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 tasks like issue resolution, PR creation, and code review — triggered by GitHub events rather than interactive chat.

When to use

• The user asks to "automate issue handling", "set up agentic workflows", or "use Copilot in CI"
• The user wants agents to respond to GitHub events (issues, PRs, comments)
• The user says "auto-fix issues", "agent-driven PRs", or "coding agent in Actions"

When NOT to use

• The user wants interactive Copilot chat — that is the default experience, not a workflow
• The user wants to fix a failing CI pipeline — use the fix-ci-failure skill instead
• The CI system is not GitHub Actions — this skill is GitHub-specific

Prerequisites

• GitHub Copilot must be enabled for the repository or organization
• The repository must use GitHub Actions
• The copilot-setup-steps.yml workflow must exist (provides agent environment setup)
• Appropriate permissions must be configured on the workflow (contents: write, pull-requests: write, issues: read)

Concepts

Copilot coding agent

A headless Copilot session triggered by a GitHub Actions workflow. It runs without interactive prompts, using a Codex-class model. The agent reads the issue or event context, plans a fix, implements it, and opens a PR.

copilot-setup-steps.yml

A reusable workflow that configures the agent's environment (runtime, dependencies, tools). It runs before the agent starts. The template ships one 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 — Ensure the workflow respects project conventions:

   • The agent inherits .github/copilot-instructions.md automatically
   • Add a label filter to prevent accidental triggers
   • Set appropriate permissions — principle of least privilege
   • Consider adding a concurrency group to prevent parallel agent runs on the same issue

5. Test the workflow — Create a test issue, apply the trigger label (or comment), and verify the agent picks it up. Check the Actions tab for the workflow run.

6. Document the trigger — Add the trigger phrase and label to AGENTS.md so team members know how to invoke the agent.

Security considerations

• Never grant permissions: write-all — scope to exactly what the agent needs
• Use label-based triggers with restricted label permissions to prevent unauthorized invocations
• Review agent-created PRs before merging — automated does not mean trusted
• Consider branch protection rules that require human approval for agent PRs

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