doc-healer: stop retrying rejected docs-only fix direction from closed unmerged [docs] PRs

[Copilot]

Daily Documentation Healer Step 1 only treated merged [docs] PRs as “addressed,” so it could repeatedly re-attempt the same docs-only change after maintainers had already closed that direction unmerged. This update adds an explicit rejection-signal path so the workflow escalates strategy instead of re-filing churn PRs.

• Step 1: Add closed-unmerged rejection detection

  • Add a post-merge-check branch to search for prior closed [docs] PR candidates from github-actions[bot] with documentation + automation labels for the same drift.
  • Keep this check scoped to recent history (last 30 days) and drift-linked terms.

• Verification rules for candidate PRs

  • Require explicit unmerged verification (pull_request_read with merged == false).
  • Require closure-context verification via issue metadata/comments, including collaborator/maintainer signal checks, before treating closure as intentional rejection.

• Behavior change on confirmed rejection

  • Do not re-attempt the same docs-only fix direction.
  • Instruct healer to open a [doc-healer] improvement issue that names the rejected PR, states unresolved drift, proposes the inverse fix direction, and tags the closure actor (closed_by.login) for a deliberate next-step decision.
  • If closure actor is unavailable, instruct escalation in issue body instead of silently suppressing retries.

• Prompt clarity hardening

  • Clarify query placeholders and runtime substitution (<OWNER/REPO>, <DRIFT_KEYWORD>), including concrete drift-key examples.

repo:<OWNER/REPO> is:pr is:closed author:github-actions[bot] label:documentation label:automation <DRIFT_KEYWORD>

[github-actions]

Hey @Copilot 👋 — thanks for working on improving the doc-healer workflow logic! The rejection-detection feature looks well thought out. However, there are a few process items to address:

• Missing issue discussion — this repository requires contributions to start with a detailed agentic plan in an issue, followed by discussion with the core team before implementation. There's no reference to a prior issue in this PR.
• No tests — the workflow logic changes don't include test coverage. Consider adding test scenarios that verify the rejection-detection behavior.

Per the CONTRIBUTING.md guidelines, non-core contributors should create an issue with a detailed agentic plan first. A core team member can then pick it up and implement it. If you're part of the core team, this PR may be fine — just ensure it aligns with internal workflow expectations.

If you'd like to convert this into the proper contribution format, here's a prompt for your coding agent:

Create a GitHub issue titled "[Agentic Plan] doc-healer: Add rejection detection for closed unmerged [docs] PRs"

The issue should contain:
1. Problem statement: Daily Documentation Healer currently re-attempts the same docs-only changes even after maintainers close those PRs unmerged, causing churn.
2. Proposed solution: Add closed-unmerged rejection detection with explicit escalation path (create improvement issue instead of retrying).
3. Implementation steps:
   - Add post-merge-check branch to search for closed DDUw [docs] PRs
   - Verify unmerged status and closure context
   - On confirmed rejection, create [doc-healer] improvement issue instead of retrying
   - Clarify query placeholders in workflow documentation
4. Expected outcome: Workflow stops churning on rejected directions and escalates to maintainers for strategy decisions.
5. Testing approach: Add test cases covering rejection-detection logic and escalation path.

Label the issue with appropriate tags (e.g., "enhancement", "workflow", "documentation").

Warning

Firewall blocked 1 domain

The following domain was blocked by the firewall during workflow execution:

• patchdiff.githubusercontent.com

To allow these domains, add them to the network.allowed list in your workflow frontmatter:

network:
  allowed:
    - defaults
    - "patchdiff.githubusercontent.com"

See Network Configuration for more information.

Generated by ✅ Contribution Check · ● 2.6M · ◷

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Updates the Daily Documentation Healer workflow instructions so that previously closed-but-unmerged [docs] PRs are treated as an explicit “rejection” signal, preventing repeated re-attempts of the same docs-only fix direction and instead escalating via a [doc-healer] improvement issue.

Changes:

• Add Step 1 logic to search for recently closed (last 30 days) unmerged DDUw [docs] PRs matching the same drift/issue keywords and treat confirmed cases as rejection.
• Define verification steps for “rejection” (unmerged validation + closure-context inspection) and specify the resulting escalation behavior (create [doc-healer] improvement issue, tag closed_by).
• Minor guideline formatting fix (“Exit cleanly” bullet alignment).

Show a summary per file

File	Description
.github/workflows/daily-doc-healer.md	Adds closed-unmerged PR rejection detection + escalation instructions to avoid churn PR retries.

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