Add `pull-request-repo` parameter to `assign-to-agent` for cross-repository PR creation by Copilot · Pull Request #16293 · github/gh-aw

Copilot · 2026-02-17T06:02:26Z

The assign-to-agent safe output now supports specifying where pull requests should be created via the pull-request-repo parameter, enabling issue tracking in one repository while code lives in another.

Changes

Configuration

Added pull-request-repo and allowed-pull-request-repos to assign-to-agent frontmatter
target-repo: where the issue lives (existing)
pull-request-repo: where the PR should be created (new, automatically allowed)
allowed-pull-request-repos: additional repositories beyond pull-request-repo

Implementation

GraphQL mutation now includes agentAssignment.targetRepositoryId when pull-request-repo is configured
Supports both global configuration and per-item pull_request_repo parameter in agent output
Cross-repo validation follows target-repo/allowed-repos pattern where pull-request-repo is automatically allowed
allowed-pull-request-repos contains additional repositories beyond the primary pull-request-repo

Specification

Updated scratchpad/safe-outputs-specification.md with formal requirements for pull-request-repo pattern
Added cross-repository validation section (3.4.5) with auto-allow requirements
Added cross-repository support pattern (6.2.1)
Added example A.3 demonstrating cross-repository agent assignment

Example

Frontmatter configuration:

safe-outputs:
  assign-to-agent:
    target-repo: "org/issues-repo"
    pull-request-repo: "org/code-repo"  # automatically allowed
    allowed-pull-request-repos: ["org/another-code-repo"]  # additional repos

Agent output:

assign_to_agent(
    issue_number=123,
    pull_request_repo="org/specific-code-repo"
)

Validation Pattern:
The implementation follows the established target-repo/allowed-repos pattern:

The repository specified by pull-request-repo is automatically allowed without needing to be listed in allowed-pull-request-repos
allowed-pull-request-repos specifies additional repositories where PRs can be created
Per-item pull_request_repo values are validated against: global pull-request-repo (default) + allowed-pull-request-repos (additional)

Uses GitHub's native agentAssignment.targetRepositoryId GraphQL parameter, matching UI behavior for cross-repository assignments.

Original prompt

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>Allow assign-to-agent safe output to select the repo that the PR should be created in</issue_title>
<issue_description>Our issues are located in a different repository than our codebases.

Assigning an issue to Copilot and selecting the target repository is available through the GitHub UI (see https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/173575)

But that doesn't seem to be supported when assigning an issue to Copilot using the agentic workflow: https://github.github.com/gh-aw/reference/safe-outputs/#assign-to-agent-assign-to-agent

The assign-to-agent safe output has a target-repo param, but that seems to be the repo where the issue lives, not the repo where we want to open the pull request in.

Am I missing something or is this a missing feature that might be implemented in the future?</issue_description>

Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

Fixes Allow assign-to-agent safe output to select the repo that the PR should be created in #16280

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Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

pelikhan · 2026-02-17T06:17:28Z

@copilot rename "pr" to "pull-request" in the field names

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-02-17T06:24:24Z

@copilot rename "pr" to "pull-request" in the field names

Done in commit f4ce8eb. Renamed all field names:

pr-repo → pull-request-repo
allowed-pr-repos → allowed-pull-request-repos
pr_repo → pull_request_repo (in agent output)
Updated all related Go/JavaScript variables and environment variables

All tests passing.

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pelikhan · 2026-02-17T06:38:04Z

@copilot review again the changes

Copilot · 2026-02-17T06:42:48Z

@copilot review again the changes

Code review complete. Implementation is production-ready:

✅ Backend (Go): Proper struct fields with YAML tags, environment variable generation
✅ Frontend (JavaScript): GraphQL mutation with agentAssignment.targetRepositoryId, cross-repo validation
✅ Schema: JSON schema and MCP tool schema updated
✅ Tests: 31 passing, covers global and per-item configurations
✅ Documentation: Comprehensive with examples
✅ Naming: Consistent "pull-request" throughout all layers
✅ Security: E004 validation with allowlist

The implementation correctly uses GitHub's native agentAssignment API parameter matching the UI behavior documented at https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/173575

All files committed in f4ce8eb (latest commit).

