From 8ba96358f3b786e2dc7492d3ed397d0b1a51ec4c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:36:06 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 1/4] Initial plan


From 137f26b40845a74148a08162149f896faa755fe3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2026 17:04:06 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 2/4] feat: add idempotent issue creation to prevent same-day
 duplicate reports

Add `idempotent: true` option to the `create-issue` safe-output handler.
When enabled, the handler searches for an existing open issue created today
(UTC) with the same workflow-id or close-older-key marker before creating
a new one. If found, creation is silently skipped and the max-count slot
is not consumed.

This prevents same-day duplicate issues from occurring when a scheduled
workflow (like contribution-check) runs multiple times per day.

Also enable `idempotent: true` in contribution-check.md workflow to fix
the duplicate report issue described in the issue.

Changes:
- pkg/workflow/create_issue.go: add Idempotent field to CreateIssuesConfig
- pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_config.go: wire idempotent to handler config
- pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json: add idempotent to schema
- actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs: implement dedupe-before-create logic
- actions/setup/js/close_older_issues.cjs: expose created_at in search results
- actions/setup/js/create_issue.test.cjs: add 6 tests for idempotent mode
- .github/workflows/contribution-check.md: enable idempotent: true
- docs: document new idempotent option in safe-outputs and frontmatter-full

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>
Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/sessions/081eb637-d376-4a2e-8ac0-e58c24da8a84
---
 .github/workflows/contribution-check.lock.yml |   6 +-
 .github/workflows/contribution-check.md       |   1 +
 actions/setup/js/close_older_issues.cjs       |   1 +
 actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs             |  46 +++++-
 actions/setup/js/create_issue.test.cjs        | 144 ++++++++++++++++++
 .../docs/reference/frontmatter-full.md        |   8 +
 .../content/docs/reference/safe-outputs.md    |  20 +++
 pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json  |   5 +
 pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_config.go  |   1 +
 pkg/workflow/create_issue.go                  |   3 +-
 10 files changed, 230 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/contribution-check.lock.yml b/.github/workflows/contribution-check.lock.yml
index 837c3c90d5d..cece33a1281 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/contribution-check.lock.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/contribution-check.lock.yml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 # For more information: https://github.github.com/gh-aw/introduction/overview/
 #
 #
-# gh-aw-metadata: {"schema_version":"v3","frontmatter_hash":"f065feb7ad239a734f6def6a44417a260407d25d6d0fb58e829e44ca32ef065c","strict":true,"agent_id":"copilot"}
+# gh-aw-metadata: {"schema_version":"v3","frontmatter_hash":"68fe72d088ae680ad10bb3719d3972a3d5f227f243c59c102c42e183f8196378","strict":true,"agent_id":"copilot"}
 
 name: "Contribution Check"
 "on":
@@ -349,7 +349,7 @@ jobs:
           mkdir -p /tmp/gh-aw/safeoutputs
           mkdir -p /tmp/gh-aw/mcp-logs/safeoutputs
           cat > ${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/safeoutputs/config.json << 'GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS_CONFIG_EOF'
-          {"add_comment":{"hide_older_comments":true,"max":10,"target":"*","target-repo":"${{ vars.TARGET_REPOSITORY }}"},"add_labels":{"allowed":["spam","needs-work","outdated","lgtm"],"max":4,"target":"*","target-repo":"${{ vars.TARGET_REPOSITORY }}"},"create_issue":{"close_older_issues":true,"expires":24,"labels":["contribution-report"],"max":1,"title_prefix":"[Contribution Check Report]"},"missing_data":{},"missing_tool":{},"noop":{"max":1,"report-as-issue":"true"}}
+          {"add_comment":{"hide_older_comments":true,"max":10,"target":"*","target-repo":"${{ vars.TARGET_REPOSITORY }}"},"add_labels":{"allowed":["spam","needs-work","outdated","lgtm"],"max":4,"target":"*","target-repo":"${{ vars.TARGET_REPOSITORY }}"},"create_issue":{"close_older_issues":true,"expires":24,"idempotent":true,"labels":["contribution-report"],"max":1,"title_prefix":"[Contribution Check Report]"},"missing_data":{},"missing_tool":{},"noop":{"max":1,"report-as-issue":"true"}}
           GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS_CONFIG_EOF
       - name: Write Safe Outputs Tools
         run: |
@@ -1102,7 +1102,7 @@ jobs:
           GH_AW_ALLOWED_DOMAINS: "api.business.githubcopilot.com,api.enterprise.githubcopilot.com,api.github.com,api.githubcopilot.com,api.individual.githubcopilot.com,api.snapcraft.io,archive.ubuntu.com,azure.archive.ubuntu.com,crl.geotrust.com,crl.globalsign.com,crl.identrust.com,crl.sectigo.com,crl.thawte.com,crl.usertrust.com,crl.verisign.com,crl3.digicert.com,crl4.digicert.com,crls.ssl.com,github.com,host.docker.internal,json-schema.org,json.schemastore.org,keyserver.ubuntu.com,ocsp.digicert.com,ocsp.geotrust.com,ocsp.globalsign.com,ocsp.identrust.com,ocsp.sectigo.com,ocsp.ssl.com,ocsp.thawte.com,ocsp.usertrust.com,ocsp.verisign.com,packagecloud.io,packages.cloud.google.com,packages.microsoft.com,ppa.launchpad.net,raw.githubusercontent.com,registry.npmjs.org,s.symcb.com,s.symcd.com,security.ubuntu.com,telemetry.enterprise.githubcopilot.com,ts-crl.ws.symantec.com,ts-ocsp.ws.symantec.com,www.googleapis.com"
           GITHUB_SERVER_URL: ${{ github.server_url }}
           GITHUB_API_URL: ${{ github.api_url }}
-          GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS_HANDLER_CONFIG: "{\"add_comment\":{\"hide_older_comments\":true,\"max\":10,\"target\":\"*\",\"target-repo\":\"${{ vars.TARGET_REPOSITORY }}\"},\"add_labels\":{\"allowed\":[\"spam\",\"needs-work\",\"outdated\",\"lgtm\"],\"max\":4,\"target\":\"*\",\"target-repo\":\"${{ vars.TARGET_REPOSITORY }}\"},\"create_issue\":{\"close_older_issues\":true,\"expires\":24,\"labels\":[\"contribution-report\"],\"max\":1,\"title_prefix\":\"[Contribution Check Report]\"},\"missing_data\":{},\"missing_tool\":{},\"noop\":{\"max\":1,\"report-as-issue\":\"true\"}}"
+          GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS_HANDLER_CONFIG: "{\"add_comment\":{\"hide_older_comments\":true,\"max\":10,\"target\":\"*\",\"target-repo\":\"${{ vars.TARGET_REPOSITORY }}\"},\"add_labels\":{\"allowed\":[\"spam\",\"needs-work\",\"outdated\",\"lgtm\"],\"max\":4,\"target\":\"*\",\"target-repo\":\"${{ vars.TARGET_REPOSITORY }}\"},\"create_issue\":{\"close_older_issues\":true,\"expires\":24,\"idempotent\":true,\"labels\":[\"contribution-report\"],\"max\":1,\"title_prefix\":\"[Contribution Check Report]\"},\"missing_data\":{},\"missing_tool\":{},\"noop\":{\"max\":1,\"report-as-issue\":\"true\"}}"
         with:
           github-token: ${{ secrets.GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
           script: |
diff --git a/.github/workflows/contribution-check.md b/.github/workflows/contribution-check.md
index d0133c81299..ffe84a7e48a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/contribution-check.md
+++ b/.github/workflows/contribution-check.md
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ safe-outputs:
     labels:
       - contribution-report
     close-older-issues: true
+    idempotent: true
     expires: 1d
   add-labels:
     allowed: [spam, needs-work, outdated, lgtm]
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/close_older_issues.cjs b/actions/setup/js/close_older_issues.cjs
index e630caf5541..f9725376cd3 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/close_older_issues.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/close_older_issues.cjs
@@ -121,6 +121,7 @@ async function searchOlderIssues(github, owner, repo, workflowId, excludeNumber,
       title: item.title,
       html_url: item.html_url,
       labels: item.labels || [],
+      created_at: item.created_at,
     }));
 
