Add update-discussion safe output type #6887

Copilot · 2025-12-18T18:07:25Z

Add update-discussion Safe Output Type - COMPLETE ✅

Successfully implemented a new "update-discussion" safe output type that allows updating GitHub discussions similar to update-issue.

Recent Changes

Footer Addition (Latest)

Added footer generation to update-discussion body updates
Footer includes workflow name, run URL, and triggering context
Matches format used by other safe output types for consistency
Provides traceability showing which workflow run made the update
All 8 JavaScript tests passing

Bug Fix: GraphQL Mutation Handling

Fixed GraphQL mutation to properly handle cases when title or body are missing
Added validation to ensure at least one field is provided for update
Dynamically builds mutation fields and parameters based on which fields are being updated
Prevents invalid GraphQL syntax that occurred with conditional field inclusion
All 8 JavaScript tests passing

Target Configuration Update

Updated dev.md to set target: "*" for update-discussion
This allows the agent to update any discussion by specifying discussion_number
Provides flexibility to target specific discussions rather than only the triggering discussion

Bug Fix: MCP Server Tool Registration

Fixed YAML tag from update-discussions (plural) to update-discussion (singular) to match schema
Added UpdateDiscussions to generateSafeOutputsConfig() function
This ensures config.json includes update_discussion so the MCP server properly registers the tool
The tool handler now works correctly - tools without explicit handlers use the default handler

Main Branch Merge (2nd merge)

Merged latest changes from origin/main (second merge)
Rebuilt binary with updated Go code
Recompiled all 116 workflows to incorporate latest changes
Verified update-discussion implementation preserved after merge

Main Branch Merge (First merge)

Merged latest changes from origin/main
Rebuilt binary with updated Go code
Recompiled all 116 workflows
All tests continue to pass

Permissions Fix

Fixed permissions in dev.md: changed discussions: write to discussions: read
Agent job only needs read permission; write operations are handled by safe-outputs job

Dev Workflow Update

Updated .github/workflows/dev.md to use update-discussion to test the new functionality
Workflow targets the latest discussion and appends a creative poem
Uses update-discussion safe output with body updates enabled
Configured with wildcard target for flexible discussion selection

Bug Fix: Environment Variables

Fixed buildUpdateDiscussionStepConfig to properly set GH_AW_UPDATE_TITLE and GH_AW_UPDATE_BODY environment variables
These env vars control which fields can be updated in the JavaScript update_runner

Schema Update

Added update-discussion to main_workflow_schema.json with proper validation
Updated safe-outputs operations list in schema comment

Implementation Checklist - All Complete ✅

How It Works

The new safe output type allows AI agents to update existing GitHub discussions by:

Changing the discussion title
Updating the discussion body (with automatic footer)
Targeting either the triggering discussion, a specific discussion number, or using wildcard matching

Example usage in a workflow:

permissions:
  contents: read
  discussions: read  # Agent only needs read permission
  
safe-outputs:
  update-discussion:
    target: "*"      # Allows updating any discussion
    body:            # presence of key enables body updates
    max: 1

When target: "*" is set, the agent must specify the discussion_number when calling the update_discussion tool. This provides flexibility to target specific discussions rather than being limited to the triggering discussion.

The JavaScript implementation uses environment variables (GH_AW_UPDATE_TITLE, GH_AW_UPDATE_BODY, GH_AW_UPDATE_TARGET) to control which fields can be updated and how discussions are targeted, matching the pattern used by other update operations. Write permissions are handled by the safe-outputs job, maintaining proper separation of concerns.

The GraphQL mutation is dynamically constructed based on which fields are being updated, ensuring valid GraphQL syntax and proper type handling.

When updating the discussion body, a footer is automatically appended:

> AI generated by [Workflow Name](run_url) for #123

This provides traceability and matches the footer format used by other safe output types like create_issue and create_discussion.

Custom agent used: create-safe-output-type
Adding a New Safe Output Type to GitHub Agentic Workflows

Original prompt

Add a "update-discussion" safe output type that allows to update a discussion in a similar way to the update-issue safe output.

Custom agent used: create-safe-output-type
Adding a New Safe Output Type to GitHub Agentic Workflows

💡 You can make Copilot smarter by setting up custom instructions, customizing its development environment and configuring Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. Learn more Copilot coding agent tips in the docs.

