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Fix slide-deck-maintainer: require explicit safe output tool calls#15200

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pelikhan merged 2 commits intomainfrom
copilot/debug-slide-deck-maintainer
Feb 12, 2026
Merged

Fix slide-deck-maintainer: require explicit safe output tool calls#15200
pelikhan merged 2 commits intomainfrom
copilot/debug-slide-deck-maintainer

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Copilot AI commented Feb 12, 2026

The slide-deck-maintainer workflow completed successfully but generated a false failure because the agent never called any safe output tools (noop or create_pull_request).

Agent attempted to verify safe output tool availability via bash commands (npm --prefix /tmp/gh-aw/actions ls | grep safeoutputs), hit permission errors, and incorrectly concluded tools were unavailable. Safe output tools are MCP tools called via the tool interface, not bash commands.

Changes

Added Step 9: Report Your Actions (REQUIRED)

  • Mandatory safe output tool call before completion
  • noop tool example for no-change scenarios with structured completion details
  • Explicit clarification that these are MCP tools, not bash commands

Renumbered Step 10: Create Pull Request

  • Previously Step 9
  • Clarified to call create_pull_request tool

Added Completion Checklist

  • Replaced prose summary with actionable checklist
  • Reinforces mandatory tool call requirement

Example

When no changes are needed, agent must call:

{
  "message": "Slide deck maintenance complete - no changes needed",
  "details": {
    "slides_reviewed": 49,
    "layout_issues_found": 0,
    "content_errors_found": 0,
    "sources_checked": ["code", "docs", "workflows"],
    "focus_mode": "${{ inputs.focus }}",
    "next_recommended_focus": "feature-deep-dive"
  }
}

This pattern prevents false failures in periodic maintenance workflows that complete without making code changes.

Original prompt

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>[agentics] Slide Deck Maintainer failed</issue_title>
<issue_description>### Workflow Failure

Workflow: Slide Deck Maintainer
Branch: main
Run URL: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/actions/runs/21954945211

⚠️ No Safe Outputs Generated: The agent job succeeded but did not produce any safe outputs. This typically indicates:

  • The safe output server failed to run
  • The prompt failed to generate any meaningful result
  • The agent should have called noop to explicitly indicate no action was taken

Action Required

Debug this workflow failure using the agentic-workflows agent:

/agent agentic-workflows debug the agentic workflow slide-deck-maintainer failure in https://github.com/github/gh-aw/actions/runs/21954945211

Generated from Slide Deck Maintainer

  • expires on Feb 19, 2026, 4:30 PM UTC

Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)


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Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>
Copilot AI changed the title [WIP] Debug Slide Deck Maintainer workflow failure Fix slide-deck-maintainer: require explicit safe output tool calls Feb 12, 2026
Copilot AI requested a review from pelikhan February 12, 2026 16:57
@pelikhan pelikhan marked this pull request as ready for review February 12, 2026 17:00
Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings February 12, 2026 17:00
@pelikhan pelikhan merged commit 9968f98 into main Feb 12, 2026
121 checks passed
@pelikhan pelikhan deleted the copilot/debug-slide-deck-maintainer branch February 12, 2026 17:01
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Pull request overview

Updates the slide-deck-maintainer workflow instructions to require an explicit safe output tool call (e.g., noop or create_pull_request) to prevent false “no safe outputs” failures.

Changes:

  • Added a required “Report Your Actions” step with noop guidance for no-change runs and clarification that safe outputs are MCP tools (not bash-invoked).
  • Renumbered the PR creation step and clarified calling create_pull_request.
  • Replaced the prose summary with an actionable completion checklist emphasizing the required tool call.

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Comment on lines +239 to +247
"message": "Slide deck maintenance complete - no changes needed",
"details": {
"slides_reviewed": 49,
"layout_issues_found": 0,
"content_errors_found": 0,
"sources_checked": ["code", "docs", "workflows"],
"focus_mode": "${{ inputs.focus }}",
"next_recommended_focus": "feature-deep-dive or area to review next"
}
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The noop example JSON hard-codes values like slides_reviewed: 49 and zeros, which may be copied verbatim and produce misleading run metadata. Consider using placeholders (e.g., <number> / <string>), or explicitly label these as example values and instruct the agent to replace them with actual counts from the current run.

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}
```

**Why this matters**: The `noop` tool records that you completed your work successfully
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These lines include trailing whitespace at the end of the line. Trailing spaces can cause noisy diffs and may fail markdown linting in some repos; remove the trailing whitespace.

Suggested change
**Why this matters**: The `noop` tool records that you completed your work successfully
**Why this matters**: The `noop` tool records that you completed your work successfully

Copilot uses AI. Check for mistakes.
Comment on lines +258 to +259
**Important Note**: Safe output tools (`noop`, `create_pull_request`, etc.) are MCP tools
available through your standard tool calling interface. Call them directly - do NOT try to
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These lines include trailing whitespace at the end of the line. Trailing spaces can cause noisy diffs and may fail markdown linting in some repos; remove the trailing whitespace.

Copilot uses AI. Check for mistakes.
- Source areas scanned (code/workflows/docs)
- PR link (if created)
- Next recommended focus area for the next run
**Remember**: Safe output tools are MCP tools - call them through your tool interface,
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These lines include trailing whitespace at the end of the line. Trailing spaces can cause noisy diffs and may fail markdown linting in some repos; remove the trailing whitespace.

Suggested change
**Remember**: Safe output tools are MCP tools - call them through your tool interface,
**Remember**: Safe output tools are MCP tools - call them through your tool interface,

Copilot uses AI. Check for mistakes.
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[agentics] Slide Deck Maintainer failed

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