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mnkiefer merged 6 commits into from
Feb 6, 2026
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Teach create workflow agent to discover CLI automation before manual configuration #14189

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Initial plan
Copilot Feb 6, 2026
e077573
Add CLI automation discovery section to create workflow agent
Copilot Feb 6, 2026
8757906
Merge branch 'main' into copilot/improve-create-workflow-agent
mnkiefer Feb 6, 2026
c5f4b7e
Make CLI Automation Discovery section more concise
Copilot Feb 6, 2026
f9900a4
Remove redundant Quick Setup with CLI section from projects.md
Copilot Feb 6, 2026
195c445
Merge branch 'main' into copilot/improve-create-workflow-agent
mnkiefer Feb 6, 2026
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10 changes: 10 additions & 0 deletions .github/aw/create-agentic-workflow.md
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Expand Up @@ -226,6 +226,7 @@ These resources contain workflow patterns, best practices, safe outputs, and per
- **Advanced static analysis** → See `.github/aw/serena-tool.md` for guidance on when and how to use Serena language server (only for advanced coding tasks when user explicitly requests it)
- **Orchestration patterns** → See `.github/aw/orchestration.md` for guidance on coordinating multi-step work and tracking progress across runs (use when the workflow is acting as a coordinator)
- **GitHub Projects (v2)** → See `.github/aw/projects.md` for GitHub Projects (v2) integration patterns and safe-outputs setup (use when the workflow updates project boards or posts project status updates)
- **⚡ CLI Tool Discovery** → Before configuring complex manual setup, check if `gh aw` provides a CLI command for the task (see CLI Automation Discovery section below)
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Copilot AI Feb 6, 2026

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The resource bullet is titled "CLI Tool Discovery" but points to the "CLI Automation Discovery" section below. To reduce confusion and make the reference easy to find (especially for agents scanning headings), consider using the exact same phrase for both the bullet label and the section heading.

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- **⚡ CLI Tool Discovery** → Before configuring complex manual setup, check if `gh aw` provides a CLI command for the task (see CLI Automation Discovery section below)
- **⚡ CLI Automation Discovery** → Before configuring complex manual setup, check if `gh aw` provides a CLI command for the task (see CLI Automation Discovery section below)

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- ⚠️ For GitHub write operations (creating issues, adding comments, etc.), always use `safe-outputs` instead of GitHub tools

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -321,6 +322,15 @@ These resources contain workflow patterns, best practices, safe outputs, and per

**DO NOT use `post-steps:` for these scenarios.** `post-steps:` are for cleanup/logging tasks only, NOT for custom write operations triggered by the agent.

**CLI Automation Discovery:**

⚡ **IMPORTANT**: Before recommending manual setup, check if `gh aw` provides a CLI command (use `gh aw --help` to explore). Examples:
- `gh aw project new --with-project-setup` - Creates project boards with views and fields
- `gh aw secrets` - Manages repository secrets
- `gh aw init` / `gh aw new` / `gh aw add` - Repository and workflow setup

**For GitHub Projects workflows**: Recommend `gh aw project new "Title" --owner org --with-project-setup` instead of manual board/field creation

**Security Education for Common Patterns:**

When creating workflows with certain patterns, always educate users about security risks:
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3 changes: 2 additions & 1 deletion .github/aw/projects.md
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Expand Up @@ -17,9 +17,10 @@ Use GitHub Projects safe-outputs when designing workflows that:

## Core Projects Patterns

- **Create projects with automation** - Use `gh aw project new --with-project-setup` for quick setup with standard views and fields (recommended)
- **Track items and fields** with `update-project` (add issue/PR items, create/update fields, optionally create views)
- **Post periodic run summaries** with `create-project-status-update` (status, dates, and a concise markdown summary)
- **Create new projects** with `create-project` (optional; prefer manual creation unless automation is explicitly desired)
- **Create new projects programmatically** with `create-project` safe-output (advanced; prefer CLI for initial setup)
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Copilot AI Feb 6, 2026

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The new bullet recommends CLI automation for project creation, but later in this doc ("Create a new project (optional)") still says to prefer manual creation unless bootstrapping. This reads as contradictory guidance; consider clarifying that the "prefer manual" guidance applies specifically to the create-project safe-output (programmatic creation), while initial setup should be done via CLI (or update/remove the later statement to match).

See below for a potential fix:

- **Create projects with automation (CLI)** - Run `gh aw project new --with-project-setup` yourself to bootstrap new projects with standard views and fields (recommended for initial setup)
- **Track items and fields** with `update-project` (add issue/PR items, create/update fields, optionally create views)
- **Post periodic run summaries** with `create-project-status-update` (status, dates, and a concise markdown summary)
- **Create new projects programmatically (agent)** with `create-project` safe-output (advanced; use only when the agent must create projects itself—otherwise create projects manually or via CLI as described in "Create a new project (optional)")

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## Prerequisites and Authentication

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