   core.info(`Filtering complete:`);
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs b/actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs
index c3c8f7ff4b3..6e685639849 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ const { ERR_VALIDATION } = require("./error_codes.cjs");
 const { renderTemplateFromFile } = require("./messages_core.cjs");
 const { createExpirationLine, addExpirationToFooter } = require("./ephemerals.cjs");
 const { MAX_SUB_ISSUES, getSubIssueCount } = require("./sub_issue_helpers.cjs");
-const { closeOlderIssues } = require("./close_older_issues.cjs");
+const { closeOlderIssues, searchOlderIssues } = require("./close_older_issues.cjs");
 const { parseBoolTemplatable } = require("./templatable.cjs");
 const { tryEnforceArrayLimit } = require("./limit_enforcement_helpers.cjs");
 const { logStagedPreviewInfo } = require("./staged_preview.cjs");
@@ -205,6 +205,7 @@ async function main(config = {}) {
   const { defaultTargetRepo, allowedRepos } = resolveTargetRepoConfig(config);
   const groupEnabled = parseBoolTemplatable(config.group, false);
   const closeOlderIssuesEnabled = parseBoolTemplatable(config.close_older_issues, false);
+  const idempotentEnabled = parseBoolTemplatable(config.idempotent, false);
   const rawCloseOlderKey = config.close_older_key ? String(config.close_older_key) : "";
   const closeOlderKey = rawCloseOlderKey ? normalizeCloseOlderKey(rawCloseOlderKey) : "";
   if (rawCloseOlderKey && !closeOlderKey) {
@@ -248,6 +249,12 @@ async function main(config = {}) {
       core.info(`  Using explicit close-older-key: "${closeOlderKey}"`);
     }
   }
+  if (idempotentEnabled) {
+    core.info(`Idempotent mode enabled: creation will be skipped if an open issue was already created today`);
+    if (!closeOlderKey && !process.env.GH_AW_WORKFLOW_ID) {
+      core.warning(`Idempotent mode has no effect: neither close-older-key nor GH_AW_WORKFLOW_ID is set — issues cannot be searched`);
+    }
+  }
 
   // Track how many items we've processed for max limit
   let processedCount = 0;
@@ -480,6 +487,43 @@ async function main(config = {}) {
     bodyLines.push("");
     const body = bodyLines.join("\n").trim();
 