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pelikhan · 2026-02-17T06:46:01Z

@copilot update safe output spec

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-02-17T06:50:55Z

@copilot update safe output spec

Updated safe outputs specification in commit 9d6f683:

Section 3.4.5 (Cross-Repository Validation):

Added requirements for pull-request-repo parameter validation
Documented separation between target-repo and pull-request-repo
Specified E004 error code for unauthorized repos

Section 6.2.1 (Cross-Repository Support):

Documented optional pull-request-repo and allowed-pull-request-repos pattern
Referenced GraphQL agentAssignment.targetRepositoryId usage

Appendix A.3 (New Example):

Added complete example showing cross-repository agent assignment
Shows issue in one repo, PR created in another repo

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Copilot

Pull request overview

This pull request adds support for cross-repository PR creation to the assign-to-agent safe output. It enables workflows to track issues in one repository while creating pull requests in a different repository, using GitHub's native agentAssignment.targetRepositoryId GraphQL API parameter.

Changes:

Added pull-request-repo and allowed-pull-request-repos configuration parameters to specify where PRs should be created (separate from where issues live)
Implemented GraphQL mutation support for agentAssignment.targetRepositoryId when PR repository is configured
Updated formal specification with cross-repository validation requirements and usage examples
Added comprehensive test coverage for both global and per-item PR repository configuration

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 9 out of 9 changed files in this pull request and generated 4 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
scratchpad/safe-outputs-specification.md	Added formal specification for pull-request-repo pattern including validation requirements (3.4.5) and cross-repository support pattern (6.2.1) with example A.3
pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json	Added JSON schema definitions for pull-request-repo and allowed-pull-request-repos configuration fields
pkg/workflow/assign_to_agent.go	Added PullRequestRepoSlug and AllowedPullRequestRepos fields to AssignToAgentConfig struct with YAML bindings
pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_specialized.go	Added environment variable injection for GH_AW_AGENT_PULL_REQUEST_REPO and GH_AW_AGENT_ALLOWED_PULL_REQUEST_REPOS
pkg/workflow/js/safe_outputs_tools.json	Updated assign_to_agent tool description and schema to include pull_request_repo parameter
actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.cjs	Implemented PR repository validation, GraphQL repository ID fetching, and per-item pull_request_repo parameter support
actions/setup/js/assign_agent_helpers.cjs	Modified assignAgentToIssue to conditionally include agentAssignment.targetRepositoryId in GraphQL mutation based on pullRequestRepoId parameter
actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.test.cjs	Added test coverage for global pull-request-repo configuration and per-item pull_request_repo parameter
docs/src/content/docs/reference/safe-outputs.md	Added user documentation explaining pull-request-repo parameter usage and cross-repository PR creation patterns

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Copilot · 2026-02-17T07:12:00Z

actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.test.cjs

+  it("should handle pull-request-repo configuration correctly", async () => {
+    process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_PULL_REQUEST_REPO = "test-owner/pull-request-repo";
+    process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_ALLOWED_PULL_REQUEST_REPOS = "test-owner/pull-request-repo";
+    setAgentOutput({
+      items: [
+        {
+          type: "assign_to_agent",
+          issue_number: 42,
+          agent: "copilot",
+        },
+      ],
+      errors: [],
+    });
+
+    // Mock GraphQL responses
+    mockGithub.graphql
+      // Get PR repository ID
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce({
+        repository: {
+          id: "pull-request-repo-id",
+        },
+      })
+      // Find agent
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce({
+        repository: {
+          suggestedActors: {
+            nodes: [{ login: "copilot-swe-agent", id: "agent-id" }],
+          },
+        },
+      })
+      // Get issue details
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce({
+        repository: {
+          issue: {
+            id: "issue-id",
+            assignees: { nodes: [] },
+          },
+        },
+      })
+      // Assign agent with agentAssignment
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce({
+        replaceActorsForAssignable: {
+          __typename: "ReplaceActorsForAssignablePayload",
+        },
+      });
+
+    await eval(`(async () => { ${assignToAgentScript}; await main(); })()`);
+
+    expect(mockCore.info).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Using pull request repository: test-owner/pull-request-repo"));
+    expect(mockCore.info).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Pull request repository ID: pull-request-repo-id"));
+
+    // Verify the mutation was called with agentAssignment
+    const lastGraphQLCall = mockGithub.graphql.mock.calls[mockGithub.graphql.mock.calls.length - 1];
+    expect(lastGraphQLCall[0]).toContain("agentAssignment");
+    expect(lastGraphQLCall[0]).toContain("targetRepositoryId");
+    expect(lastGraphQLCall[1].targetRepoId).toBe("pull-request-repo-id");
+  });


This test sets both GH_AW_AGENT_PULL_REQUEST_REPO and GH_AW_AGENT_ALLOWED_PULL_REQUEST_REPOS to the same repository value (line 1151-1152). This is inconsistent with the test pattern on lines 1105-1147 which verifies that the default repository is allowed even without an allowlist.

