Official agent skill

Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification

by github in github/awesome-copilot

Create a formal specification for an existing GitHub Actions CI/CD workflow, optimized for AI consumption and workflow maintenance.

OfficialMITAuto-check passedDevOps & Cloud

Install Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification

skills CLI
$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill create-github-action-workflow-specification -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install github/awesome-copilot create-github-action-workflow-specification --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/create-github-action-workflow-specification .claude/skills/create-github-action-workflow-specification && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
create-github-action-workflow-specification
GitHub stars
40k
Used in
1 other repo
Token cost
~1.9k tokens
SKILL.md length
479 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
417
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Create a formal specification for an existing GitHub Actions CI/CD workflow, optimized for AI consumption and workflow maintenance.

  • Works in 5 steps: Specification Update: Modify this… → Review & Approval: [Approval process] → Implementation: Apply changes to workflow → …
  • Tasks that involve CI/CD
  • SKILL.md covers AI-Optimized Requirements, Specification Template, Jobs & Dependencies and Requirements Matrix, plus 9 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification is an agent skill from github/awesome-copilot, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Create a formal specification for an existing GitHub Actions CI/CD workflow, optimized for AI consumption and workflow maintenance.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.9k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in DevOps & Cloud, covering CI/CD. It works with GitHub Actions. The repository describes itself as: Community-contributed instructions, agents, skills, and configurations to help you make the most of GitHub Copilot. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve CI/CD

Example prompts

  • “/create-github-action-workflow-specification”

Workflow steps

5 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Specification Update: Modify this document first
  2. Review & Approval: [Approval process]
  3. Implementation: Apply changes to workflow
  4. Testing: [Validation approach]
  5. Deployment: [Release process]

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 7cce7cf. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are yaml, markdown and mermaid).

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification loads about 1.9k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 44 tokens; SKILL.md has 479 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~44
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.9k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from github/awesome-copilot at commit 7cce7cf, republished under its MIT licence (© github). 479 words, ~1,915 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/create-github-action-workflow-specification/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
create-github-action-workflow-specification
description
Create a formal specification for an existing GitHub Actions CI/CD workflow, optimized for AI consumption and workflow maintenance.

Create GitHub Actions Workflow Specification

Create a comprehensive specification for the GitHub Actions workflow: ${input:WorkflowFile}.

This specification serves as a specification for the workflow's behavior, requirements, and constraints. It must be implementation-agnostic, focusing on what the workflow accomplishes rather than how it's implemented.

AI-Optimized Requirements

  • Token Efficiency: Use concise language without sacrificing clarity
  • Structured Data: Leverage tables, lists, and diagrams for dense information
  • Semantic Clarity: Use precise terminology consistently throughout
  • Implementation Abstraction: Avoid specific syntax, commands, or tool versions
  • Maintainability: Design for easy updates as workflow evolves

Specification Template

Save as: /spec/spec-process-cicd-[workflow-name].md

md
---
title: CI/CD Workflow Specification - [Workflow Name]
version: 1.0
date_created: [YYYY-MM-DD]
last_updated: [YYYY-MM-DD]
owner: DevOps Team
tags: [process, cicd, github-actions, automation, [domain-specific-tags]]
---

## Workflow Overview

**Purpose**: [One sentence describing workflow's primary goal]
**Trigger Events**: [List trigger conditions]
**Target Environments**: [Environment scope]

