The automatic stay on appeal under CCP 916 applies only to civil actions, not special proceedings. A proceeding under the Sister State Money Judgments Act (CCP 1710.10 et seq.) is a special proceeding because it is commenced simply by filing the sister state judgment with a California court, not by filing a complaint. Accordingly, CCP 916 does not apply to the sister state judgment proceeding, and so the trial court had jurisdiction to alter the entered judgment by adding an alter ego as a judgment debtor even though the remittitur had not issued on an earlier appeal from denial of a motion to vacate the sister state judgment.