+    // Idempotency check: if enabled, search for an existing open issue created today
+    // before attempting to create a new one. This prevents same-day duplicate issues
+    // when the workflow reruns (e.g. scheduled every 4 hours, two runs on the same day).
+    // NOTE: processedCount was already incremented above. If we skip creation, we undo
+    // the increment here so the max-count slot is not consumed for idempotent skips.
+    if (idempotentEnabled && (closeOlderKey || workflowId)) {
+      const today = new Date().toISOString().split("T")[0]; // YYYY-MM-DD (UTC)
+      try {
+        const existingIssues = await searchOlderIssues(
+          github,
+          repoParts.owner,
+          repoParts.repo,
+          workflowId,
+          0, // no issue to exclude — this is a pre-creation check
+          callerWorkflowId,
+          closeOlderKey
+        );
+        const todayIssue = existingIssues.find(issue => {
+          const createdDate = issue.created_at ? String(issue.created_at).split("T")[0] : "";
+          return createdDate === today;
+        });
+        if (todayIssue) {
+          core.info(`Idempotent: skipping issue creation — open issue #${todayIssue.number} was already created today (${today}): ${todayIssue.html_url}`);
+          // Undo the processedCount increment so the max limit is not consumed
+          processedCount--;
+          return {
+            success: true,
+            skipped: true,
+            reason: `idempotent: open issue #${todayIssue.number} already created today`,
+          };
+        }
+      } catch (error) {
+        // Log but do not abort — fall through to normal creation
+        core.warning(`Idempotent pre-check failed: ${getErrorMessage(error)} — proceeding with issue creation`);
+      }
+    }
+
     core.info(`Creating issue in ${qualifiedItemRepo} with title: ${title}`);
     core.info(`Labels: ${labels.join(", ")}`);
     if (assignees.length > 0) {
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/create_issue.test.cjs b/actions/setup/js/create_issue.test.cjs
index 2c2d2069233..0894551f39f 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/create_issue.test.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/create_issue.test.cjs
@@ -466,4 +466,148 @@ describe("create_issue", () => {
       expect(result.error).toContain("received 6");
     });
   });
+
+  describe("idempotent mode", () => {
+    it("should skip creation if an open issue was already created today", async () => {
+      const today = new Date().toISOString().split("T")[0];
+      mockGithub.rest.search.issuesAndPullRequests.mockResolvedValueOnce({
+        data: {
+          total_count: 1,
+          items: [
+            {
+              number: 99,
+              title: "[Contribution Check Report] Contribution Check",
+              html_url: "https://github.com/test-owner/test-repo/issues/99",
+              body: "<!-- gh-aw-workflow-id: test-workflow -->",
+              created_at: `${today}T10:00:00Z`,
+              state: "open",
+              pull_request: undefined,
+            },
+          ],
+        },
+      });
+
+      const handler = await main({ idempotent: true, close_older_issues: true });
+      const result = await handler({ title: "Test Issue", body: "Test body" });
+
+      expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+      expect(result.skipped).toBe(true);
+      expect(result.reason).toContain("idempotent");
+      expect(result.reason).toContain("99");
+      expect(mockGithub.rest.issues.create).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+
+    it("should create issue if no open issue was created today", async () => {
+      const yesterday = new Date(Date.now() - 86400000).toISOString().split("T")[0];
+      mockGithub.rest.search.issuesAndPullRequests.mockResolvedValueOnce({
+        data: {
+          total_count: 1,
+          items: [
+            {
+              number: 50,
+              title: "[Contribution Check Report] Contribution Check",
+              html_url: "https://github.com/test-owner/test-repo/issues/50",
+              body: "<!-- gh-aw-workflow-id: test-workflow -->",
+              created_at: `${yesterday}T10:00:00Z`,
+              state: "open",
+              pull_request: undefined,
+            },
+          ],
+        },
+      });
+
+      const handler = await main({ idempotent: true, close_older_issues: true });
+      const result = await handler({ title: "Test Issue", body: "Test body" });
+
+      expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+      expect(result.skipped).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(mockGithub.rest.issues.create).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+    });
+
+    it("should create issue if no existing issues are found", async () => {
+      mockGithub.rest.search.issuesAndPullRequests.mockResolvedValueOnce({
+        data: { total_count: 0, items: [] },
+      });
+
+      const handler = await main({ idempotent: true, close_older_issues: true });
+      const result = await handler({ title: "Test Issue", body: "Test body" });
+
+      expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+      expect(result.skipped).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(mockGithub.rest.issues.create).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+    });
+
+    it("should proceed with creation if idempotent pre-check throws", async () => {
+      mockGithub.rest.search.issuesAndPullRequests.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("Search API error"));
+
+      const handler = await main({ idempotent: true, close_older_issues: true });
+      const result = await handler({ title: "Test Issue", body: "Test body" });
+
+      expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+      expect(result.skipped).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(mockGithub.rest.issues.create).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+      expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Idempotent pre-check failed"));
+    });
+
+    it("should not skip if idempotent is false even with today's issue", async () => {
+      const today = new Date().toISOString().split("T")[0];
+      mockGithub.rest.search.issuesAndPullRequests.mockResolvedValue({
+        data: {
+          total_count: 1,
+          items: [
+            {
+              number: 77,
+              title: "Existing Issue",
+              html_url: "https://github.com/test-owner/test-repo/issues/77",
+              body: "<!-- gh-aw-workflow-id: test-workflow -->",
+              created_at: `${today}T10:00:00Z`,
+              state: "open",
+              pull_request: undefined,
+            },
+          ],
+        },
+      });
+
+      // idempotent is false (default) — creation should NOT be skipped
+      const handler = await main({ close_older_issues: false });
+      const result = await handler({ title: "Test Issue", body: "Test body" });
+
+      expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+      expect(result.skipped).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(mockGithub.rest.issues.create).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+    });
+
+    it("should not consume max count slot when skipped due to idempotency", async () => {
+      const today = new Date().toISOString().split("T")[0];
+      mockGithub.rest.search.issuesAndPullRequests.mockResolvedValue({
+        data: {
+          total_count: 1,
+          items: [
+            {
+              number: 88,
+              title: "Existing Issue",
+              html_url: "https://github.com/test-owner/test-repo/issues/88",
+              body: "<!-- gh-aw-workflow-id: test-workflow -->",
+              created_at: `${today}T10:00:00Z`,
+              state: "open",
+              pull_request: undefined,
+            },
+          ],
+        },
+      });
+
+      const handler = await main({ idempotent: true, close_older_issues: true, max: 1 });
+
+      // First call is skipped due to idempotency — max slot should not be consumed
+      const result1 = await handler({ title: "First Issue", body: "Body" });
+      expect(result1.skipped).toBe(true);
+
+      // Reset search mock so second call also finds a today issue — also skipped
+      const result2 = await handler({ title: "Second Issue", body: "Body" });
+      expect(result2.skipped).toBe(true);
+
+      // Neither call should have created an issue
+      expect(mockGithub.rest.issues.create).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/docs/src/content/docs/reference/frontmatter-full.md b/docs/src/content/docs/reference/frontmatter-full.md
index 82805bf870a..dcdf01f04af 100644
--- a/docs/src/content/docs/reference/frontmatter-full.md
+++ b/docs/src/content/docs/reference/frontmatter-full.md
@@ -2504,6 +2504,14 @@ safe-outputs:
     # (optional)
     close-older-key: "example-value"
 
+    # When true, skip issue creation if an open issue with the same close-older-key
+    # (or workflow-id marker when no key is set) was already created today (UTC).
+    # Prevents same-day duplicate issues when the workflow is re-run (e.g. a scheduled
+    # workflow that runs every few hours). Works best when combined with
+    # close-older-issues: true.
+    # (optional)
+    idempotent: true
+
     # Controls whether AI-generated footer is added to the issue. When false, the
     # visible footer content is omitted but XML markers (workflow-id, tracker-id,
     # metadata) are still included for searchability. Defaults to true.
diff --git a/docs/src/content/docs/reference/safe-outputs.md b/docs/src/content/docs/reference/safe-outputs.md
index 9f5b86467d7..6b5cd7954f9 100644
--- a/docs/src/content/docs/reference/safe-outputs.md
+++ b/docs/src/content/docs/reference/safe-outputs.md
@@ -161,6 +161,26 @@ When enabled:
 - Maximum 10 older issues will be closed
 - Only runs if the new issue creation succeeds
 
+#### Idempotent Issue Creation
+
+The `idempotent` field (default: `false`) prevents same-day duplicate issues when a workflow reruns. When enabled, the handler searches for an existing open issue created **today (UTC)** with the same workflow-id marker (or `close-older-key` if set) before creating a new one. If a matching issue already exists, creation is silently skipped.
+
+```yaml wrap
+safe-outputs:
+  create-issue:
+    title-prefix: "[Contribution Check Report]"
+    labels: [report]
+    close-older-issues: true
+    idempotent: true
+```
+
+This is useful for scheduled workflows (e.g. every 4 hours) that produce recurring daily reports: only one report issue is created per day, eliminating duplicate open/closed issues from multiple same-day runs.
+
+- Performs a pre-creation search for open issues matching the workflow-id or `close-older-key`
+- If a matching issue was created on today's UTC date, creation is skipped
+- The max-count slot is not consumed when a creation is skipped
+- On failure of the pre-check, creation proceeds normally as a fallback
+
 #### Searching for Workflow-Created Items
 