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

pelikhan · 2025-12-18T20:17:18Z

Update dev.md to add a poem to the latest discussion @copilot

- Added update-discussion entry to main_workflow_schema.json - Updated safe-outputs comment to include update-discussion - Modified dev.md to test update-discussion by adding a poem to the latest discussion - Rebuilt binary to embed updated schema Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2025-12-18T20:26:27Z

Update dev.md to add a poem to the latest discussion @copilot

Updated dev.md to add a poem to the latest discussion using the new update-discussion safe output type. The workflow now:

Uses update-discussion with body updates enabled
Instructs the agent to find the latest discussion and append a creative poem about GitHub Agentic Workflows
Successfully compiles with the updated schema

Changes in commit c937d5e.

- Added GH_AW_UPDATE_TITLE and GH_AW_UPDATE_BODY environment variables based on config - Added GH_AW_UPDATE_TARGET environment variable if target is specified - These env vars control which fields the JavaScript update_runner allows to be updated - Recompiled dev.md workflow to include GH_AW_UPDATE_BODY: "true" Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

pelikhan · 2025-12-18T21:01:22Z

@copilot merge main

github-actions · 2025-12-18T21:05:46Z

⚠️ Dev Hawk Report - Failure Analysis

Workflow Run: #3140

Status: failure
Commit: 6743a79
Duration: ~1 minute 17 seconds

Root Cause Analysis

The workflow failed during the "Execute GitHub Copilot CLI" step in the agent job. Based on the workflow structure and recent changes in this PR, the failure appears related to the newly added update-discussion safe output functionality.

Key Observations:

Recent Changes: This PR adds support for update-discussion safe output, including:
- Environment variable configuration (GH_AW_UPDATE_TITLE, GH_AW_UPDATE_BODY)
- JavaScript implementation for updating discussions
- Integration with the shared update_runner.cjs
Workflow Configuration: The dev.md workflow was configured to:
- Find the latest discussion in the repository
- Append a poem about GitHub Agentic Workflows
- Use the update-discussion tool with body updates enabled
Failure Location: The agent execution step failed, which suggests:
- Possible MCP server communication issue
- GitHub MCP server configuration problem
- Discussion API access problem

Investigation Notes

The workflow appears to have completed most setup steps successfully:

✅ Activation job completed
✅ Setup steps (MCPs, safe outputs, safe inputs)
✅ Prompt generation
❌ Agent execution failed

The agent job shows it attempted to use:

GitHub MCP server (discussions toolset)
Safe outputs for update-discussion
Safe inputs for gh CLI commands

Recommended Actions

Review agent stdio logs: Download the agent-stdio.log artifact to see the actual error messages from the Copilot CLI
Check GitHub MCP server connection: Verify the GitHub MCP server (discussions toolset) is properly connected
Validate discussion permissions: Ensure the workflow has proper permissions to query and update discussions
Test update-discussion locally: Use gh aw compile and test the dev.md workflow in a controlled environment
Check environment variables: Verify GH_AW_UPDATE_BODY is being properly passed to the JavaScript update runner

Next Steps

To debug this failure, you can:

Download the workflow artifacts (especially agent-stdio.log and mcp-logs)
Check the step summary in the workflow run for detailed error messages
Re-run the workflow with debug logging enabled if needed

AI generated by Dev Hawk

🦅 Observed from above by Dev Hawk

Resolved conflicts in lock files: - campaign-generator.lock.yml - dev.lock.yml - poem-bot.lock.yml - sub-issue-closer.lock.yml Recompiled workflows after merge to ensure update-discussion implementation is preserved.

- Resolved conflicts in 4 lock files (campaign-generator, dev, poem-bot, sub-issue-closer) - Rebuilt binary with latest changes from main - Recompiled workflows to preserve update-discussion implementation - Verified update-discussion step in dev.lock.yml has correct environment variables - All tests passing Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2025-12-18T21:09:11Z

@copilot merge main

Merged main branch successfully. Resolved conflicts in 4 compiled workflow files and recompiled them to preserve the update-discussion implementation. All tests passing.

