Add workflow drift trigger #257

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1. github-actions commented on Feb 21, 2026

   

   github-actionsBot

   on Feb 21, 2026 – with GitHub Actions

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   tl;dr: I recommend adding a dedicated internal workflow drift detector (scheduled + manual) and a CI parity gate; current checks catch lock-file drift but miss trigger/example and source/lock parity drift.

   Recommendation

   Implement a new internal scheduled workflow (e.g., .github/workflows/gh-aw-workflow-drift.md) that validates workflow parity and opens a single tracked issue when drift is detected, then add a CI guard that fails PRs when parity checks fail.

   Findings

   • Trigger files are generated by scripts/dogfood.sh, with only two explicit exclusions (flaky-test-triage, issue-triage-pr) at scripts/dogfood.sh:20-23, and copy logic at scripts/dogfood.sh:29-45.
   • CI currently runs make compile and checks for a dirty tree (.github/workflows/ci.yml:37-46), but does not run make sync/dogfood.sh in that job.
   • make compile currently runs only the gh-aw compiler (Makefile:135-138) and does not include trigger sync.
   • The repo still has parity drift classes consistent with this issue’s motivation:
     • missing source for lock: .github/workflows/gh-aw-release-update.lock.yml exists while .github/workflows/gh-aw-release-update.md is missing.
     • orphan trigger: trigger-downstream-users.yml exists without a corresponding gh-agent-workflows/downstream-users/example.yml (internal-only case).
   • Related ongoing work: PR Fix workflow drift for release-update and downstream-users docs #247 addresses issue Workflow Drift for gh-aw-release-update and gh-aw-downstream-users #235 (release-update source/docs drift), but it does not create a generic drift detector workflow for future regressions.

   Verification

   I ran the existing repo sync path and parity checks locally:

   $ ./scripts/dogfood.sh
   ...
   ✓ gh-agent-workflows/pr-review-fork/example.yml → .github/workflows/trigger-pr-review-fork.yml
   ...
   ✓ Sync complete
   

   $ git --no-pager status --short
    M .github/workflows/trigger-issue-triage.yml
    M .github/workflows/trigger-mention-in-issue.yml
    M .github/workflows/trigger-mention-in-pr.yml
    M .github/workflows/trigger-update-pr-body.yml
   ?? .github/workflows/trigger-pr-review-fork.yml
   

   $ python parity-check
   missing_triggers: []
   orphan_triggers: ['downstream-users']
   missing_md: ['gh-aw-release-update']
   missing_lock: []
   

   These outputs confirm drift can exist outside the current make compile verification path.

   Detailed Action Plan

   1. Add internal workflow source .github/workflows/gh-aw-workflow-drift.md (modeled after .github/workflows/gh-aw-upgrade-check.md):
      • on.schedule weekdays + workflow_dispatch.
      • safe-outputs: create-issue (max 1, close older) + noop.
      • Prompt executes deterministic parity checks and reports only concrete mismatches.
   2. In the workflow prompt/check logic, enforce these invariants:
      • every .github/workflows/gh-aw-*.lock.yml has matching .github/workflows/gh-aw-*.md (with explicit allowlist if needed);
      • every gh-agent-workflows/*/example.yml (minus excluded/internal allowlist) has .github/workflows/trigger-(name).yml;
      • no trigger-(name).yml exists without matching gh-agent-workflows/(name)/example.yml unless explicitly internal.
   3. Add/clarify a canonical internal allowlist in one place (e.g., scripts/dogfood.sh + docs) for intentionally internal workflows like downstream-users and upgrade-check.
   4. Strengthen CI in .github/workflows/ci.yml:
      • run make sync before/with compile checks;
      • fail if parity script reports mismatches, so drift is caught in PRs rather than only by schedule.
   5. Update DEVELOPING.md and gh-agent-workflows/DEVELOPING.md to document the new drift detector and parity invariants.

   Related Items

   Type	Link	Relevance
   Issue	#257	Current request to add workflow drift trigger
   Issue	#235	Prior drift report (missing source + internal-only ambiguity)
   Issue	#236	Prior trigger drift report
   PR	#247	Active fix for #235, not a general drift detector
   File	scripts/dogfood.sh:20-23	Current exclusion list driving trigger sync
   File	scripts/dogfood.sh:29-45	Trigger generation mechanism
   File	Makefile:135-138	make compile does not include sync
   File	.github/workflows/ci.yml:37-46	CI compile check misses sync/parity checks

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2. strawgate

   assigned

   Copilot

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   strawgate

   on Feb 21, 2026
3. strawgate

   closed this as completedin #261on Feb 21, 2026