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pelikhan merged 2 commits into from
Mar 2, 2026
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[docs] Update glossary - weekly full scan #19192

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docs(glossary): add Custom Safe Outputs, Assign to Agent, Stop After,…
github-actions[bot] Mar 2, 2026
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ci: trigger CI checks
github-actions[bot] Mar 2, 2026
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16 changes: 16 additions & 0 deletions docs/src/content/docs/reference/glossary.md
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Expand Up @@ -125,6 +125,14 @@ Configuration field in the `create-pull-request` safe output specifying which br

A safe output capability for hiding or minimizing GitHub comments without requiring write permissions. When minimized, comments are classified as SPAM. Requires GraphQL node IDs to identify comments. Useful for content moderation workflows.

### Assign to Agent

A safe output capability (`assign-to-agent:`) that programmatically assigns the GitHub Copilot coding agent to existing issues or pull requests. Automates the standard GitHub workflow for delegating implementation tasks to Copilot. Supports cross-repository PR creation via `pull-request-repo` and agent model selection via `model`. See [Assign to Copilot](/gh-aw/reference/assign-to-copilot/).

### Custom Safe Outputs

An extension mechanism for safe outputs that enables integration with third-party services beyond built-in GitHub operations. Defined under `safe-outputs.jobs:`, custom safe outputs separate read and write operations: agents use read-only MCP tools for queries, while custom jobs execute write operations with secret access after agent completion. Supports services like Slack, Notion, Jira, or any external API. See [Custom Safe Outputs](/gh-aw/reference/custom-safe-outputs/).

### Unassign from User

A safe output capability for removing user assignments from issues or pull requests. Supports an `allowed` list to restrict which users can be unassigned, and a `blocked` list using glob patterns to prevent unassignment of specific users regardless of the allow list. Configured via `unassign-from-user:` in `safe-outputs`.
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -155,6 +163,10 @@ Optional workflow metadata for categorization and organization. Enables filterin

Controls over external domains and services a workflow can access. Configured via `network:` section with options: `defaults` (common infrastructure), custom allow-lists, or `{}` (no access).

### Stop After

A workflow configuration field (`stop-after:`) that automatically prevents new runs after a specified time limit. Accepts absolute dates (`YYYY-MM-DD`, ISO 8601) or relative time deltas (`+48h`, `+7d`). Minimum granularity is hours. Useful for trial periods, experimental features, and cost-controlled schedules. Recompile with `gh aw compile --refresh-stop-time` to reset the deadline. See [Ephemerals](/gh-aw/guides/ephemerals/).
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Copilot AI Mar 2, 2026

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The Stop After entry understates the accepted absolute date formats. The Triggers reference documents additional supported absolute formats (e.g., MM/DD/YYYY, DD/MM/YYYY, January 2 2006, 1st June 2025) beyond YYYY-MM-DD/ISO 8601; consider wording this as “supports multiple absolute date formats (including …)” to avoid implying only those two formats are valid. Also consider clarifying that stop-after: is configured under the on: trigger section (see docs/src/content/docs/reference/frontmatter.md:27-39).

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A workflow configuration field (`stop-after:`) that automatically prevents new runs after a specified time limit. Accepts absolute dates (`YYYY-MM-DD`, ISO 8601) or relative time deltas (`+48h`, `+7d`). Minimum granularity is hours. Useful for trial periods, experimental features, and cost-controlled schedules. Recompile with `gh aw compile --refresh-stop-time` to reset the deadline. See [Ephemerals](/gh-aw/guides/ephemerals/).
A workflow trigger configuration field (`stop-after:` under the `on:` section) that automatically prevents new runs after a specified time limit. Supports multiple absolute date formats (including `YYYY-MM-DD`, ISO 8601, `MM/DD/YYYY`, `DD/MM/YYYY`, `January 2 2006`, `1st June 2025`) as well as relative time deltas (`+48h`, `+7d`). Minimum granularity is hours. Useful for trial periods, experimental features, and cost-controlled schedules. Recompile with `gh aw compile --refresh-stop-time` to reset the deadline. See [Ephemerals](/gh-aw/guides/ephemerals/).

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### Triggers

Events that cause a workflow to run, defined in the `on:` section of frontmatter. Includes issue events, pull requests, schedules, manual runs, and slash commands.
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -237,6 +249,10 @@ Settings limiting how many workflow instances can run simultaneously. Configured

Specialized instructions customizing AI agent behavior for specific tasks or repositories. Stored as agent files (`.github/agents/*.agent.md`) for Copilot Chat or instruction files (`.github/copilot/instructions/`) for path-specific Copilot instructions.

### Ephemerals

A category of features for automatically expiring workflow resources to reduce repository noise and control costs. Includes workflow stop-after scheduling, safe output expiration (auto-closing issues, discussions, and pull requests), and hidden older status comments. See [Ephemerals](/gh-aw/guides/ephemerals/).
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The Ephemerals definition says it includes “hidden older status comments”, but the guide/reference feature is hide-older-comments (general comment minimization) and it isn’t limited to “status” comments. Suggest rephrasing to “hiding older comments” / “minimizing older workflow comments” to match the documented feature name and scope (see docs/src/content/docs/guides/ephemerals.md:102-117).

Suggested change
A category of features for automatically expiring workflow resources to reduce repository noise and control costs. Includes workflow stop-after scheduling, safe output expiration (auto-closing issues, discussions, and pull requests), and hidden older status comments. See [Ephemerals](/gh-aw/guides/ephemerals/).
A category of features for automatically expiring workflow resources to reduce repository noise and control costs. Includes workflow stop-after scheduling, safe output expiration (auto-closing issues, discussions, and pull requests), and minimizing older workflow comments. See [Ephemerals](/gh-aw/guides/ephemerals/).

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### Environment Variables (env)

Configuration section in frontmatter defining environment variables for the workflow. Variables can reference GitHub context values, workflow inputs, or static values. Accessible via `${{ env.VARIABLE_NAME }}` syntax.
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