Changes in commits 7293e77 and d48a64e.

pelikhan · 2025-12-18T21:39:20Z

@copilot update dev.md and insist to update an issue with a poem in the body.

github-actions · 2025-12-18T21:42:04Z

✅ Dev Hawk Report - Success

Workflow Run: #3142

Status: success ✅
Commit: d48a64e
Duration: 100 seconds (1m 40s)
Branch: copilot/add-update-discussion-output

The Dev workflow completed successfully! 🎉

Workflow Details

This run tested the update-discussion feature after merging the main branch. The workflow execution included:

Setting up the environment
Running the compiled workflow (dev.lock.yml)
Validating the update-discussion safe output type

All steps completed without errors, confirming that the merge and environment variable fixes are working correctly.

🦅 Observed from above by Dev Hawk

- Changed workflow to update an issue with a poem instead of a discussion - Updated permissions from discussions:write to issues:write - Changed toolsets from [discussions] to [issues] - Updated safe-outputs from update-discussion to update-issue - Added explicit instruction that the agent MUST use update_issue tool - Recompiled dev.lock.yml with the update-issue step Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2025-12-18T21:44:54Z

@copilot update dev.md and insist to update an issue with a poem in the body.

Updated dev.md to use update-issue instead of update-discussion. The workflow now:

Targets an open issue in the repository
Uses update-issue safe output with body updates enabled
Includes explicit instruction requiring the use of update_issue tool
Successfully compiles with the update-issue step

Changes in commit 3935612.

pelikhan · 2025-12-18T21:54:34Z

Update dev.md to use upda-discussion NOT ISSUE

…scussion-output

Copilot · 2025-12-19T04:03:49Z

@copilot merge main

Merged main branch and recompiled all workflows successfully.

Merged latest changes from origin/main
Rebuilt binary with updated Go code
Recompiled all 116 workflows
Verified update-discussion implementation preserved with correct environment variables

Changes in commit c2434a7.

github-actions · 2025-12-19T04:11:15Z

✅ Dev Hawk Report - Success

Workflow Run: #3148

Status: success
Commit: c2434a7
Duration: ~2.5 minutes (04:04:47 - 04:07:23)

The Dev workflow completed successfully! 🎉

This validates the merge from origin/main into the copilot/add-update-discussion-output branch, ensuring that the update-discussion implementation continues to work correctly with the latest changes from main.

🦅 Observed from above by Dev Hawk

pelikhan · 2025-12-19T04:13:51Z

@copilot the tool handler does not seem to be enabled or handled in the safe output MCP server https://github.com/githubnext/gh-aw/actions/runs/20359439328/job/58501762301#step:37:1

- Fixed YAML tag in compiler_types.go from "update-discussions" (plural) to "update-discussion" (singular) to match schema - Added UpdateDiscussions handling to generateSafeOutputsConfig function so the config JSON includes update_discussion - This ensures the MCP server receives the configuration and properly registers the update_discussion tool - Recompiled dev.lock.yml which now includes update_discussion in config.json The root cause was that update-discussion configuration wasn't being written to the config.json file that the MCP server reads, so even though the tool was defined, the server didn't register it. Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2025-12-19T04:29:40Z

@copilot the tool handler does not seem to be enabled or handled in the safe output MCP server https://github.com/githubnext/gh-aw/actions/runs/20359439328/job/58501762301#step:37:1

Fixed the tool handler issue. The root cause was:

YAML tag mismatch: The Go struct had yaml:"update-discussions" (plural) but should be yaml:"update-discussion" (singular) to match the schema
Missing config generation: The generateSafeOutputsConfig() function wasn't generating the config.json entry for update_discussion

Without the config entry, the MCP server never registered the tool, even though it was defined in tools.json. The default handler works correctly for tools without explicit handlers - the issue was the tool wasn't being registered at all.

Changes in commit 5d6b3cd.

github-actions · 2025-12-19T04:40:34Z

✅ Dev Hawk Report - Success

Workflow Run: #3149

Status: ✅ success
Commit: 5d6b3cd
Duration: ~3m 24s
Branch: copilot/add-update-discussion-output

The Dev workflow completed successfully! 🎉

Summary

This run validated the latest bug fix for MCP server tool registration:

Fixed YAML tag from update-discussions (plural) to update-discussion (singular) to match schema
Added UpdateDiscussions handling to generateSafeOutputsConfig function
Recompiled dev.lock.yml with correct update_discussion configuration

All checks passed successfully, confirming that the update-discussion tool will now be properly registered by the MCP server.

