docs: add stateful scanning (repo-memory baseline diff) pattern to memory.md by Copilot · Pull Request #24687 · github/gh-aw

Copilot · 2026-04-05T08:39:01Z

Adds a documented, copy-paste-ready "Stateful Scanning Pattern" to .github/aw/memory.md for the common "alert only on new findings" use case — nightly vuln scans, licence audits, secret scanning, etc.

Changes

New section: Stateful Scanning Pattern (repo-memory)
- ASCII lifecycle diagram showing the load → scan → diff → write flow across runs
- Explains why repo-memory over cache-memory (baselines must outlive the 7-day cache TTL)
- First-run edge case: missing baseline treated as [], written at end of run so run N+1 has a clean baseline with no duplicate issues
- Complete workflow example using npm audit --json as the scan step, with engine: claude, repo-memory, restricted network, and safe-outputs
- max: flood guard on create-issue with a recommended-caps table by scenario

Example frontmatter

engine: claude
tools:
  repo-memory:
    branch-name: memory/vuln-baseline
    allowed-extensions: [".json"]
safe-outputs:
  create-issue:
    title-prefix: "[vuln] "
    labels: [security, automated]
    max: 5   # never open more than 5 issues per run

Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/sessions/a5280f76-bfa0-4587-8c43-c7e6828e532a Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

pelikhan · 2026-04-05T08:48:54Z

@copilot optimize update for an agent that needs to generate agentic workflows

Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/sessions/2d997c9a-a1a8-4b8e-ad5e-25c1bad8f08a Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-04-05T08:55:01Z

@copilot optimize update for an agent that needs to generate agentic workflows

Restructured the section in 2efcb91 to match the visual-regression.md agent-optimized convention used throughout .github/aw/:

Example first — complete copy-paste frontmatter + concise numbered agent-instruction body (including a description: field and inline first-run handling)
Key Design Decisions bullets replace the verbose sub-sections — each bullet names the decision, the mechanism, and the consequence so an agent can reason about it
Baseline schema guidance added — store stable IDs only, not mutable metadata, to avoid false-positive "new" alerts
File description frontmatter updated to surface the pattern for agent index/search

pelikhan

@copilot validate prompt, specially the path of the repomemory. Reduce clutter, keep essentials

Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/sessions/5b2de2e8-dd5b-4b91-8929-0d836e36675b Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-04-05T09:09:02Z

@copilot validate prompt, specially the path of the repomemory. Reduce clutter, keep essentials

Fixed in 3da6d95:

Path bug: the compiler assigns ID: "default" for object-notation repo-memory without an explicit id: field (verified in repo_memory.go and repo_memory_prompt.go). Paths corrected from /tmp/gh-aw/repo-memory/vuln-baseline.json → /tmp/gh-aw/repo-memory/default/vuln-baseline.json.

Clutter removed:

Frontmatter: dropped branch-name (auto-derived from workflow file name) and max-file-size (sensible default)
Prompt body: removed the inline JSON schema spec; trimmed diff instructions to bare essentials
Key Design Decisions: dropped the allowed-extensions bullet (minor config detail), down from 6 to 5 bullets; shortened remaining bullets

github-actions · 2026-04-05T09:11:40Z

Hey @Copilot 👋 — the Stateful Scanning Pattern is a genuinely useful addition to memory.md. The design decisions section (first-run edge case, max: flood guard, stable baseline schema) reads clearly and the complete workflow example with npm audit --json is exactly the kind of copy-paste-ready content this doc aims for.

One thing to address before this is ready for review:

Unfocused diff — alongside the memory.md docs addition, the PR also reformats pkg/agentdrain/data/default_weights.json (collapsing multi-line JSON arrays to single lines and fixing a missing newline at EOF). These are purely cosmetic and completely unrelated to the stated goal of the PR. They should either be reverted here and submitted as a separate tidy-up PR, or squashed out if they were an accidental side-effect of the agent's work.

