feat(gh-aw): ship Squad modes with verified consumer bootstrap (#1613-#1618) by bradygaster · Pull Request #1622 · bradygaster/squad

bradygaster · 2026-08-05T19:59:08Z

Summary

Ships the complete /squad Agentic Workflow prompt for Cast, Connect, Adopt, Cast Member, Retire, and Status modes, including tailored team scaffolding and meet-the-squad.md.

This revision also applies the consumer configuration proven end-to-end in bradygaster/squad-gh-aw-test:

Accepts /squad from issue bodies, issue comments, PR review comments, and manual dispatch.
Initializes with npx --yes "@bradygaster/squad-cli@${SQUAD_CLI_VERSION:-0.11.0}" init --preset default --state-backend local in the unrestricted activation job.
Defaults SQUAD_CLI_VERSION to 0.11.0, with a repository-variable override.
Constrains pull-request output to Squad-owned files, permits required protected paths, caps patches at 500 files, and expires staged output after 14 days.
Allows dynamic PR bases only for squad/* branches, which Cast Member and Retire use for follow-up PRs against an existing Squad branch.
Keeps engine.version: 1.0.78 while this source is compiled with gh-aw v0.85.4; the toolcache executable-path fix in github/gh-aw#50908 first appears in v0.86.0.
Restores .github/actions/squad-init/action.yml to the base branch. The workflow does not use the composite action because Squad v0.11.0 has no release assets.

The successful consumer run opened bradygaster/squad-gh-aw-test#19.

Copilot setup steps remain a separate repository prerequisite. This workflow intentionally does not create or modify .github/workflows/**, avoiding the GitHub App-only workflows: write permission required by gh-aw's allow-workflows mode.

Security review

The compiled workflow references the optional restricted secrets SQUAD_GITHUB_APP_PRIVATE_KEY and SQUAD_GITHUB_TOKEN. Both were reviewed: the private key is consumed only by actions/create-github-app-token@v3.2.0, and the fallback token is exposed only as GH_TOKEN to the activation bootstrap. No redirect changes were introduced. Agent writes remain mediated by gh-aw safe outputs and the explicit file allowlist.

Validation

gh aw compile workflows/squad.md --no-emit --approve (gh-aw v0.85.4)
node --test test/workflows.test.cjs (27 passing)
npm run build --ignore-scripts

Closes #1613
Closes #1614
Closes #1615
Closes #1616
Closes #1617
Closes #1618

@dev

Implements the Cast mode agent instructions in workflows/squad.md — the main event for the /squad slash command. When triggered, the Copilot agent: 1. Parses the /squad command to detect mode (default = cast) 2. Analyzes the target repo (languages, structure, CI, patterns) 3. Composes a tailored team using Squad's casting intelligence 4. Generates full .squad/ scaffolding with customized charters 5. Creates meet-the-squad.md introducing the cast 6. Opens a PR via safe-outputs Also addresses Copilot reviewer feedback on shared/squad.md: - Pin squad-init action ref from @dev to @main (stable distribution) - Change if-no-files-found from ignore to error (fail fast) Closes #1614 Closes #1613 Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

github-actions · 2026-08-05T19:59:19Z

🛫 PR Readiness Check

ℹ️ This comment updates on each push. Last checked: commit d6e5ce5

PR Scope: 🔧 Infrastructure

⚠️ 3 item(s) to address before review

Status	Check	Details
❌	Single commit	11 commits — consider squashing before review
✅	Not in draft	Ready for review
✅	Branch up to date	Up to date with dev
❌	Copilot review	No Copilot review yet — it may still be processing
✅	Changeset present	No source files changed — changeset not required
✅	Scope clean	No .squad/ or docs/proposals/ files
✅	No merge conflicts	No merge conflicts
✅	Copilot threads resolved	1 active Copilot thread(s) resolved (3 outdated skipped)
❌	CI passing	7 check(s) failing: sdk-exports-validation, samples-build, Policy Gates, test, docs-quality, Changeset Drift, changes

Files Changed (2 files, +649 −59)

File	+/−
`workflows/shared/squad.md`	+11 −21
`workflows/squad.md`	+638 −38

Total: +649 −59

This check runs automatically on every push. Fix any ❌ items and push again.
See CONTRIBUTING.md and PR Requirements for details.

github-actions · 2026-08-05T19:59:19Z

🟢 Impact Analysis — PR #1622

Risk tier: 🟢 LOW

📊 Summary

Metric	Count
Files changed	2
Files added	0
Files modified	2
Files deleted	0
Modules touched	1

🎯 Risk Factors

2 files changed (≤5 → LOW)
1 module(s) touched (≤1 → LOW)

📦 Modules Affected

root (2 files)

workflows/shared/squad.md
workflows/squad.md

This report is generated automatically for every PR. See #733 for details.