 All items created by workflows (issues, pull requests, discussions, and comments) include a hidden **workflow-id marker** in their body:
diff --git a/pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json b/pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json
index 35076622bda..7e5e69d7f8e 100644
--- a/pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json
+++ b/pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json
@@ -4516,6 +4516,11 @@
                   "minLength": 1,
                   "pattern": "\\S"
                 },
+                "idempotent": {
+                  "type": "boolean",
+                  "description": "When true, skip issue creation if an open issue with the same close-older-key (or workflow-id marker when no key is set) was already created today (UTC). Prevents same-day duplicate issues when the workflow is re-run. Works best when combined with close-older-issues: true.",
+                  "default": false
+                },
                 "footer": {
                   "type": "boolean",
                   "description": "Controls whether AI-generated footer is added to the issue. When false, the visible footer content is omitted but XML markers (workflow-id, tracker-id, metadata) are still included for searchability. Defaults to true.",
diff --git a/pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_config.go b/pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_config.go
index 16005d8f4e4..a6736a0712c 100644
--- a/pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_config.go
+++ b/pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_config.go
@@ -163,6 +163,7 @@ var handlerRegistry = map[string]handlerBuilder{
 			AddTemplatableBool("group", c.Group).
 			AddTemplatableBool("close_older_issues", c.CloseOlderIssues).
 			AddIfNotEmpty("close_older_key", c.CloseOlderKey).
+			AddTemplatableBool("idempotent", c.Idempotent).
 			AddTemplatableBool("footer", getEffectiveFooterForTemplatable(c.Footer, cfg.Footer)).
 			AddIfNotEmpty("github-token", c.GitHubToken).
 			AddIfTrue("staged", c.Staged).
diff --git a/pkg/workflow/create_issue.go b/pkg/workflow/create_issue.go
index e70e5f90d44..9fc5cd247c9 100644
--- a/pkg/workflow/create_issue.go
+++ b/pkg/workflow/create_issue.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ type CreateIssuesConfig struct {
 	AllowedRepos         []string `yaml:"allowed-repos,omitempty"`      // List of additional repositories that issues can be created in
 	CloseOlderIssues     *string  `yaml:"close-older-issues,omitempty"` // When true, close older issues with same title prefix or labels as "not planned"
 	CloseOlderKey        string   `yaml:"close-older-key,omitempty"`    // Optional explicit deduplication key for close-older matching. When set, uses gh-aw-close-key marker instead of workflow-id markers.
+	Idempotent           *string  `yaml:"idempotent,omitempty"`         // When true, skip creation if an open issue with the same key was already created today (UTC). Prevents same-day duplicate issues on reruns. Works best with close-older-issues: true.
 	Expires              int      `yaml:"expires,omitempty"`            // Hours until the issue expires and should be automatically closed
 	Group                *string  `yaml:"group,omitempty"`              // If true, group issues as sub-issues under a parent issue (workflow ID is used as group identifier)
 	Footer               *string  `yaml:"footer,omitempty"`             // Controls whether AI-generated footer is added. When false, visible footer is omitted but XML markers are kept.
@@ -41,7 +42,7 @@ func (c *Compiler) parseIssuesConfig(outputMap map[string]any) *CreateIssuesConf
 
 	// Pre-process templatable bool fields: convert literal booleans to strings so that
 	// GitHub Actions expression strings (e.g. "${{ inputs.close-older-issues }}") are also accepted.
-	for _, field := range []string{"close-older-issues", "group", "footer"} {
+	for _, field := range []string{"close-older-issues", "group", "footer", "idempotent"} {
 		if err := preprocessBoolFieldAsString(configData, field, createIssueLog); err != nil {
 			createIssueLog.Printf("Invalid %s value: %v", field, err)
 			return nil

From 4911a6121141b6edde1c2bbea67b8c5cc62171e2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2026 17:22:30 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 3/4] feat: rename idempotent to group-by-day, post as comment
 instead of skip

Per feedback, rename the `idempotent` feature to `group-by-day` and change
the behavior: instead of skipping issue creation when a same-day issue is
found, post the new content as a comment on the existing issue so all
same-day runs are grouped in one place.

- Rename config key: idempotent -> group-by-day (Go, JS, schema, docs)
- Change behavior: post body as comment on existing today-issue
- Return { grouped: true, existingIssueNumber, commentUrl } on grouping
- Update contribution-check.md to use group-by-day: true
- Update tests and documentation

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>
Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/sessions/45df665e-9d93-459c-8451-8aec175aba33
---
 .github/workflows/contribution-check.lock.yml |  6 +--
 .github/workflows/contribution-check.md       |  2 +-
 actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs             | 34 ++++++------
 actions/setup/js/create_issue.test.cjs        | 53 ++++++++++---------
 .../docs/reference/frontmatter-full.md        | 10 ++--
 .../content/docs/reference/safe-outputs.md    | 14 ++---
 pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json  |  4 +-
 pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_config.go  |  2 +-
 pkg/workflow/create_issue.go                  |  4 +-
 9 files changed, 69 insertions(+), 60 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/contribution-check.lock.yml b/.github/workflows/contribution-check.lock.yml
index cece33a1281..ac9a27254bc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/contribution-check.lock.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/contribution-check.lock.yml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 # For more information: https://github.github.com/gh-aw/introduction/overview/
 #
 #
-# gh-aw-metadata: {"schema_version":"v3","frontmatter_hash":"68fe72d088ae680ad10bb3719d3972a3d5f227f243c59c102c42e183f8196378","strict":true,"agent_id":"copilot"}
+# gh-aw-metadata: {"schema_version":"v3","frontmatter_hash":"c6a3f4c1233714c024d91fc9b1c524d86770132bae2044a11ce34b31aeaaa870","strict":true,"agent_id":"copilot"}
 
