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/create-github-action-workflow-specification

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

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

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How this skill gets triggered: by you, by Claude, or both.

  • Fires itselfAuto-invocation. Claude auto-loads it when your prompt matches the work.Auto-invocation is when the right skill fires by itself at the right moment, driven by a FLOW.md router and a hook, instead of you invoking it by name. It is the difference between a skill being installed and a skill actually getting used.Read the full definition →
  • You can call itInvoke it directly when you want it.
  • Slash command/create-github-action-workflow-specification

Context preview

The summary Claude sees to decide when to auto-load this skill.

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

SKILL.md

create-github-action-workflow-specification.SKILL.md
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`

---
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 Name | Purpose | Dependencies | Execution Context | |----------|---------|--------------|-------------------| | job-1 | [Purpose] | [Prerequisites] | [Runner/Environment] | | job-2 | [Purpose] | job-1 | [Runner/Environment] |

Requirements Matrix

Functional Requirements

| ID | Requirement | Priority | Acceptance Criteria | |----|-------------|----------|-------------------| | REQ-001 | [Requirement] | High | [Testable criteria] | | REQ-002 | [Requirement] | Medium | [Testable criteria] |

Security Requirements

| ID | Requirement | Implementation Constraint | |----|-------------|---------------------------| | SEC-001 | [Security requirement] | [Constraint description] |

Performance Requirements

| ID | Metric | Target | Measurement Method | |----|-------|--------|-------------------| | PERF-001 | [Metric] | [Target value] | [How measured] |

Input/Output Contracts

Inputs

# 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

# Job Outputs
job_1_output: string  # Description: [purpose]
build_artifact: file  # Description: [content type]

Secrets & Variables

| Type | Name | Purpose | Scope | |------|------|---------|-------| | Secret | SECRET_1 | [Purpose] | Workflow | | Variable | VAR_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 Type | Response | Recovery Action | |------------|----------|-----------------| | Build Failure | [Response] | [Recovery steps] | | Test Failure | [Response] | [Recovery steps] | | Deployment Failure | [Response] | [Recovery steps] |

Quality Gates

Gate Definitions

| Gate | Criteria | Bypass 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

| Condition | Severity | Notification Target | |-----------|----------|-------------------| | [Condition] | [Level] | [Who/Where] |

Integration Points

External Systems

| System | Integration Type | Data Exchange | SLA Requirements | |--------|------------------|---------------|------------------| | [System] | [Type] | [Data format] | [Requirements] |

Dependent Workflows

| Workflow | Relationship | Trigger 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

| Scenario | Expected Behavior | Validation 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

| Version | Date | Changes | Author | |---------|------|---------|--------| | 1.0 | [Date] | Initial specification | [Author] |

Related Specificatio

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