Copilot

Pull request overview

This PR updates the gh-aw /squad workflow to include a full Cast-mode instruction spec (repo analysis → team composition → universe/name allocation → scaffolding → PR creation) and adjusts the shared bootstrap component to use a more stable action ref and fail fast when expected bootstrap outputs are missing.

Changes:

Implement detailed Cast-mode coordinator instructions in workflows/squad.md, including repo analysis, casting, scaffolding, and PR creation guidance.
Update bootstrap to use squad-init@main instead of @dev.
Fail fast in bootstrap artifact upload when expected files are missing (if-no-files-found: error).

Show a summary per file

File	Description
workflows/squad.md	Adds comprehensive Cast-mode behavior/instructions and updates mode parsing + status-mode behavior guidance.
workflows/shared/squad.md	Pins the bootstrap init action to `@main` and makes missing bootstrap outputs fail the activation job.

Review details

Suppressed comments (1)

workflows/squad.md:285

The Cast-mode intro says Scribe, Ralph, and Rai are always-on agents, but the meet-the-squad template’s Always-On Support table omits Rai. This will cause the generated intro doc to disagree with the rest of the Cast-mode scaffolding rules.

| Name | Role | Notes |
|------|------|-------|
| Scribe | Session Logger | Tracks all agent sessions silently |
| Ralph | Work Monitor | Watches the backlog and alerts on stale work |

Files reviewed: 2/2 changed files
Comments generated: 4
Review effort level: Lite

…eps (#1618, #1619) Enhances the Cast mode output: - meet-the-squad.md template now includes: - 4-column team table (emoji+name, role, specialty, interaction method) - "How to Work With Your Squad" section (labels, commands, routing) - Mode-specific "What Happened Here" rationale block - Cast/Connect/Adopt variations - copilot-setup-steps.yml auto-inclusion: - Checks if .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml exists - If missing, generates language-appropriate setup (Node/Python/Go/other) - Never overwrites existing file - Mentions in PR body when included Also fixes step ordering (setup-steps check now runs before PR creation). Closes #1618 Closes #1619 Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

bradygaster · 2026-08-05T20:05:34Z

Expanded scope (commit 2)

This PR now also addresses:

feat(gh-aw): Generate meet-the-squad.md in repo root #1618 — Enriched meet-the-squad.md template (4-column table, interaction guide, mode-specific rationale)
feat(gh-aw): Auto-install copilot-setup-steps.yml when missing #1619 — Auto-include copilot-setup-steps.yml when missing (language-aware generation)

Both are in the second commit. The Closes keywords are in the commit message.

…1617) Replaces all remaining TODO stubs in workflows/squad.md with full agent instructions: Connect mode (/squad from org/repo): - Parse and validate source URL via gh API - Write lightweight .squad/config.json pointer only - Generate meet-the-squad.md noting external management - Open PR with minimal footprint (no squad files committed) Adopt mode (/squad adopt org/repo): - Parse, validate, and fetch full source squad - Install scaffolding locally with ownership transfer - Adapt repo-specific references in routing - Include copilot-setup-steps.yml if missing - Open PR with full squad committed Cast Member (/squad cast-member): - Natural language member addition with casting intelligence - Modify/rename existing members preserving identity - Universe-aware name allocation avoiding conflicts - Context-aware PR behavior (push to existing or open new) Retire (/squad retire): - Flexible matching by name, role, or ID - Archive charter to _alumni/ (never delete) - Update all squad files (registry, team, routing) - Context-aware PR behavior The /squad command workflow is now feature-complete for all 7 modes. Closes #1615 Closes #1616 Closes #1617 Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

bradygaster · 2026-08-05T20:13:24Z

Commit 3: All remaining modes implemented

This PR now closes the ENTIRE epic (#1612). All 7 modes are implemented:

Mode	Command	Issue
✅ Cast	`/squad` or `/squad cast`	#1614
✅ Connect	`/squad from org/repo`	#1615
✅ Adopt	`/squad adopt org/repo`	#1616
✅ Cast Member	`/squad cast-member <spec>`	#1617
✅ Retire	`/squad retire <name>`	#1617
✅ Status	`/squad status`	(included in Cast)
✅ meet-the-squad.md	(all modes)	#1618
✅ copilot-setup-steps	(Cast + Adopt)	#1619
✅ Bootstrap fixes	shared/squad.md	#1613

The workflows/squad.md file is now feature-complete — all TODO stubs are replaced with full agent instructions.