Also noting the PR is still Draft — once the diff is cleaned up, marking it ready for review will help maintainers pick it up.

If you'd like a hand, you can assign this prompt to your coding agent:

In PR branch `copilot/add-repo-memory-scan-example`, revert all changes to `pkg/agentdrain/data/default_weights.json` so that the file is identical to the `main` branch version. The only file that should differ from main in this PR is `.github/aw/memory.md`. After reverting, verify with `git diff main -- pkg/agentdrain/data/default_weights.json` that no changes remain, then mark the PR as ready for review.

Generated by Contribution Check · ● 1.9M · ◷

Copilot

Pull request overview

Adds documentation for a “stateful scanning” workflow pattern where a scheduled run loads a persisted baseline, runs a scan, diffs results, alerts only on new findings, then writes the updated baseline back for the next run.

Changes:

Extends .github/aw/memory.md with a new “Stateful Scanning Pattern (repo-memory)” section and updates the page description.
Re-formats (re-serializes) pkg/agentdrain/data/default_weights.json content (no apparent semantic change from the diff).

Show a summary per file

File	Description
`.github/aw/memory.md`	Documents a repo-memory baseline/diff approach for “alert only on new findings” scheduled scans.
`pkg/agentdrain/data/default_weights.json`	Formatting-only change to embedded default weights JSON.

Copilot's findings

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Files reviewed: 2/2 changed files
Comments generated: 4

Copilot · 2026-04-05T09:14:00Z

pkg/agentdrain/data/default_weights.json

        "id": 5,
        "size": 1,
        "stage": "error",
-        "template": [
-          "stage=error",
-          "reason=The",
-          "Serena",
-          "MCP",
-          "server",
-          "is",
-          "not",
-          "available",
-          "in",
-          "this",
-          "environment.",
-          "No",
-          "serena-*",
-          "tools",
-          "are",
-          "registered.",
-          "tool=Serena",
-          "MCP",
-          "server",
-          "type=missing_tool"
-        ]
+        "template": ["stage=error", "reason=The", "Serena", "MCP", "server", "is", "not", "available", "in", "this", "environment.", "No", "serena-*", "tools", "are", "registered.", "tool=Serena", "MCP", "server", "type=missing_tool"]
      },


The PR description focuses on documentation changes, but this file is also modified (looks like a re-serialization/formatting change to the embedded default weights). If this change is intentional, please call it out explicitly in the PR description; if not, consider reverting it or moving it to a separate PR to keep the docs change isolated.

Copilot · 2026-04-05T09:14:00Z

.github/aw/memory.md

+## Stateful Scanning Pattern (repo-memory)
+
+Use `repo-memory` to persist a baseline JSON file between scheduled runs so that the workflow only alerts on *new* findings — vulnerability scans, dependency audits, licence checks, or any "track changes over time" scenario.
+
+### Example Workflow
+


The PR description mentions an ASCII lifecycle diagram and a recommended-caps table in this new section, but they are not present in the added content. Either add those elements or adjust the PR description so it matches what was actually introduced.

Copilot · 2026-04-05T09:14:00Z

.github/aw/memory.md

+timeout-minutes: 20
+---
+
+Load `/tmp/gh-aw/repo-memory/default/vuln-baseline.json`.


The example uses /tmp/gh-aw/repo-memory/default/... but the earlier repo-memory section describes the directory generically as /tmp/gh-aw/repo-memory/. Consider adding a brief note here clarifying that the directory is /tmp/gh-aw/repo-memory/{id}/ and that the default id is default, so readers don’t assume the file should be written directly under /tmp/gh-aw/repo-memory/.

Suggested change

Load `/tmp/gh-aw/repo-memory/default/vuln-baseline.json`.

Load `/tmp/gh-aw/repo-memory/default/vuln-baseline.json`.