🦅 Observed from above by Dev Hawk

pelikhan · 2025-12-19T04:45:21Z

@copilot update dev.md update-discussion to target *

- Added target: "*" to update-discussion configuration in dev.md - This allows the agent to update any discussion, not just the triggering one - Compiled workflow now includes GH_AW_UPDATE_TARGET: "*" environment variable - Agent can now specify discussion_number when calling update_discussion tool Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2025-12-19T04:51:09Z

@copilot update dev.md update-discussion to target *

Updated dev.md to set target: "*" for update-discussion. This allows the agent to update any discussion by specifying the discussion_number in the update_discussion tool call, rather than being limited to the triggering discussion.

The compiled workflow now includes GH_AW_UPDATE_TARGET: "*" environment variable.

Changes in commit 6520930.

github-actions · 2025-12-19T04:59:42Z

⚠️ Dev Hawk Report - Failure Analysis

Workflow Run: #3150

Status: failure
Commit: 6520930
Duration: ~3.5 minutes
Failed Job: safe_outputs

Root Cause Analysis

The workflow failed in the safe_outputs job during the "Update Discussion" step (step 5). This is a direct test of the new update-discussion safe output feature with target: "*" configuration that was added in this PR.

What Happened

✅ Agent job succeeded - The AI agent successfully executed and generated update instructions
✅ Detection job succeeded - Threat detection passed
❌ Safe outputs job failed - The update-discussion execution failed

Failure Details

Failed Step: Update Discussion (step 5 of safe_outputs job)
Configuration:

safe-outputs:
  update-discussion:
    target: "*"
    body:

The workflow was testing whether the agent could:

Find the latest discussion using GitHub MCP tools
Call update_discussion with a discussion_number parameter
Update the discussion body with a poem

Likely Issues

Given that this is testing newly implemented functionality, the failure is most likely due to one of:

JavaScript execution error - Bug in the update-discussion JavaScript implementation when handling target: "*"
Missing discussion_number parameter - Agent may not have correctly specified which discussion to update
Permission issue - Although permissions look correct (discussions: read for agent, write handled by safe-outputs)
GraphQL mutation error - The actual GitHub API call to update the discussion may have failed

Recommended Actions

Check the safe_output.jsonl artifact to see what parameters the agent passed to update_discussion
Review the JavaScript implementation in the update-discussion safe output handler for target: "*" support
Verify the GraphQL mutation for updating discussions is correctly formed
Add better error logging to the update-discussion JavaScript to help debug future failures
Consider adding unit tests for the target: "*" configuration path

Investigation Notes

Unfortunately, the workflow run logs have expired and are no longer accessible via the GitHub API. The artifacts are still available for 28 days and contain:

safe_output.jsonl - Contains the actual tool call parameters from the agent
agent_output.json - Contains the full agent output
mcp-logs - May contain relevant GitHub API call information

To get more details, download and inspect these artifacts from the workflow run page.

🦅 Observed from above by Dev Hawk

pelikhan · 2025-12-19T05:00:56Z

@copilot update graphql query to handle missing title/body

See https://github.com/githubnext/gh-aw/actions/runs/20360201041/job/58504087589#step:5:1

- Added validation to ensure at least one field (title or body) is provided - Fixed GraphQL mutation to dynamically build mutation fields based on what's being updated - Changed mutation parameters to use required types (String!) for provided fields - Built mutation field list dynamically to avoid invalid GraphQL syntax - All 8 update_discussion tests passing - Recompiled all 116 workflows successfully The previous implementation would create invalid GraphQL when fields were conditionally included, resulting in malformed mutation syntax. The fix properly constructs the mutation string and variables based on which fields are actually being updated. Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2025-12-19T05:08:46Z

@copilot update graphql query to handle missing title/body

See https://github.com/githubnext/gh-aw/actions/runs/20360201041/job/58504087589#step:5:1

Fixed the GraphQL mutation handling. The issue was that the mutation was building invalid GraphQL syntax when fields were conditionally included.

Changes made:

Added validation to ensure at least one field (title or body) is provided
Dynamically build the mutation fields list instead of using conditional string interpolation
Use required types (String!) for fields that are actually being updated
Properly construct the mutation parameter list based on which fields are present

The mutation now correctly handles all cases: title only, body only, or both fields.

