From dbddf98a21b503bb24767500c3d5ade6592a041d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2026 00:39:43 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 1/2] Initial plan


From 49a3b55e924310745350f9ccf45f97e0d59338b7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2026 00:48:49 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 2/2] Detect triggers: keyword error in compile and update
 authoring prompt

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 .github/aw/create-agentic-workflow.md         |  2 +-
 .../compiler_orchestrator_frontmatter.go      |  5 ++++
 .../compiler_orchestrator_frontmatter_test.go | 30 +++++++++++++++++++
 3 files changed, 36 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/aw/create-agentic-workflow.md b/.github/aw/create-agentic-workflow.md
index c3c4ea0f07d..099d5d1d57b 100644
--- a/.github/aw/create-agentic-workflow.md
+++ b/.github/aw/create-agentic-workflow.md
@@ -573,7 +573,7 @@ Should run when issues are opened or edited
 Based on the parsed requirements, determine:
 
 1. **Workflow ID**: Convert the workflow name to kebab-case (e.g., "Issue Classifier" → "issue-classifier")
-2. **Triggers**: Infer appropriate triggers from the description:
+2. **Triggers**: Infer appropriate triggers from the description. **Always use `on:` as the YAML key** — never use `triggers:` (that is not a valid frontmatter key and will cause a compile error):
    - Issue automation → `on: issues: types: [opened, edited]` (add `workflow_dispatch:` manually if manual runs needed)
    - PR automation → `on: pull_request: types: [opened, synchronize]` (add `workflow_dispatch:` manually if manual runs needed)
    - Scheduled tasks → `on: schedule: daily on weekdays` (prefer weekdays to avoid Monday backlog - workflow_dispatch auto-added for fuzzy schedules only)
diff --git a/pkg/workflow/compiler_orchestrator_frontmatter.go b/pkg/workflow/compiler_orchestrator_frontmatter.go
index db4929561f8..9e533a957da 100644
--- a/pkg/workflow/compiler_orchestrator_frontmatter.go
+++ b/pkg/workflow/compiler_orchestrator_frontmatter.go
@@ -71,6 +71,11 @@ func (c *Compiler) parseFrontmatterSection(markdownPath string) (*frontmatterPar
 	// Keep the original frontmatter with markers for YAML generation
 	frontmatterForValidation := c.copyFrontmatterWithoutInternalMarkers(result.Frontmatter)
 
+	// Check if user accidentally used "triggers:" instead of the correct "on:" keyword
+	if _, hasTriggers := frontmatterForValidation["triggers"]; hasTriggers {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%s: invalid frontmatter key 'triggers:' — use 'on:' to define workflow triggers", cleanPath)
+	}
+
 	// Check if "on" field is missing - if so, treat as a shared/imported workflow
 	_, hasOnField := frontmatterForValidation["on"]
 	if !hasOnField {
diff --git a/pkg/workflow/compiler_orchestrator_frontmatter_test.go b/pkg/workflow/compiler_orchestrator_frontmatter_test.go
index 960f9e6a162..6f91702622d 100644
--- a/pkg/workflow/compiler_orchestrator_frontmatter_test.go
+++ b/pkg/workflow/compiler_orchestrator_frontmatter_test.go
@@ -71,6 +71,36 @@ Can be imported
 	assert.True(t, result.isSharedWorkflow, "Should be detected as shared workflow")
 }
 
+// TestParseFrontmatterSection_TriggersInsteadOfOn tests that using "triggers:" gives a helpful error
+func TestParseFrontmatterSection_TriggersInsteadOfOn(t *testing.T) {
+	tmpDir := testutil.TempDir(t, "frontmatter-triggers")
+
+	testContent := `---
+triggers:
+  issues:
+    types: [opened]
+engine: copilot
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+---
+
+# Test Workflow
+
+Content here
+`
+
+	testFile := filepath.Join(tmpDir, "test.md")
+	require.NoError(t, os.WriteFile(testFile, []byte(testContent), 0644))
+
+	compiler := NewCompiler()
+	result, err := compiler.parseFrontmatterSection(testFile)
+
+	require.Error(t, err, "Using 'triggers:' instead of 'on:' should cause error")
+	assert.Nil(t, result)
+	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "'triggers:'", "Error should mention the invalid key")
+	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "'on:'", "Error should mention the correct key")
+}
+
 // TestParseFrontmatterSection_MissingFrontmatter tests error for no frontmatter
 func TestParseFrontmatterSection_MissingFrontmatter(t *testing.T) {
 	tmpDir := testutil.TempDir(t, "frontmatter-missing")