## Execution Flow Diagram

```mermaid
graph TD
    A[Trigger Event] --> B[Job 1]
    B --> C[Job 2]
    C --> D[Job 3]
    D --> E[End]
    
    B --> F[Parallel Job]
    F --> D
    
    style A fill:#e1f5fe
    style E fill:#e8f5e8

Jobs & Dependencies

Job NamePurposeDependenciesExecution Context
job-1[Purpose][Prerequisites][Runner/Environment]
job-2[Purpose]job-1[Runner/Environment]

Requirements Matrix

Functional Requirements
IDRequirementPriorityAcceptance Criteria
REQ-001[Requirement]High[Testable criteria]
REQ-002[Requirement]Medium[Testable criteria]
Security Requirements
IDRequirementImplementation Constraint
SEC-001[Security requirement][Constraint description]
Performance Requirements
IDMetricTargetMeasurement Method
PERF-001[Metric][Target value][How measured]

Input/Output Contracts

Inputs
yaml
# Environment Variables
ENV_VAR_1: string  # Purpose: [description]
ENV_VAR_2: secret  # Purpose: [description]

# Repository Triggers
paths: [list of path filters]
branches: [list of branch patterns]
Outputs
yaml
# Job Outputs
job_1_output: string  # Description: [purpose]
build_artifact: file  # Description: [content type]
Secrets & Variables
TypeNamePurposeScope
SecretSECRET_1[Purpose]Workflow
VariableVAR_1[Purpose]Repository

Execution Constraints

Runtime Constraints
  • Timeout: [Maximum execution time]
  • Concurrency: [Parallel execution limits]
  • Resource Limits: [Memory/CPU constraints]
Environmental Constraints
  • Runner Requirements: [OS/hardware needs]
  • Network Access: [External connectivity needs]
  • Permissions: [Required access levels]

Error Handling Strategy

Error TypeResponseRecovery Action
Build Failure[Response][Recovery steps]
Test Failure[Response][Recovery steps]
Deployment Failure[Response][Recovery steps]

Quality Gates

Gate Definitions
GateCriteriaBypass Conditions
Code Quality[Standards][When allowed]
Security Scan[Thresholds][When allowed]
Test Coverage[Percentage][When allowed]

Monitoring & Observability

Key Metrics
  • Success Rate: [Target percentage]
  • Execution Time: [Target duration]
  • Resource Usage: [Monitoring approach]
Alerting
ConditionSeverityNotification Target
[Condition][Level][Who/Where]

Integration Points

External Systems
SystemIntegration TypeData ExchangeSLA Requirements
[System][Type][Data format][Requirements]
Show full SKILL.md (193 more words)Show less
Dependent Workflows
WorkflowRelationshipTrigger Mechanism
[Workflow][Type][How triggered]

Compliance & Governance

Audit Requirements
  • Execution Logs: [Retention policy]
  • Approval Gates: [Required approvals]
  • Change Control: [Update process]
Security Controls
  • Access Control: [Permission model]
  • Secret Management: [Rotation policy]
  • Vulnerability Scanning: [Scan frequency]

Edge Cases & Exceptions

Scenario Matrix
ScenarioExpected BehaviorValidation Method
[Edge case][Behavior][How to verify]

Validation Criteria

Workflow Validation
  • VLD-001: [Validation rule]
  • VLD-002: [Validation rule]
Performance Benchmarks
  • PERF-001: [Benchmark criteria]
  • PERF-002: [Benchmark criteria]

Change Management

Update Process
  1. Specification Update: Modify this document first
  2. Review & Approval: [Approval process]
  3. Implementation: Apply changes to workflow
  4. Testing: [Validation approach]
  5. Deployment: [Release process]
Version History
VersionDateChangesAuthor
1.0[Date]Initial specification[Author]
  • [Link to related workflow specs]
  • [Link to infrastructure specs]
  • [Link to deployment specs]

## Analysis Instructions

When analyzing the workflow file:

1. **Extract Core Purpose**: Identify the primary business objective
2. **Map Job Flow**: Create dependency graph showing execution order
3. **Identify Contracts**: Document inputs, outputs, and interfaces
4. **Capture Constraints**: Extract timeouts, permissions, and limits
5. **Define Quality Gates**: Identify validation and approval points
6. **Document Error Paths**: Map failure scenarios and recovery
7. **Abstract Implementation**: Focus on behavior, not syntax

## Mermaid Diagram Guidelines

### Flow Types
- **Sequential**: `A --> B --> C`
- **Parallel**: `A --> B & A --> C; B --> D & C --> D`
- **Conditional**: `A --> B{Decision}; B -->|Yes| C; B -->|No| D`

### Styling
```mermaid
style TriggerNode fill:#e1f5fe
style SuccessNode fill:#e8f5e8
style FailureNode fill:#ffebee
style ProcessNode fill:#f3e5f5
Complex Workflows

For workflows with 5+ jobs, use subgraphs:

mermaid
graph TD
    subgraph "Build Phase"
        A[Lint] --> B[Test] --> C[Build]
    end
    subgraph "Deploy Phase"  
        D[Staging] --> E[Production]
    end
    C --> D

Token Optimization Strategies

  1. Use Tables: Dense information in structured format
  2. Abbreviate Consistently: Define once, use throughout
  3. Bullet Points: Avoid prose paragraphs
  4. Code Blocks: Structured data over narrative
  5. Cross-Reference: Link instead of repeat information

Focus on creating a specification that serves as both documentation and a template for workflow updates.

© github, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/create-github-action-workflow-specification of github/awesome-copilot.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 7cce7cf

Used in 1 other repository

We found 1 copy of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 1 other GitHub owner. This page covers the copy in github/awesome-copilot, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

Compare with similar skills

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Works with

Categories

Questions about Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification

What does Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification do?

Create a formal specification for an existing GitHub Actions CI/CD workflow, optimized for AI consumption and workflow maintenance. Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification is an agent skill from github/awesome-copilot, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Create a formal specification for an existing GitHub Actions CI/CD workflow, optimized for AI consumption and workflow maintenance.

When should I use Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification?

Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification fits situations like: tasks that involve CI/CD.

How do I install Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill create-github-action-workflow-specification -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/create-github-action-workflow-specification in github/awesome-copilot) into .claude/skills/create-github-action-workflow-specification in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification in Codex?

Run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill create-github-action-workflow-specification -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/create-github-action-workflow-specification in github/awesome-copilot) into .agents/skills/create-github-action-workflow-specification in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill create-github-action-workflow-specification -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/create-github-action-workflow-specification, .gemini/skills/create-github-action-workflow-specification, .github/skills/create-github-action-workflow-specification and .opencode/skills/create-github-action-workflow-specification in your project.

What does Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification is instructions for the agent only.

Does Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification use?

Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification use?

About 1.9k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 7.7k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification: Analyze GitHub Action Logs (withastro/astro, 63k stars), GitHub Actions Templates (bartstc/vite-ts-react-template, 122 stars), Nushell (ccusage/ccusage, 19k stars) and Repo Hygiene Scan and Fix (QwenLM/qwen-code, 28k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Create GitHub Action Workflow Specification?

github (a GitHub organization, an official publisher) maintains it in github/awesome-copilot, which has 39,792 GitHub stars. The repository holds 417 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 8, 2026.

Source: github/awesome-copilot on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.