agentic-workflows

name	agentic-workflows
description	Set up and manage GitHub Actions workflows that use Copilot coding agents for automated PR handling and issue resolution
compatibility	>=3.2

Agentic Workflows

Skill metadata: version "1.0"; license MIT; tags [github-actions, automation, ci, agents, pull-requests]; compatibility ">=3.2"; recommended tools [codebase, editFiles, runCommands, githubRepo].

Set up GitHub Actions workflows that invoke Copilot coding agents to automate issue resolution, PR creation, and code review via GitHub events.

When to use

• User asks to "automate issue handling", "set up agentic workflows", or "use Copilot in CI"
• User wants agents responding to GitHub events (issues, PRs, comments)

When NOT to use

• Interactive Copilot chat (default experience, not a workflow)
• Fixing a failing CI pipeline — use fix-ci-failure skill
• Non-GitHub-Actions CI

Prerequisites

• GitHub Copilot enabled for the repository/organization
• Repository uses GitHub Actions
• copilot-setup-steps.yml exists (provides agent environment)
• Workflow permissions configured (contents: write, pull-requests: write, issues: read)

Concepts

Copilot coding agent

Headless Copilot session triggered by a workflow. Reads issue/event context, plans a fix, implements it, and opens a PR using a Codex-class model.

copilot-setup-steps.yml

Reusable workflow configuring the agent's environment (runtime, deps, tools). Runs before the agent. Template at template/copilot-setup-steps.yml.

Event triggers

Trigger	Use case
issues.labeled	Auto-assign agent when a specific label is added
issue_comment.created	Agent responds to a command comment (e.g., /fix)
pull_request.opened	Auto-review new PRs
workflow_dispatch	Manual agent invocation

Steps

1. Verify setup steps exist — Check that .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml exists. If not, fetch and write it:

   https://raw.githubusercontent.com/asafelobotomy/copilot-instructions-template/main/template/copilot-setup-steps.yml
   

2. Choose the trigger pattern — Ask the user which event should invoke the agent:

   Pattern	Workflow trigger	Agent receives
   Label-based	issues.labeled	Issue body and comments
   Comment-based	issue_comment.created	Comment text and issue context
   PR review	pull_request.opened	PR diff and description
   Manual	workflow_dispatch	User-provided inputs

3. Create the workflow — Write .github/workflows/copilot-agent.yml:

   name: Copilot Agent
   on:
     issues:
       types: [labeled]
   
   jobs:
     agent:
       if: github.event.label.name == 'copilot'
       runs-on: ubuntu-latest
       permissions:
         contents: write
         pull-requests: write
         issues: read
       steps:
         - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         - uses: ./.github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml
         # The Copilot coding agent handles the rest automatically
   

   Adjust the trigger and condition based on the user's choice in step 2.

4. Configure guardrails — Agent inherits .github/copilot-instructions.md automatically. Add label filter, least-privilege permissions, and optional concurrency group.

5. Test — Create a test issue, apply trigger label/comment, verify in Actions tab.

6. Document — Add trigger phrase and label to AGENTS.md.

Security considerations

• Never grant permissions: write-all — scope exactly
• Restrict label permissions to prevent unauthorized invocations
• Review agent PRs before merging — automated ≠ trusted
• Consider branch protection requiring human approval

Waste categories

Risk	Waste code	Mitigation
Agent runs on irrelevant issues	W1 Overproduction	Use specific labels and filters
Agent waits for human review	W2 Waiting	Enable auto-merge for low-risk changes only
Duplicate agent runs	W5 Inventory	Add concurrency groups
Over-trusting agent output	W16 Over-trust	Require human review on all agent PRs