`repo-memory` files live under `/tmp/gh-aw/repo-memory/{id}/`; if you do not configure an id, the default id is `default`.

Copilot · 2026-04-05T09:14:00Z

.github/aw/memory.md

+
+### Key Design Decisions
+
+- **`repo-memory` for baselines, not `cache-memory`** — caches expire after 7 days; a lost baseline makes every known finding appear "new" on the next run, flooding the repo with duplicate issues


This bullet states cache-memory baselines are lost after 7 days, but cache retention is configurable (up to the documented max). To avoid misleading guidance, please rephrase to "default 7 days (configurable up to 90)" and clarify that repo-memory is needed when you require persistence beyond the cache retention window.

Suggested change

- **`repo-memory` for baselines, not `cache-memory`** — caches expire after 7 days; a lost baseline makes every known finding appear "new" on the next run, flooding the repo with duplicate issues

- **`repo-memory` for baselines when you need persistence beyond cache retention** — `cache-memory` retention is 7 days by default (configurable up to 90); if the cache baseline expires, every known finding can appear "new" on the next run, flooding the repo with duplicate issues

Initial plan

fcec4d3

Copilot AI assigned Copilot and pelikhan Apr 5, 2026

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan April 5, 2026 08:42 View session

Copilot AI linked an issue Apr 5, 2026 that may be closed by this pull request

[plan] Add repo-memory stateful scanning example to documentation #24681

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docs: add stateful scanning pattern example to memory.md

5df9e2a

Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/sessions/a5280f76-bfa0-4587-8c43-c7e6828e532a Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Add repo-memory stateful scanning example to documentation~~ docs: add stateful scanning (repo-memory baseline diff) pattern to memory.md Apr 5, 2026

Copilot AI requested a review from pelikhan April 5, 2026 08:47

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan April 5, 2026 08:47

pelikhan approved these changes Apr 5, 2026

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Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan April 5, 2026 08:49 View session

docs: optimize stateful scanning section for agent consumption

2efcb91

Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/sessions/2d997c9a-a1a8-4b8e-ad5e-25c1bad8f08a Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot AI requested a review from pelikhan April 5, 2026 08:55

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan April 5, 2026 08:55

pelikhan reviewed Apr 5, 2026

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Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan April 5, 2026 09:02 View session

docs: fix repo-memory path and reduce clutter in scanning pattern

3da6d95

Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/sessions/5b2de2e8-dd5b-4b91-8929-0d836e36675b Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan April 5, 2026 09:09

Copilot AI requested a review from pelikhan April 5, 2026 09:09

pelikhan marked this pull request as ready for review April 5, 2026 09:10

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings April 5, 2026 09:10

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pelikhan merged commit b97827f into main Apr 5, 2026
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pelikhan deleted the copilot/add-repo-memory-scan-example branch April 5, 2026 09:14

github-actions bot mentioned this pull request Apr 5, 2026

Smoke Test: Claude - 23998581834 #24700

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	Load `/tmp/gh-aw/repo-memory/default/vuln-baseline.json`.
	Load `/tmp/gh-aw/repo-memory/default/vuln-baseline.json`.
	`repo-memory` files live under `/tmp/gh-aw/repo-memory/{id}/`; if you do not configure an id, the default id is `default`.


		### Key Design Decisions

		- `repo-memory` for baselines, not `cache-memory` — caches expire after 7 days; a lost baseline makes every known finding appear "new" on the next run, flooding the repo with duplicate issues

	- `repo-memory` for baselines, not `cache-memory` — caches expire after 7 days; a lost baseline makes every known finding appear "new" on the next run, flooding the repo with duplicate issues
	- `repo-memory` for baselines when you need persistence beyond cache retention — `cache-memory` retention is 7 days by default (configurable up to 90); if the cache baseline expires, every known finding can appear "new" on the next run, flooding the repo with duplicate issues

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Example frontmatter

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Pull request overview

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Copilot AI commented Apr 5, 2026 •

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