 name: "Contribution Check"
 "on":
@@ -349,7 +349,7 @@ jobs:
           mkdir -p /tmp/gh-aw/safeoutputs
           mkdir -p /tmp/gh-aw/mcp-logs/safeoutputs
           cat > ${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/safeoutputs/config.json << 'GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS_CONFIG_EOF'
-          {"add_comment":{"hide_older_comments":true,"max":10,"target":"*","target-repo":"${{ vars.TARGET_REPOSITORY }}"},"add_labels":{"allowed":["spam","needs-work","outdated","lgtm"],"max":4,"target":"*","target-repo":"${{ vars.TARGET_REPOSITORY }}"},"create_issue":{"close_older_issues":true,"expires":24,"idempotent":true,"labels":["contribution-report"],"max":1,"title_prefix":"[Contribution Check Report]"},"missing_data":{},"missing_tool":{},"noop":{"max":1,"report-as-issue":"true"}}
+          {"add_comment":{"hide_older_comments":true,"max":10,"target":"*","target-repo":"${{ vars.TARGET_REPOSITORY }}"},"add_labels":{"allowed":["spam","needs-work","outdated","lgtm"],"max":4,"target":"*","target-repo":"${{ vars.TARGET_REPOSITORY }}"},"create_issue":{"close_older_issues":true,"expires":24,"group_by_day":true,"labels":["contribution-report"],"max":1,"title_prefix":"[Contribution Check Report]"},"missing_data":{},"missing_tool":{},"noop":{"max":1,"report-as-issue":"true"}}
           GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS_CONFIG_EOF
       - name: Write Safe Outputs Tools
         run: |
@@ -1102,7 +1102,7 @@ jobs:
           GH_AW_ALLOWED_DOMAINS: "api.business.githubcopilot.com,api.enterprise.githubcopilot.com,api.github.com,api.githubcopilot.com,api.individual.githubcopilot.com,api.snapcraft.io,archive.ubuntu.com,azure.archive.ubuntu.com,crl.geotrust.com,crl.globalsign.com,crl.identrust.com,crl.sectigo.com,crl.thawte.com,crl.usertrust.com,crl.verisign.com,crl3.digicert.com,crl4.digicert.com,crls.ssl.com,github.com,host.docker.internal,json-schema.org,json.schemastore.org,keyserver.ubuntu.com,ocsp.digicert.com,ocsp.geotrust.com,ocsp.globalsign.com,ocsp.identrust.com,ocsp.sectigo.com,ocsp.ssl.com,ocsp.thawte.com,ocsp.usertrust.com,ocsp.verisign.com,packagecloud.io,packages.cloud.google.com,packages.microsoft.com,ppa.launchpad.net,raw.githubusercontent.com,registry.npmjs.org,s.symcb.com,s.symcd.com,security.ubuntu.com,telemetry.enterprise.githubcopilot.com,ts-crl.ws.symantec.com,ts-ocsp.ws.symantec.com,www.googleapis.com"
           GITHUB_SERVER_URL: ${{ github.server_url }}
           GITHUB_API_URL: ${{ github.api_url }}
-          GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS_HANDLER_CONFIG: "{\"add_comment\":{\"hide_older_comments\":true,\"max\":10,\"target\":\"*\",\"target-repo\":\"${{ vars.TARGET_REPOSITORY }}\"},\"add_labels\":{\"allowed\":[\"spam\",\"needs-work\",\"outdated\",\"lgtm\"],\"max\":4,\"target\":\"*\",\"target-repo\":\"${{ vars.TARGET_REPOSITORY }}\"},\"create_issue\":{\"close_older_issues\":true,\"expires\":24,\"idempotent\":true,\"labels\":[\"contribution-report\"],\"max\":1,\"title_prefix\":\"[Contribution Check Report]\"},\"missing_data\":{},\"missing_tool\":{},\"noop\":{\"max\":1,\"report-as-issue\":\"true\"}}"
+          GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS_HANDLER_CONFIG: "{\"add_comment\":{\"hide_older_comments\":true,\"max\":10,\"target\":\"*\",\"target-repo\":\"${{ vars.TARGET_REPOSITORY }}\"},\"add_labels\":{\"allowed\":[\"spam\",\"needs-work\",\"outdated\",\"lgtm\"],\"max\":4,\"target\":\"*\",\"target-repo\":\"${{ vars.TARGET_REPOSITORY }}\"},\"create_issue\":{\"close_older_issues\":true,\"expires\":24,\"group_by_day\":true,\"labels\":[\"contribution-report\"],\"max\":1,\"title_prefix\":\"[Contribution Check Report]\"},\"missing_data\":{},\"missing_tool\":{},\"noop\":{\"max\":1,\"report-as-issue\":\"true\"}}"
         with:
           github-token: ${{ secrets.GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
           script: |
diff --git a/.github/workflows/contribution-check.md b/.github/workflows/contribution-check.md
index ffe84a7e48a..708bee21c68 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/contribution-check.md
+++ b/.github/workflows/contribution-check.md
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ safe-outputs:
     labels:
       - contribution-report
     close-older-issues: true
-    idempotent: true
+    group-by-day: true
     expires: 1d
   add-labels:
     allowed: [spam, needs-work, outdated, lgtm]
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs b/actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs
index 6e685639849..91b84b70fc5 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ const { ERR_VALIDATION } = require("./error_codes.cjs");
 const { renderTemplateFromFile } = require("./messages_core.cjs");
 const { createExpirationLine, addExpirationToFooter } = require("./ephemerals.cjs");
 const { MAX_SUB_ISSUES, getSubIssueCount } = require("./sub_issue_helpers.cjs");
-const { closeOlderIssues, searchOlderIssues } = require("./close_older_issues.cjs");
+const { closeOlderIssues, searchOlderIssues, addIssueComment } = require("./close_older_issues.cjs");
 const { parseBoolTemplatable } = require("./templatable.cjs");
 const { tryEnforceArrayLimit } = require("./limit_enforcement_helpers.cjs");
 const { logStagedPreviewInfo } = require("./staged_preview.cjs");
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ async function main(config = {}) {
   const { defaultTargetRepo, allowedRepos } = resolveTargetRepoConfig(config);
   const groupEnabled = parseBoolTemplatable(config.group, false);
   const closeOlderIssuesEnabled = parseBoolTemplatable(config.close_older_issues, false);
-  const idempotentEnabled = parseBoolTemplatable(config.idempotent, false);
+  const groupByDayEnabled = parseBoolTemplatable(config.group_by_day, false);
   const rawCloseOlderKey = config.close_older_key ? String(config.close_older_key) : "";
   const closeOlderKey = rawCloseOlderKey ? normalizeCloseOlderKey(rawCloseOlderKey) : "";
   if (rawCloseOlderKey && !closeOlderKey) {
@@ -249,10 +249,10 @@ async function main(config = {}) {
       core.info(`  Using explicit close-older-key: "${closeOlderKey}"`);
     }
   }
-  if (idempotentEnabled) {
-    core.info(`Idempotent mode enabled: creation will be skipped if an open issue was already created today`);
+  if (groupByDayEnabled) {
+    core.info(`Group-by-day mode enabled: if an open issue was already created today, new content will be posted as a comment`);
     if (!closeOlderKey && !process.env.GH_AW_WORKFLOW_ID) {
-      core.warning(`Idempotent mode has no effect: neither close-older-key nor GH_AW_WORKFLOW_ID is set — issues cannot be searched`);
+      core.warning(`Group-by-day mode has no effect: neither close-older-key nor GH_AW_WORKFLOW_ID is set — issues cannot be searched`);
     }
   }
 
