SpecBot: Output to Discussions instead of Pull Requests (#8399)

* Initial plan

* Replace create-pull-request with create-discussion for SpecBot

Co-authored-by: NikolajBjorner <3085284+NikolajBjorner@users.noreply.github.com>

---------

Co-authored-by: copilot-swe-agent[bot] <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: NikolajBjorner <3085284+NikolajBjorner@users.noreply.github.com>

.github/workflows/specbot.lock.yml

@@ -156,32 +156,25 @@ jobs:
           mkdir -p /tmp/gh-aw/safeoutputs
           mkdir -p /tmp/gh-aw/mcp-logs/safeoutputs
           cat > /opt/gh-aw/safeoutputs/config.json << 'EOF'
-          {"create_missing_tool_issue":{"max":1,"title_prefix":"[missing tool]"},"create_pull_request":{},"missing_data":{},"missing_tool":{},"noop":{"max":1}}
+          {"create_discussion":{"max":1},"create_missing_tool_issue":{"max":1,"title_prefix":"[missing tool]"},"missing_data":{},"missing_tool":{},"noop":{"max":1}}
           EOF
           cat > /opt/gh-aw/safeoutputs/tools.json << 'EOF'
           [
             {
-              "description": "Create a new GitHub pull request to propose code changes. Use this after making file edits to submit them for review and merging. The PR will be created from the current branch with your committed changes. For code review comments on an existing PR, use create_pull_request_review_comment instead. CONSTRAINTS: Maximum 1 pull request(s) can be created.",
+              "description": "Create a GitHub discussion for announcements, Q\u0026A, reports, status updates, or community conversations. Use this for content that benefits from threaded replies, doesn't require task tracking, or serves as documentation. For actionable work items that need assignment and status tracking, use create_issue instead. CONSTRAINTS: Maximum 1 discussion(s) can be created. Title will be prefixed with \"[SpecBot] \". Discussions will be created in category \"Agentic Workflows\".",
               "inputSchema": {
                 "additionalProperties": false,
                 "properties": {
                   "body": {
-                    "description": "Detailed PR description in Markdown. Include what changes were made, why, testing notes, and any breaking changes. Do NOT repeat the title as a heading.",
+                    "description": "Discussion content in Markdown. Do NOT repeat the title as a heading since it already appears as the discussion's h1. Include all relevant context, findings, or questions.",
                     "type": "string"
                   },
-                  "branch": {
-                    "description": "Source branch name containing the changes. If omitted, uses the current working branch.",
+                  "category": {
+                    "description": "Discussion category by name (e.g., 'General'), slug (e.g., 'general'), or ID. If omitted, uses the first available category. Category must exist in the repository.",
                     "type": "string"
                   },
-                  "labels": {
-                    "description": "Labels to categorize the PR (e.g., 'enhancement', 'bugfix'). Labels must exist in the repository.",
-                    "items": {
-                      "type": "string"
-                    },
-                    "type": "array"
-                  },
                   "title": {
-                    "description": "Concise PR title describing the changes. Follow repository conventions (e.g., conventional commits). The title appears as the main heading.",
+                    "description": "Concise discussion title summarizing the topic. The title appears as the main heading, so keep it brief and descriptive.",
                     "type": "string"
                   }
                 },
@@ -191,7 +184,7 @@ jobs:
                 ],
                 "type": "object"
               },
-              "name": "create_pull_request"
+              "name": "create_discussion"
             },
             {
               "description": "Report that a tool or capability needed to complete the task is not available, or share any information you deem important about missing functionality or limitations. Use this when you cannot accomplish what was requested because the required functionality is missing or access is restricted.",
@@ -266,7 +259,7 @@ jobs:
           EOF
           cat > /opt/gh-aw/safeoutputs/validation.json << 'EOF'
           {
-            "create_pull_request": {
+            "create_discussion": {
               "defaultMax": 1,
               "fields": {
                 "body": {
@@ -275,17 +268,14 @@ jobs:
                   "sanitize": true,
                   "maxLength": 65000
                 },
-                "branch": {
-                  "required": true,
+                "category": {
                   "type": "string",
                   "sanitize": true,
-                  "maxLength": 256
+                  "maxLength": 128
                 },
-                "labels": {
-                  "type": "array",
-                  "itemType": "string",
-                  "itemSanitize": true,
-                  "itemMaxLength": 128
+                "repo": {
+                  "type": "string",
+                  "maxLength": 256
                 },
                 "title": {
                   "required": true,
@@ -499,7 +489,7 @@ jobs:
           <instructions>
           To create or modify GitHub resources (issues, discussions, pull requests, etc.), you MUST call the appropriate safe output tool. Simply writing content will NOT work - the workflow requires actual tool calls.
           