Changes in commit e4f9122.

github-actions · 2025-12-19T05:33:12Z

✅ Dev Hawk Report - Success

Workflow Run: #3151

Status: ✅ success
Duration: 2m 52s
Branch: copilot/add-update-discussion-output
Commit: e4f9122

Summary

The Dev workflow completed successfully! 🎉

This run validated the GraphQL mutation fix for update-discussion, which now properly handles cases when title or body fields are missing by dynamically building the mutation structure.

What Was Tested

GraphQL mutation with dynamic field construction
Update-discussion with partial field updates
All 8 update_discussion JavaScript tests
Full workflow compilation (116 workflows)

The implementation correctly prevents invalid GraphQL syntax by building mutation fields and parameters based on which fields are actually being updated.

🦅 Observed from above by Dev Hawk

pelikhan · 2025-12-19T06:17:42Z

@copilot include a footer that points to the workflow run similarly to other generated messages.

- Imported generateFooter from generate_footer.cjs - When updating discussion body, append footer with workflow name and run URL - Footer includes triggering issue/PR/discussion number if available - Matches footer format used by other safe output types (create_issue, etc.) - All 8 update_discussion tests passing - Compiled dev.lock.yml now includes footer generation logic The footer provides traceability by showing which workflow run made the update, consistent with other safe output types. Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2025-12-19T06:26:03Z

@copilot include a footer that points to the workflow run similarly to other generated messages.

Added footer generation to update-discussion body updates. The footer is automatically appended when updating a discussion body and includes:

Workflow name with link to run URL
Triggering issue/PR/discussion number (if available)
Installation instructions (if workflow source is available)
XML marker for traceability

Format matches other safe output types:

> AI generated by [Workflow Name](run_url) for #123

Changes in commit 2acbef7.

Initial plan

9b7a959

Copilot AI assigned Copilot and pelikhan Dec 18, 2025

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan December 18, 2025 18:08 View session

Copilot AI and others added 3 commits December 18, 2025 18:36

Add update-discussion safe output type implementation

beec10a

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

Fix test for update-discussion tool in safe_outputs_tools_test

0df44a5

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

Complete update-discussion implementation - all tests passing

6673fe1

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

Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Add update-discussion safe output type~~ Add update-discussion safe output type Dec 18, 2025

Copilot AI requested a review from pelikhan December 18, 2025 18:56

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan December 18, 2025 18:56

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan December 18, 2025 20:17 View session

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan December 18, 2025 20:40

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan December 18, 2025 21:02 View session

Copilot AI and others added 2 commits December 18, 2025 21:07

Merge main branch

7293e77

Resolved conflicts in lock files: - campaign-generator.lock.yml - dev.lock.yml - poem-bot.lock.yml - sub-issue-closer.lock.yml Recompiled workflows after merge to ensure update-discussion implementation is preserved.

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan December 18, 2025 21:10

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan December 18, 2025 21:39 View session

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan December 18, 2025 21:46

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into copilot/add-update-di…

c2434a7

…scussion-output

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan December 19, 2025 04:04

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan December 19, 2025 04:14 View session

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan December 19, 2025 04:30

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan December 19, 2025 04:46 View session

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan December 19, 2025 04:52

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan December 19, 2025 05:01 View session

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan December 19, 2025 05:14

pelikhan marked this pull request as ready for review December 19, 2025 06:18

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan December 19, 2025 06:18 View session

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan December 19, 2025 06:26

pelikhan merged commit 4354a96 into main Dec 19, 2025
4 checks passed

pelikhan deleted the copilot/add-update-discussion-output branch December 19, 2025 06:27

Add update-discussion safe output type #6887

Add update-discussion safe output type #6887

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Add update-discussion Safe Output Type - COMPLETE ✅

Recent Changes

Implementation Checklist - All Complete ✅

How It Works

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⚠️ Dev Hawk Report - Failure Analysis

Root Cause Analysis

Key Observations:

Investigation Notes

Recommended Actions

Next Steps

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✅ Dev Hawk Report - Success

Workflow Details

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✅ Dev Hawk Report - Success

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✅ Dev Hawk Report - Success

Summary

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⚠️ Dev Hawk Report - Failure Analysis

Root Cause Analysis

What Happened

Failure Details

Likely Issues

Recommended Actions

Investigation Notes

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✅ Dev Hawk Report - Success

Summary

What Was Tested

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Copilot AI commented Dec 18, 2025 •

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