@@ -487,12 +487,12 @@ async function main(config = {}) {
     bodyLines.push("");
     const body = bodyLines.join("\n").trim();
 
-    // Idempotency check: if enabled, search for an existing open issue created today
-    // before attempting to create a new one. This prevents same-day duplicate issues
-    // when the workflow reruns (e.g. scheduled every 4 hours, two runs on the same day).
-    // NOTE: processedCount was already incremented above. If we skip creation, we undo
-    // the increment here so the max-count slot is not consumed for idempotent skips.
-    if (idempotentEnabled && (closeOlderKey || workflowId)) {
+    // Group-by-day check: if enabled, search for an existing open issue created today.
+    // When found, post the new content as a comment on the existing issue instead of
+    // creating a duplicate. This groups multiple same-day runs into a single issue.
+    // NOTE: processedCount was already incremented above. If we post as a comment, we undo
+    // the increment here so the max-count slot is not consumed.
+    if (groupByDayEnabled && (closeOlderKey || workflowId)) {
       const today = new Date().toISOString().split("T")[0]; // YYYY-MM-DD (UTC)
       try {
         const existingIssues = await searchOlderIssues(
@@ -509,18 +509,22 @@ async function main(config = {}) {
           return createdDate === today;
         });
         if (todayIssue) {
-          core.info(`Idempotent: skipping issue creation — open issue #${todayIssue.number} was already created today (${today}): ${todayIssue.html_url}`);
+          core.info(`Group-by-day: found open issue #${todayIssue.number} created today (${today}) — posting new content as a comment`);
+          const comment = await addIssueComment(github, repoParts.owner, repoParts.repo, todayIssue.number, body);
+          core.info(`Posted content as comment ${comment.html_url} on issue #${todayIssue.number}`);
           // Undo the processedCount increment so the max limit is not consumed
           processedCount--;
           return {
             success: true,
-            skipped: true,
-            reason: `idempotent: open issue #${todayIssue.number} already created today`,
+            grouped: true,
+            existingIssueNumber: todayIssue.number,
+            existingIssueUrl: todayIssue.html_url,
+            commentUrl: comment.html_url,
           };
         }
       } catch (error) {
         // Log but do not abort — fall through to normal creation
-        core.warning(`Idempotent pre-check failed: ${getErrorMessage(error)} — proceeding with issue creation`);
+        core.warning(`Group-by-day pre-check failed: ${getErrorMessage(error)} — proceeding with issue creation`);
       }
     }
 
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/create_issue.test.cjs b/actions/setup/js/create_issue.test.cjs
index 0894551f39f..47d85786042 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/create_issue.test.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/create_issue.test.cjs
@@ -29,7 +29,12 @@ describe("create_issue", () => {
               title: "Test Issue",
             },
           }),
-          createComment: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({}),
+          createComment: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+            data: {
+              id: 456,
+              html_url: "https://github.com/owner/repo/issues/99#issuecomment-456",
+            },
+          }),
         },
         search: {
           issuesAndPullRequests: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({
@@ -467,8 +472,8 @@ describe("create_issue", () => {
     });
   });
 
-  describe("idempotent mode", () => {
-    it("should skip creation if an open issue was already created today", async () => {
+  describe("group-by-day mode", () => {
+    it("should post new content as a comment if an open issue was already created today", async () => {
       const today = new Date().toISOString().split("T")[0];
       mockGithub.rest.search.issuesAndPullRequests.mockResolvedValueOnce({
         data: {
@@ -487,14 +492,14 @@ describe("create_issue", () => {
         },
       });
 
-      const handler = await main({ idempotent: true, close_older_issues: true });
+      const handler = await main({ group_by_day: true, close_older_issues: true });
       const result = await handler({ title: "Test Issue", body: "Test body" });
 
       expect(result.success).toBe(true);
-      expect(result.skipped).toBe(true);
-      expect(result.reason).toContain("idempotent");
-      expect(result.reason).toContain("99");
+      expect(result.grouped).toBe(true);
+      expect(result.existingIssueNumber).toBe(99);
       expect(mockGithub.rest.issues.create).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(mockGithub.rest.issues.createComment).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ issue_number: 99 }));
     });
 
     it("should create issue if no open issue was created today", async () => {
@@ -516,11 +521,11 @@ describe("create_issue", () => {
         },
       });
 
-      const handler = await main({ idempotent: true, close_older_issues: true });
+      const handler = await main({ group_by_day: true, close_older_issues: true });
       const result = await handler({ title: "Test Issue", body: "Test body" });
 
       expect(result.success).toBe(true);
-      expect(result.skipped).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(result.grouped).toBeUndefined();
       expect(mockGithub.rest.issues.create).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
     });
 
@@ -529,27 +534,27 @@ describe("create_issue", () => {
         data: { total_count: 0, items: [] },
       });
 
-      const handler = await main({ idempotent: true, close_older_issues: true });
+      const handler = await main({ group_by_day: true, close_older_issues: true });
       const result = await handler({ title: "Test Issue", body: "Test body" });
 
       expect(result.success).toBe(true);
-      expect(result.skipped).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(result.grouped).toBeUndefined();
       expect(mockGithub.rest.issues.create).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
     });
 
-    it("should proceed with creation if idempotent pre-check throws", async () => {
+    it("should proceed with creation if group-by-day pre-check throws", async () => {
       mockGithub.rest.search.issuesAndPullRequests.mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("Search API error"));
 
-      const handler = await main({ idempotent: true, close_older_issues: true });
+      const handler = await main({ group_by_day: true, close_older_issues: true });
       const result = await handler({ title: "Test Issue", body: "Test body" });
 
       expect(result.success).toBe(true);
-      expect(result.skipped).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(result.grouped).toBeUndefined();
       expect(mockGithub.rest.issues.create).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
-      expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Idempotent pre-check failed"));
+      expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Group-by-day pre-check failed"));
     });
 
