diff --git a/docs/src/content/docs/reference/tokens.mdx b/docs/src/content/docs/reference/tokens.mdx
index 274836135a0..737e014be0d 100644
--- a/docs/src/content/docs/reference/tokens.mdx
+++ b/docs/src/content/docs/reference/tokens.mdx
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ sidebar:
disable-agentic-editing: true
---
+import { Card, CardGrid } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';
import Video from '../../../components/Video.astro';
## Which token(s) do I need?
@@ -24,8 +25,6 @@ You can set up your tokens manually in the GitHub UI or use the CLI for a stream
### Adding tokens using the CLI
-
-
```bash
gh aw secrets set COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN --value "YOUR_COPILOT_PAT"
```
@@ -42,29 +41,16 @@ You can validate token permissions and configuration with:
gh aw init --tokens --engine
```
-
-
### Adding tokens using the GitHub UI
-
-
1. Go to your repository on GitHub
2. Click on "Settings" → "Secrets and variables" → "Actions"
3. Click "New repository secret" and add the token name and value
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Repository secrets in GitHub Actions settings showing three configured tokens
-
-
-
-
+
+
+
+
## Who owns the resource?
@@ -72,36 +58,31 @@ Ownership affects token requirements for repositories and Projects (v2). If the
To confirm ownership, check the owner name and avatar at the top of the page or in the URL (`github.com/owner-name/...`). Clicking the owner takes you to a personal profile or an organization page, which confirms it instantly. Here are examples of both (left: user-owned, right: org-owned):
-
-
+
+
-
+
-
- User-owned repository: avatar shows a personal profile icon, URL includes username
-
-
+
+ Avatar shows a personal profile icon, URL includes username
+
-
-
+
+
-
+
-
- Organization-owned repository: avatar shows organization icon, URL includes org name
-
-
-
+
+ Avatar shows organization icon, URL includes org name
+
+
## Token Reference
### `GITHUB_TOKEN`
-Automatically set
-
-
-GitHub Actions automatically provides this token with scoped access to the current repository.
+**Automatically set** — GitHub Actions automatically provides this token with scoped access to the current repository.
**When to use**:
@@ -121,16 +102,11 @@ GitHub Actions automatically provides this token with scoped access to the curre
- Capabilities: read/write access to the current repository; permissions follow workflow `permissions:`.
- Limitations: no cross-repo access, cannot trigger workflows via API, cannot authenticate Copilot engine, not supported for remote GitHub MCP server mode.
-
-
-A fine-grained or classic PAT that enables cross-repo access and remote GitHub tools.
+**Personal Access Token** — A fine-grained or classic PAT that enables cross-repo access and remote GitHub tools.
**When to use**:
@@ -158,17 +134,12 @@ Create a [fine-grained PAT](https://github.com/settings/personal-access-tokens/n
- If you need to isolate GitHub MCP server permissions, set `GH_AW_GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN`.
-
-
-A specialized token for the GitHub MCP server that can override the standard token chain. Use this when you need different permission levels for MCP server operations versus other workflow operations.
+**Personal Access Token** — A specialized token for the GitHub MCP server that can override the standard token chain. Use this when you need different permission levels for MCP server operations versus other workflow operations.
**When to use**:
@@ -276,16 +247,11 @@ At workflow start, a token is automatically minted with permissions matching you
- Set the resource owner to the organization when the repository is organization-owned.
- `GITHUB_TOKEN` is not supported in remote mode. Use `GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN` or a GitHub App instead.
-
-A specialized token for [GitHub Projects](https://docs.github.com/en/issues/planning-and-tracking-with-projects/learning-about-projects/about-projects) operations, required because the default `GITHUB_TOKEN` cannot access the Projects API.
+**Personal Access Token** — A specialized token for [GitHub Projects](https://docs.github.com/en/issues/planning-and-tracking-with-projects/learning-about-projects/about-projects) operations, required because the default `GITHUB_TOKEN` cannot access the Projects API.
**When to use**:
@@ -389,17 +355,12 @@ safe-outputs:
- To opt-in to creating projects, the agent must include `create_if_missing: true` in its output, and the token must have sufficient permissions to create projects in the organization.
- Use `GH_AW_PROJECT_GITHUB_TOKEN` for Projects-specific isolation; use `GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN` if it already has Projects permissions and you do not need isolation.
-
-The recommended token for Copilot operations including the Copilot engine, agent sessions, and bot assignments.
+**Personal Access Token** — The recommended token for Copilot operations including the Copilot engine, agent sessions, and bot assignments.
**When to use**:
@@ -467,17 +428,12 @@ per-output -> global safe-outputs -> workflow-level -> `COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN` ->
- These organization permissions must be explicitly granted during token creation and may require administrator approval.
- `GITHUB_TOKEN` is not included in the fallback chain (lacks "Copilot Requests" permission). `COPILOT_CLI_TOKEN` and `GH_AW_COPILOT_TOKEN` are no longer supported as of v0.26+.
-
-Primary token used by `assign-to-agent:` safe outputs to programmatically assign Copilot agents to issues or pull requests.
+**Personal Access Token** — Primary token used by `assign-to-agent:` safe outputs to programmatically assign Copilot agents to issues or pull requests.
**When to use**:
@@ -565,17 +521,12 @@ See [GitHub's official documentation on assigning issues to Copilot](https://doc
This ensures the token has the appropriate permissions to assign agents to issues and pull requests in the repository.
-
-
---
### `GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN`
-Automatically set
-
-
-Environment variable automatically set by gh-aw based on your GitHub tools configuration.
+**Automatically set** — Environment variable automatically set by gh-aw based on your GitHub tools configuration.
**When to use**:
@@ -593,8 +544,6 @@ Derived from GitHub tools configuration and token fallback settings.
- Configure tokens using `GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN`, `GH_AW_GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN`, or workflow-level `github-token` instead.
-