Add action-mode: script feature flag for bash script execution by Copilot · Pull Request #9763 · github/gh-aw

Copilot · 2026-01-12T18:39:07Z

Implements action-mode: script feature flag that runs setup.sh from a checked-out .github folder instead of using GitHub Actions steps.

Changes

Action mode enum: Added ActionModeScript constant with validation
Checkout logic: Script mode checks out githubnext/gh-aw actions to /tmp/gh-aw/actions-source/ with shallow clone (depth: 1) for improved performance
Setup execution: Created generateSetupStep() helper that runs bash script in script mode, action step otherwise
Feature flag: Compiler reads action-mode from frontmatter and overrides mode
All setup sites: Updated 8 files where setup steps are generated
Consistent naming: Both dev and script modes use "Checkout actions folder" step name for consistency

Usage

Via frontmatter:

---
features:
  action-mode: "script"
---

Via CLI:

gh aw compile --action-mode=script workflow.md

Script mode generates:

- name: Checkout actions folder
  uses: actions/checkout@...
  with:
    repository: githubnext/gh-aw
    sparse-checkout: |
      actions
    path: /tmp/gh-aw/actions-source
    depth: 1
    persist-credentials: false

- name: Setup Scripts
  run: |
    bash /tmp/gh-aw/actions-source/actions/setup/setup.sh
  env:
    INPUT_DESTINATION: /opt/gh-aw/actions

Dev mode (default) generates:

- name: Checkout actions folder
  uses: actions/checkout@...
  with:
    sparse-checkout: |
      actions
    persist-credentials: false

- name: Setup Scripts
  uses: ./actions/setup
  with:
    destination: /opt/gh-aw/actions

Original prompt

Add a feature flag "action-mode: script" that enables a action deployment mode where we run a bash script instead adding the action step. This mode is similar to the action mode for developer but first, we need to checkout the githubnext/gh-aw .github folder somewhere in temp (/tmp/gh-aw/actions-source/), then run the setup.sh script from there.

💬 We'd love your input! Share your thoughts on Copilot coding agent in our 2 minute survey.

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

- Add ActionModeScript constant and validation - Update generateCheckoutActionsFolder for script mode checkout - Create generateSetupStep helper for script vs action execution - Add feature flag override support in compiler - Update all setup step generation sites - Add tests for script mode validation Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

- Add TestScriptActionModeCompilation integration test - Verify script mode checkout behavior - Verify script execution instead of action usage - Add test files to gitignore Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

All tests passing for action mode script feature: - ActionMode validation tests ✅ - Script mode integration test ✅ - Manual compilation and verification ✅ - Code formatted and validated ✅ Feature successfully implements script mode that: - Checks out githubnext/gh-aw actions to /tmp/gh-aw/actions-source/ - Runs setup.sh script directly with INPUT_DESTINATION env var - Works via frontmatter feature flag or CLI --action-mode=script - Fully tested and documented Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

pelikhan · 2026-01-12T19:17:03Z

@copilot use the action-script mode to the dev.md agentic workflow. make this workflow print a poem to an issue (staged mode)

- Enable script mode via features.action-mode flag - Workflow uses script mode to checkout and run setup.sh - Already configured for staged mode safe outputs - Posts poems to issues as comments (preview mode) Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-01-12T19:24:47Z

@copilot use the action-script mode to the dev.md agentic workflow. make this workflow print a poem to an issue (staged mode)

Done! Added action-mode: script to .github/workflows/dev.md in commit 83158cc.

The dev workflow now:

✅ Uses script mode (checks out githubnext/gh-aw actions to /tmp/gh-aw/actions-source/)
✅ Runs setup.sh directly instead of using action steps
✅ Already configured with staged mode for safe outputs
✅ Posts poems to issues as comments (preview mode)

The compiled workflow shows:

- name: Checkout actions source
  uses: actions/checkout@...
  with:
    repository: githubnext/gh-aw
    path: /tmp/gh-aw/actions-source

- name: Setup Scripts
  run: |
    bash /tmp/gh-aw/actions-source/actions/setup/setup.sh
  env:
    INPUT_DESTINATION: /opt/gh-aw/actions

pelikhan · 2026-01-12T20:02:33Z

@copilot shallow checkout keep credentials false

- Add depth: 1 to script mode checkout for faster cloning - Keep persist-credentials: false (already set) - Update test to verify shallow checkout parameter - Recompile dev.md workflow with shallow checkout Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-01-12T20:09:39Z

@copilot shallow checkout keep credentials false

Done! Added shallow checkout with depth: 1 and kept persist-credentials: false in commit 94eaa44.