Fixes 4 of 5 findings from the in-depth review: 1. workflow_dispatch now declares a 'command' input so manual dispatch can supply mode arguments (fixes #1626) 2. Cast mode team.md template now includes the ## Coding Agent section with @copilot row and auto-assign marker (fixes #1623) 3. Retire mode archives the entire agent directory to _alumni/{lowercase-name}/ instead of a flat file (fixes #1624) 4. Standardized on cast name (lowercase) as the canonical identifier for registry keys, labels, charter paths, and meet-the-squad references — eliminates role-id vs name ambiguity (fixes #1625) The 5th finding (#1627 — Connect mode bootstrap lacks remote squad resolution) requires a design decision about where that logic lives (shared/squad.md vs squad-init action). Tracked separately. Closes #1623 Closes #1624 Closes #1625 Closes #1626 Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Teaches the squad-init composite action to handle Connect mode: - New inputs: mode (default|connect) and source (owner/repo) - When mode=connect: fetches .squad/ files from remote source via gh API (team.md, routing.md, agent charters, squad.agent.md) - Writes .squad/config.json pointer with squadSource and connectedAt - Existing 'squad init' step is gated on mode != connect - Input validation extended for new parameters Also updates shared/squad.md bootstrap to detect existing .squad/config.json and pass mode/source to the action automatically. Closes #1627 Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Enables gh aw add from feature branch during development. Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

gh-aw doesn't recognize this field in safe-outputs. Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

… mode gh-aw strict mode rejects contents:write, issues:write, and pull-requests:write. Switch to safe-outputs pattern: add-comment and create-issue declarations alongside existing create-pull-request. Convert direct git push in Cast-Member and Retire modes to use create-pull-request safe-output. Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

…tmatter Add issues:read and pull-requests:read permissions required by the issues and pull_requests toolsets. Fix ambient-folders frontmatter field in shared/squad.md that gh-aw doesn't recognize. Ref #1630 Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Closes #1613 Closes #1614 Closes #1615 Closes #1616 Closes #1617 Closes #1618 Closes #1619 Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Closes #1613 Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot AI lite review requested due to automatic review settings August 5, 2026 19:59

bradygaster requested a review from tamirdresher as a code owner August 5, 2026 19:59

bradygaster added enhancement New feature or improvement gh-aw GitHub Agentic Workflows integration labels Aug 5, 2026

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of bradygaster August 5, 2026 19:59 View session

Copilot AI reviewed Aug 5, 2026

View reviewed changes

Comment thread workflows/squad.md

Comment thread workflows/squad.md Outdated

Comment thread workflows/squad.md

Comment thread workflows/shared/squad.md Outdated

bradygaster and others added 7 commits August 5, 2026 21:17

chore: flip private to false for testing

911721e

Enables gh aw add from feature branch during development. Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

fix: remove unsupported close-older-prs from frontmatter

ae9ee1c

gh-aw doesn't recognize this field in safe-outputs. Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

fix(gh-aw): verify Squad workflow distribution

85d556c

Closes #1613 Closes #1614 Closes #1615 Closes #1616 Closes #1617 Closes #1618 Closes #1619 Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

bradygaster changed the title ~~feat(gh-aw): Cast mode implementation + bootstrap fixes (#1614, #1613)~~ feat(gh-aw): ship Squad modes with verified consumer bootstrap (#1613-#1619) Aug 7, 2026

fix(gh-aw): keep setup workflow out of safe output

d6e5ce5

Closes #1613 Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

bradygaster changed the title ~~feat(gh-aw): ship Squad modes with verified consumer bootstrap (#1613-#1619)~~ feat(gh-aw): ship Squad modes with verified consumer bootstrap (#1613-#1618) Aug 7, 2026

bradygaster merged commit 60032b5 into dev Aug 7, 2026
15 of 24 checks passed

bradygaster deleted the squad/1614-cast-mode branch August 7, 2026 18:54

This was referenced Aug 7, 2026

Ambient-folders migration path #1607

Closed

docs: add gh-aw slash commands and setup guide #1636

Merged

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feat(gh-aw): ship Squad modes with verified consumer bootstrap (#1613-#1618) - #1622

feat(gh-aw): ship Squad modes with verified consumer bootstrap (#1613-#1618)#1622
bradygaster merged 11 commits into
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squad/1614-cast-mode

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Files Changed (2 files, +649 −59)

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bradygaster commented Aug 5, 2026

Expanded scope (commit 2)

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Commit 3: All remaining modes implemented

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