If pull-request-repo is meant to follow the same pattern as target-repo (where the configured value is automatically allowed), then this test should verify that pull-request-repo works WITHOUT needing to be listed in allowed-pull-request-repos. The test should only set GH_AW_AGENT_PULL_REQUEST_REPO and not set GH_AW_AGENT_ALLOWED_PULL_REQUEST_REPOS.

Alternatively, if the intention is that pull-request-repo must be explicitly listed in the allowlist, then:

The comments/documentation claiming "in addition to pull-request-repo" are incorrect

A test should be added to verify that pull-request-repo fails validation if not in the allowlist

This test needs to be updated to match the intended behavior and establish the correct pattern.

Copilot · 2026-02-17T07:12:01Z

pkg/workflow/assign_to_agent.go

+	Allowed                 []string `yaml:"allowed,omitempty"`                    // Optional list of allowed agent names. If omitted, any agents are allowed.
+	IgnoreIfError           bool     `yaml:"ignore-if-error,omitempty"`            // If true, workflow continues when agent assignment fails
+	PullRequestRepoSlug     string   `yaml:"pull-request-repo,omitempty"`          // Target repository for PR creation in format "owner/repo" (where the issue lives may differ)
+	AllowedPullRequestRepos []string `yaml:"allowed-pull-request-repos,omitempty"` // List of additional repositories that PRs can be created in (in addition to pull-request-repo)


The comment on line 17 says "in addition to pull-request-repo" which implies that pull-request-repo is automatically allowed even if not listed in allowed-pull-request-repos. However, the validation logic in actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.cjs (lines 137-141 and 237-238) uses validateRepo which checks against the allowlist and does NOT automatically include the pull-request-repo value as an allowed repository.

This creates an inconsistency: the comment suggests that pull-request-repo is implicitly allowed, but the code requires it to be explicitly listed in allowed-pull-request-repos. This differs from the pattern used for target-repo and allowed-repos, where target-repo is the default and allowed-repos contains ADDITIONAL allowed repositories.

Either:

Update the comment to clarify that pull-request-repo must be included in allowed-pull-request-repos if you want to use it, OR

Update the validation logic to automatically include pull-request-repo in the allowed set (similar to how defaultRepo is always allowed in validateRepo)

Recommendation: Follow the established pattern where the primary repo (pull-request-repo) is automatically allowed and allowed-pull-request-repos contains additional repositories.

Suggested change

AllowedPullRequestRepos []string `yaml:"allowed-pull-request-repos,omitempty"` // List of additional repositories that PRs can be created in (in addition to pull-request-repo)

AllowedPullRequestRepos []string `yaml:"allowed-pull-request-repos,omitempty"` // List of repositories that PRs can be created in; pull-request-repo must be included here if it should be allowed

Copilot · 2026-02-17T07:12:01Z

pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json

+                  "items": {
+                    "type": "string"
+                  },
+                  "description": "List of additional repositories that pull requests can be created in (in addition to pull-request-repo). Each entry should be in 'owner/repo' format."


The description states "List of additional repositories that pull requests can be created in (in addition to pull-request-repo)" which implies that pull-request-repo is automatically allowed. However, based on the validation logic in actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.cjs (lines 137-141), pull-request-repo must be explicitly listed in allowed-pull-request-repos to be valid.

This is inconsistent with the established pattern for target-repo and allowed-repos, where target-repo is automatically allowed and allowed-repos lists additional repositories. The validation logic uses validateRepo which treats defaultRepo as always allowed, but uses defaultRepo (the workflow's repository) as the default, not pull-request-repo.

The schema description should either:

Be updated to clarify that pull-request-repo must be included in the allowlist, OR

The validation logic should be updated to automatically allow pull-request-repo without requiring it in allowed-pull-request-repos

Suggested change

"description": "List of additional repositories that pull requests can be created in (in addition to pull-request-repo). Each entry should be in 'owner/repo' format."

"description": "List of repositories that pull requests are allowed to be created in. Each entry should be in 'owner/repo' format. When pull-request-repo is specified, it must also be included in this list."