Script mode checkout now includes:

- name: Checkout actions source
  uses: actions/checkout@...
  with:
    repository: githubnext/gh-aw
    sparse-checkout: |
      actions
    path: /tmp/gh-aw/actions-source
    depth: 1                      # ← shallow checkout
    persist-credentials: false    # ← credentials not persisted

This makes the checkout faster by only fetching the latest commit.

pelikhan · 2026-01-12T20:48:50Z

@copilot recompile and make sure it uses the actions/setup from local path in compiled .lock.yml files (dev mode)

- Remove action-mode: script feature flag from dev.md - Workflow now uses dev mode (default) with local actions/setup path - Compiled lock file uses 'uses: ./actions/setup' instead of bash script - Checkout uses local repository with sparse-checkout for actions folder - Tests pass successfully Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-01-12T20:55:14Z

@copilot recompile and make sure it uses the actions/setup from local path in compiled .lock.yml files (dev mode)

Done! Reverted dev.md to use dev mode with local actions/setup in commit 1fe5ef5.

The dev.lock.yml now uses:

- name: Checkout actions folder
  uses: actions/checkout@...
  with:
    sparse-checkout: |
      actions
    persist-credentials: false

- name: Setup Scripts
  uses: ./actions/setup              # ← local path
  with:
    destination: /opt/gh-aw/actions

Removed the action-mode: script feature flag so it defaults to dev mode, which uses the local ./actions/setup action instead of checking out from a remote repository.

pelikhan · 2026-01-12T22:05:34Z

.github/workflows/developer-docs-consolidator.lock.yml

      success: ${{ steps.parse_results.outputs.success }}
    steps:
-      - name: Checkout actions folder
+      - name: Checkout actions source


@copilot revert wording change "folder" -> "source". it's not needed.

Done! Reverted the wording change in commit 528a137.

Both dev and script modes now use the same step name:

- name: Checkout actions folder # ← consistent naming

The unnecessary "source" → "folder" distinction has been removed.

- Changed script mode checkout step name from "Checkout actions source" back to "Checkout actions folder" - Both dev and script modes now use consistent "folder" naming - No functional changes, only step name consistency - Tests pass successfully Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Initial plan

aa2fa12

Copilot AI assigned Copilot and pelikhan Jan 12, 2026

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan January 12, 2026 18:39 View session

Copilot AI and others added 4 commits January 12, 2026 18:45

Initial analysis complete - planning action-mode: script feature

df963aa

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Add feature flag for action deployment mode script~~ Add action-mode: script feature flag for bash script execution Jan 12, 2026

Copilot AI requested a review from pelikhan January 12, 2026 19:05

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan January 12, 2026 19:05

Merge branch 'main' into copilot/add-action-mode-script-feature

6923033

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan January 12, 2026 19:19 View session

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan January 12, 2026 19:25

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan January 12, 2026 20:03 View session

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan January 12, 2026 20:10

Merge branch 'main' into copilot/add-action-mode-script-feature

e7d6f0a

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan January 12, 2026 20:49 View session

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan January 12, 2026 20:56

pelikhan reviewed Jan 12, 2026

View reviewed changes

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan January 12, 2026 22:06 View session

Copilot AI requested a review from pelikhan January 12, 2026 22:13

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan January 12, 2026 22:13

Merge branch 'main' into copilot/add-action-mode-script-feature

378b870

pelikhan marked this pull request as ready for review January 12, 2026 22:27

pelikhan merged commit 1c32af7 into main Jan 12, 2026
47 checks passed

pelikhan deleted the copilot/add-action-mode-script-feature branch January 12, 2026 22:27

This was referenced Jan 12, 2026

Update GitHub MCP Server v0.27.0 → v0.28.1 and MCP Gateway v0.0.39 → v0.0.47 #9779

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[team-status] ☀️ Daily Team Status - Monday, January 13, 2026 #9805

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Add action-mode: script feature flag for bash script execution#9763

Add action-mode: script feature flag for bash script execution#9763
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