-    it("should not skip if idempotent is false even with today's issue", async () => {
+    it("should not group if group-by-day is false even with today's issue", async () => {
       const today = new Date().toISOString().split("T")[0];
       mockGithub.rest.search.issuesAndPullRequests.mockResolvedValue({
         data: {
@@ -568,16 +573,16 @@ describe("create_issue", () => {
         },
       });
 
-      // idempotent is false (default) — creation should NOT be skipped
+      // group_by_day is false (default) — creation should NOT be grouped
       const handler = await main({ close_older_issues: false });
       const result = await handler({ title: "Test Issue", body: "Test body" });
 
       expect(result.success).toBe(true);
-      expect(result.skipped).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(result.grouped).toBeUndefined();
       expect(mockGithub.rest.issues.create).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
     });
 
-    it("should not consume max count slot when skipped due to idempotency", async () => {
+    it("should not consume max count slot when grouped", async () => {
       const today = new Date().toISOString().split("T")[0];
       mockGithub.rest.search.issuesAndPullRequests.mockResolvedValue({
         data: {
@@ -596,15 +601,15 @@ describe("create_issue", () => {
         },
       });
 
-      const handler = await main({ idempotent: true, close_older_issues: true, max: 1 });
+      const handler = await main({ group_by_day: true, close_older_issues: true, max: 1 });
 
-      // First call is skipped due to idempotency — max slot should not be consumed
+      // First call is grouped — max slot should not be consumed
       const result1 = await handler({ title: "First Issue", body: "Body" });
-      expect(result1.skipped).toBe(true);
+      expect(result1.grouped).toBe(true);
 
-      // Reset search mock so second call also finds a today issue — also skipped
+      // Second call also finds today's issue — also grouped
       const result2 = await handler({ title: "Second Issue", body: "Body" });
-      expect(result2.skipped).toBe(true);
+      expect(result2.grouped).toBe(true);
 
       // Neither call should have created an issue
       expect(mockGithub.rest.issues.create).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
diff --git a/docs/src/content/docs/reference/frontmatter-full.md b/docs/src/content/docs/reference/frontmatter-full.md
index dcdf01f04af..54ade376735 100644
--- a/docs/src/content/docs/reference/frontmatter-full.md
+++ b/docs/src/content/docs/reference/frontmatter-full.md
@@ -2504,13 +2504,13 @@ safe-outputs:
     # (optional)
     close-older-key: "example-value"
 
-    # When true, skip issue creation if an open issue with the same close-older-key
-    # (or workflow-id marker when no key is set) was already created today (UTC).
-    # Prevents same-day duplicate issues when the workflow is re-run (e.g. a scheduled
-    # workflow that runs every few hours). Works best when combined with
+    # When true, if an open issue with the same close-older-key (or workflow-id marker
+    # when no key is set) was already created today (UTC), post the new content as a
+    # comment on that existing issue instead of creating a new one. Groups multiple
+    # same-day runs into a single issue. Works best when combined with
     # close-older-issues: true.
     # (optional)
-    idempotent: true
+    group-by-day: true
 
     # Controls whether AI-generated footer is added to the issue. When false, the
     # visible footer content is omitted but XML markers (workflow-id, tracker-id,
diff --git a/docs/src/content/docs/reference/safe-outputs.md b/docs/src/content/docs/reference/safe-outputs.md
index 6b5cd7954f9..9cf7c6eabb7 100644
--- a/docs/src/content/docs/reference/safe-outputs.md
+++ b/docs/src/content/docs/reference/safe-outputs.md
@@ -161,9 +161,9 @@ When enabled:
 - Maximum 10 older issues will be closed
 - Only runs if the new issue creation succeeds
 
-#### Idempotent Issue Creation
+#### Group By Day
 
-The `idempotent` field (default: `false`) prevents same-day duplicate issues when a workflow reruns. When enabled, the handler searches for an existing open issue created **today (UTC)** with the same workflow-id marker (or `close-older-key` if set) before creating a new one. If a matching issue already exists, creation is silently skipped.
+The `group-by-day` field (default: `false`) groups multiple same-day workflow runs into a single issue. When enabled, the handler searches for an existing open issue created **today (UTC)** with the same workflow-id marker (or `close-older-key` if set). If found, the new content is posted as a **comment** on that existing issue instead of creating a new one.
 
 ```yaml wrap
 safe-outputs:
@@ -171,15 +171,15 @@ safe-outputs:
     title-prefix: "[Contribution Check Report]"
     labels: [report]
     close-older-issues: true
-    idempotent: true
+    group-by-day: true
 ```
 
-This is useful for scheduled workflows (e.g. every 4 hours) that produce recurring daily reports: only one report issue is created per day, eliminating duplicate open/closed issues from multiple same-day runs.
+This is useful for scheduled workflows (e.g. every 4 hours) that produce recurring daily reports: all runs on the same day contribute to one issue, eliminating duplicate open/closed issues.
 
 - Performs a pre-creation search for open issues matching the workflow-id or `close-older-key`
-- If a matching issue was created on today's UTC date, creation is skipped
-- The max-count slot is not consumed when a creation is skipped
-- On failure of the pre-check, creation proceeds normally as a fallback
+- If a matching issue was created today (UTC), new content is posted as a comment on it
+- The max-count slot is not consumed when posting as a comment
+- On failure of the pre-check, normal issue creation proceeds as a fallback
 