Copilot · 2026-02-17T07:12:01Z

scratchpad/safe-outputs-specification.md

+- Accept `allowed-pull-request-repos: ["owner/repo1", "owner/repo2"]` for validation
+- Use `agentAssignment.targetRepositoryId` in GraphQL mutations when available
+


Line 716 states "in addition to pull-request-repo" which implies that pull-request-repo is automatically allowed without being listed in allowed-pull-request-repos. However, the implementation in actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.cjs requires explicit validation against the allowlist.

This is inconsistent with the established pattern for target-repo/allowed-repos where the primary repository is automatically allowed. The specification should clarify whether:

pull-request-repo must be explicitly listed in allowed-pull-request-repos, OR

pull-request-repo is automatically allowed and allowed-pull-request-repos contains additional repositories

For consistency with the existing target-repo/allowed-repos pattern, option 2 would be more appropriate.

Suggested change

- Accept `allowed-pull-request-repos: ["owner/repo1", "owner/repo2"]` for validation

- Use `agentAssignment.targetRepositoryId` in GraphQL mutations when available

- Accept `allowed-pull-request-repos: ["owner/repo1", "owner/repo2"]` for validation of additional repositories beyond `pull-request-repo`

- Use `agentAssignment.targetRepositoryId` in GraphQL mutations when available

Implementations MUST treat the repository specified by `pull-request-repo` as implicitly allowed for pull request creation; it does not need to be listed in `allowed-pull-request-repos`. The `allowed-pull-request-repos` list, when provided, MUST be used as an allowlist for any additional repositories (other than `pull-request-repo`) where pull requests may be created.

pelikhan · 2026-02-17T07:15:58Z

@copilot review comments make it behave like target repo

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-02-17T07:23:16Z

@copilot review comments make it behave like target repo

Fixed in commit 38069dd to match target-repo pattern:

Validation behavior:

pull-request-repo is automatically allowed (like target-repo)
allowed-pull-request-repos contains additional repositories (like allowed-repos)
Per-item pull_request_repo validated against global pull-request-repo + allowed-pull-request-repos

Updated:

JavaScript validation logic to pass pull-request-repo as default to validateRepo
Comments, documentation, schema descriptions to clarify auto-allow behavior
Tests: removed redundant allowlist entries, added test verifying auto-allow
Specification with explicit requirement to auto-allow pull-request-repo

All tests passing (32 passed, 3 skipped).

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Initial plan

2068d5b

Copilot AI assigned Copilot and pelikhan Feb 17, 2026

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Copilot AI and others added 3 commits February 17, 2026 06:08

Add pr-repo parameter to assign-to-agent safe output

b647651

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Add pr-repo and allowed-pr-repos to JSON schema

e0f30d2

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Add tests for pr-repo functionality and fix TypeScript errors

2e7b944

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Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Add selection for target repository in assign-to-agent output~~ Add pr-repo parameter to assign-to-agent for cross-repository PR creation Feb 17, 2026

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Rename pr-repo to pull-request-repo in field names

f4ce8eb

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Copilot AI changed the title ~~Add pr-repo parameter to assign-to-agent for cross-repository PR creation~~ Add pull-request-repo parameter to assign-to-agent for cross-repository PR creation Feb 17, 2026

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan February 17, 2026 06:25

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Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan February 17, 2026 06:46 View session

Update safe outputs specification with pull-request-repo pattern

9d6f683

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Fix validation to auto-allow pull-request-repo like target-repo pattern

38069dd

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan February 17, 2026 07:24

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	AllowedPullRequestRepos []string `yaml:"allowed-pull-request-repos,omitempty"` // List of additional repositories that PRs can be created in (in addition to pull-request-repo)
	AllowedPullRequestRepos []string `yaml:"allowed-pull-request-repos,omitempty"` // List of repositories that PRs can be created in; pull-request-repo must be included here if it should be allowed

	"description": "List of additional repositories that pull requests can be created in (in addition to pull-request-repo). Each entry should be in 'owner/repo' format."
	"description": "List of repositories that pull requests are allowed to be created in. Each entry should be in 'owner/repo' format. When pull-request-repo is specified, it must also be included in this list."

		- Accept `allowed-pull-request-repos: ["owner/repo1", "owner/repo2"]` for validation
		- Use `agentAssignment.targetRepositoryId` in GraphQL mutations when available

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