-          **Available tools**: create_pull_request, missing_tool, noop
+          **Available tools**: create_discussion, missing_tool, noop
           
           **Critical**: Tool calls write structured data that downstream jobs process. Without tool calls, follow-up actions will be skipped.
           </instructions>
@@ -729,7 +719,6 @@ jobs:
             /tmp/gh-aw/mcp-logs/
             /tmp/gh-aw/sandbox/firewall/logs/
             /tmp/gh-aw/agent-stdio.log
-            /tmp/gh-aw/aw.patch
           if-no-files-found: ignore
 
   conclusion:
@@ -821,21 +810,6 @@ jobs:
             setupGlobals(core, github, context, exec, io);
             const { main } = require('/opt/gh-aw/actions/handle_agent_failure.cjs');
             await main();
-      - name: Handle Create Pull Request Error
-        id: handle_create_pr_error
-        uses: actions/github-script@ed597411d8f924073f98dfc5c65a23a2325f34cd # v8.0.0
-        env:
-          GH_AW_AGENT_OUTPUT: ${{ env.GH_AW_AGENT_OUTPUT }}
-          CREATE_PR_ERROR_MESSAGE: ${{ needs.create_pull_request.outputs.error_message }}
-          GH_AW_WORKFLOW_NAME: "Specbot"
-          GH_AW_RUN_URL: ${{ github.server_url }}/${{ github.repository }}/actions/runs/${{ github.run_id }}
-        with:
-          github-token: ${{ secrets.GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-          script: |
-            const { setupGlobals } = require('/opt/gh-aw/actions/setup_globals.cjs');
-            setupGlobals(core, github, context, exec, io);
-            const { main } = require('/opt/gh-aw/actions/handle_create_pr_error.cjs');
-            await main();
       - name: Update reaction comment with completion status
         id: conclusion
         uses: actions/github-script@ed597411d8f924073f98dfc5c65a23a2325f34cd # v8.0.0
@@ -1000,15 +974,13 @@ jobs:
 
   safe_outputs:
     needs:
-      - activation
       - agent
       - detection
     if: ((!cancelled()) && (needs.agent.result != 'skipped')) && (needs.detection.outputs.success == 'true')
     runs-on: ubuntu-slim
     permissions:
-      contents: write
-      issues: write
-      pull-requests: write
+      contents: read
+      discussions: write
     timeout-minutes: 15
     env:
       GH_AW_ENGINE_ID: "copilot"
@@ -1033,38 +1005,12 @@ jobs:
           mkdir -p /tmp/gh-aw/safeoutputs/
           find "/tmp/gh-aw/safeoutputs/" -type f -print
           echo "GH_AW_AGENT_OUTPUT=/tmp/gh-aw/safeoutputs/agent_output.json" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
-      - name: Download patch artifact
-        continue-on-error: true
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@018cc2cf5baa6db3ef3c5f8a56943fffe632ef53 # v6.0.0
-        with:
-          name: agent-artifacts
-          path: /tmp/gh-aw/
-      - name: Checkout repository
-        if: ((!cancelled()) && (needs.agent.result != 'skipped')) && (contains(needs.agent.outputs.output_types, 'create_pull_request'))
-        uses: actions/checkout@8e8c483db84b4bee98b60c0593521ed34d9990e8 # v6
-        with:
-          token: ${{ github.token }}
-          persist-credentials: false
-          fetch-depth: 1
-      - name: Configure Git credentials
-        if: ((!cancelled()) && (needs.agent.result != 'skipped')) && (contains(needs.agent.outputs.output_types, 'create_pull_request'))
-        env:
-          REPO_NAME: ${{ github.repository }}
-          SERVER_URL: ${{ github.server_url }}
-          GIT_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
-        run: |
-          git config --global user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
-          git config --global user.name "github-actions[bot]"
-          # Re-authenticate git with GitHub token
-          SERVER_URL_STRIPPED="${SERVER_URL#https://}"
-          git remote set-url origin "https://x-access-token:${GIT_TOKEN}@${SERVER_URL_STRIPPED}/${REPO_NAME}.git"
-          echo "Git configured with standard GitHub Actions identity"
       - name: Process Safe Outputs
         id: process_safe_outputs
         uses: actions/github-script@ed597411d8f924073f98dfc5c65a23a2325f34cd # v8.0.0
         env:
           GH_AW_AGENT_OUTPUT: ${{ env.GH_AW_AGENT_OUTPUT }}
-          GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS_HANDLER_CONFIG: "{\"create_pull_request\":{\"base_branch\":\"${{ github.ref_name }}\",\"if_no_changes\":\"ignore\",\"max\":1,\"max_patch_size\":1024},\"missing_data\":{},\"missing_tool\":{}}"
+          GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS_HANDLER_CONFIG: "{\"create_discussion\":{\"category\":\"Agentic Workflows\",\"close_older_discussions\":true,\"expires\":168,\"max\":1,\"title_prefix\":\"[SpecBot] \"},\"missing_data\":{},\"missing_tool\":{}}"
         with:
           github-token: ${{ secrets.GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
           script: |

.github/workflows/specbot.md

@@ -35,8 +35,10 @@ tools:
     - ":*"
 
 safe-outputs:
-  create-pull-request:
-    if-no-changes: ignore
+  create-discussion:
+    title-prefix: "[SpecBot] "
+    category: "Agentic Workflows"
+    close-older-discussions: true
   missing-tool:
     create-issue: true