shutil
 import socket
 import subprocess
 
@@ -13,14 +14,19 @@
 
 def get_nats_server_version():
     """Get the nats-server version or fail if not installed."""
+    nats_server_path = shutil.which("nats-server")
+    if not nats_server_path:
+        pytest.fail("nats-server is not installed or not in PATH")
+        return None
+
     try:
-        result = subprocess.run(["nats-server", "--version"],
+        result = subprocess.run([nats_server_path, "--version"],
                                 capture_output=True,
                                 check=True,
                                 text=True)
         return result.stdout.strip() or result.stderr.strip()
-    except (subprocess.SubprocessError, FileNotFoundError) as e:
-        pytest.fail(f"nats-server is not installed or not in PATH: {e}")
+    except subprocess.SubprocessError as e:
+        pytest.fail(f"Failed to run nats-server: {e}")
         return None
 
 

nats/tests/utils.py

@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ def start(self):
         # Default path
         if Path(self.bin_name).is_file():
             self.bin_name = Path(self.bin_name).absolute()
-        # Path in `../scripts/install_nats.sh`
+        # Path installed via https://docs.nats.io/running-a-nats-service/introduction/installation
         elif Path.home().joinpath(SERVER_BIN_DIR_NAME,
                                   self.bin_name).is_file():
             self.bin_name = str(