 #### Searching for Workflow-Created Items
 
diff --git a/pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json b/pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json
index 7e5e69d7f8e..6fec138631d 100644
--- a/pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json
+++ b/pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json
@@ -4516,9 +4516,9 @@
                   "minLength": 1,
                   "pattern": "\\S"
                 },
-                "idempotent": {
+                "group-by-day": {
                   "type": "boolean",
-                  "description": "When true, skip issue creation if an open issue with the same close-older-key (or workflow-id marker when no key is set) was already created today (UTC). Prevents same-day duplicate issues when the workflow is re-run. Works best when combined with close-older-issues: true.",
+                  "description": "When true, if an open issue with the same close-older-key (or workflow-id marker when no key is set) was already created today (UTC), post the new content as a comment on that existing issue instead of creating a new one. Groups multiple same-day runs into a single issue. Works best when combined with close-older-issues: true.",
                   "default": false
                 },
                 "footer": {
diff --git a/pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_config.go b/pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_config.go
index a6736a0712c..57094cf7b6a 100644
--- a/pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_config.go
+++ b/pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_config.go
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ var handlerRegistry = map[string]handlerBuilder{
 			AddTemplatableBool("group", c.Group).
 			AddTemplatableBool("close_older_issues", c.CloseOlderIssues).
 			AddIfNotEmpty("close_older_key", c.CloseOlderKey).
-			AddTemplatableBool("idempotent", c.Idempotent).
+			AddTemplatableBool("group_by_day", c.GroupByDay).
 			AddTemplatableBool("footer", getEffectiveFooterForTemplatable(c.Footer, cfg.Footer)).
 			AddIfNotEmpty("github-token", c.GitHubToken).
 			AddIfTrue("staged", c.Staged).
diff --git a/pkg/workflow/create_issue.go b/pkg/workflow/create_issue.go
index 9fc5cd247c9..87be1954f19 100644
--- a/pkg/workflow/create_issue.go
+++ b/pkg/workflow/create_issue.go
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ type CreateIssuesConfig struct {
 	AllowedRepos         []string `yaml:"allowed-repos,omitempty"`      // List of additional repositories that issues can be created in
 	CloseOlderIssues     *string  `yaml:"close-older-issues,omitempty"` // When true, close older issues with same title prefix or labels as "not planned"
 	CloseOlderKey        string   `yaml:"close-older-key,omitempty"`    // Optional explicit deduplication key for close-older matching. When set, uses gh-aw-close-key marker instead of workflow-id markers.
-	Idempotent           *string  `yaml:"idempotent,omitempty"`         // When true, skip creation if an open issue with the same key was already created today (UTC). Prevents same-day duplicate issues on reruns. Works best with close-older-issues: true.
+	GroupByDay           *string  `yaml:"group-by-day,omitempty"`       // When true, if an open issue was already created today (UTC), post new content as a comment on it instead of creating a duplicate. Works best with close-older-issues: true.
 	Expires              int      `yaml:"expires,omitempty"`            // Hours until the issue expires and should be automatically closed
 	Group                *string  `yaml:"group,omitempty"`              // If true, group issues as sub-issues under a parent issue (workflow ID is used as group identifier)
 	Footer               *string  `yaml:"footer,omitempty"`             // Controls whether AI-generated footer is added. When false, visible footer is omitted but XML markers are kept.
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ func (c *Compiler) parseIssuesConfig(outputMap map[string]any) *CreateIssuesConf
 
 	// Pre-process templatable bool fields: convert literal booleans to strings so that
 	// GitHub Actions expression strings (e.g. "${{ inputs.close-older-issues }}") are also accepted.
-	for _, field := range []string{"close-older-issues", "group", "footer", "idempotent"} {
+	for _, field := range []string{"close-older-issues", "group", "footer", "group-by-day"} {
 		if err := preprocessBoolFieldAsString(configData, field, createIssueLog); err != nil {
 			createIssueLog.Printf("Invalid %s value: %v", field, err)
 			return nil

From 877520a1e98bef946d14006f318d03f2511b1858 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2026 17:55:00 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 4/4] fix: address review comments on group-by-day feature

- Update searchOlderIssues JSDoc @returns to include created_at field
- Use githubClient (not global github) for searchOlderIssues and addIssueComment
  so custom github-token config is respected for cross-repo operations
- Move processedCount++ after group-by-day check so max-count slots are
  never consumed for grouped-as-comment paths (removes the processedCount--
  hack)

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>
Agent-Logs-Url: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/sessions/853fae40-1f00-4e50-bbb7-5decaeea89c9
---
 actions/setup/js/close_older_issues.cjs |  2 +-
 actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs       | 16 ++++++++--------
 2 files changed, 9 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)

diff --git a/actions/setup/js/close_older_issues.cjs b/actions/setup/js/close_older_issues.cjs
index f9725376cd3..d225684df54 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/close_older_issues.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/close_older_issues.cjs
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ const API_DELAY_MS = 500;
  * @param {string} [closeOlderKey] - Optional explicit deduplication key. When set, the
  *   `gh-aw-close-key` marker is used as the primary search term and exact filter instead
  *   of the workflow-id / workflow-call-id markers.
- * @returns {Promise<Array<{number: number, title: string, html_url: string, labels: Array<{name: string}>}>>} Matching issues
+ * @returns {Promise<Array<{number: number, title: string, html_url: string, labels: Array<{name: string}>, created_at: string}>>} Matching issues
  */
 async function searchOlderIssues(github, owner, repo, workflowId, excludeNumber, callerWorkflowId, closeOlderKey) {
   core.info(`Starting search for older issues in ${owner}/${repo}`);
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs b/actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs
index 91b84b70fc5..72897d5d2c1 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/create_issue.cjs
@@ -290,8 +290,6 @@ async function main(config = {}) {
       };
     }
 
-    processedCount++;
-
     // Merge external resolved temp IDs with our local map
     if (resolvedTemporaryIds) {
       for (const [tempId, resolved] of Object.entries(resolvedTemporaryIds)) {
@@ -490,13 +488,13 @@ async function main(config = {}) {
     // Group-by-day check: if enabled, search for an existing open issue created today.
     // When found, post the new content as a comment on the existing issue instead of
     // creating a duplicate. This groups multiple same-day runs into a single issue.
-    // NOTE: processedCount was already incremented above. If we post as a comment, we undo
-    // the increment here so the max-count slot is not consumed.
+    // The max-count slot is NOT consumed when posting as a comment (processedCount is
+    // only incremented below, just before actual issue creation).
     if (groupByDayEnabled && (closeOlderKey || workflowId)) {
       const today = new Date().toISOString().split("T")[0]; // YYYY-MM-DD (UTC)
       try {
         const existingIssues = await searchOlderIssues(
-          github,
+          githubClient,
           repoParts.owner,
           repoParts.repo,
           workflowId,
@@ -510,10 +508,8 @@ async function main(config = {}) {
         });
         if (todayIssue) {
           core.info(`Group-by-day: found open issue #${todayIssue.number} created today (${today}) — posting new content as a comment`);
-          const comment = await addIssueComment(github, repoParts.owner, repoParts.repo, todayIssue.number, body);
+          const comment = await addIssueComment(githubClient, repoParts.owner, repoParts.repo, todayIssue.number, body);
           core.info(`Posted content as comment ${comment.html_url} on issue #${todayIssue.number}`);
-          // Undo the processedCount increment so the max limit is not consumed
-          processedCount--;
           return {
             success: true,
             grouped: true,
@@ -528,6 +524,10 @@ async function main(config = {}) {
       }
     }
 
+    // Increment processed count only when we are about to create an issue
+    // (group-by-day comment paths return above without consuming a slot)
+    processedCount++;
+
     core.info(`Creating issue in ${qualifiedItemRepo} with title: ${title}`);
     core.info(`Labels: ${labels.join(", ")}`);
     if (assignees.length > 0) {