Add configurable fallback labels for create_pull_request fallback issues

actions/setup/js/create_pull_request.cjs

@@ -133,6 +133,19 @@ function isBaseBranchAllowed(baseBranch, allowedBaseBranches) {
   return false;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Parse config values that may be arrays or comma-separated strings.
+ * @param {string[]|string|undefined} value
+ * @returns {string[]}
+ */
+function parseStringListConfig(value) {
+  if (!value) {
+    return [];
+  }
+  const raw = Array.isArray(value) ? value : String(value).split(",");
+  return raw.map(item => String(item).trim()).filter(Boolean);
+}
+
 /**
  * Merges the required fallback label with any workflow-configured labels,
  * deduplicating and filtering empty values.
@@ -323,10 +336,11 @@ async function handleRemoteBranchCollision(branchName, preserveBranchName) {
 async function main(config = {}) {
   // Extract configuration
   const titlePrefix = config.title_prefix || "";
-  const envLabels = config.labels ? (Array.isArray(config.labels) ? config.labels : config.labels.split(",")).map(label => String(label).trim()).filter(label => label) : [];
-  const configReviewers = config.reviewers ? (Array.isArray(config.reviewers) ? config.reviewers : config.reviewers.split(",")).map(r => String(r).trim()).filter(r => r) : [];
-  const configTeamReviewers = config.team_reviewers ? (Array.isArray(config.team_reviewers) ? config.team_reviewers : config.team_reviewers.split(",")).map(r => String(r).trim()).filter(r => r) : [];
-  const rawAssignees = config.assignees ? (Array.isArray(config.assignees) ? config.assignees : config.assignees.split(",")).map(a => String(a).trim()).filter(a => a) : [];
+  const envLabels = parseStringListConfig(config.labels);
+  const configFallbackLabels = parseStringListConfig(config.fallback_labels);
+  const configReviewers = parseStringListConfig(config.reviewers);
+  const configTeamReviewers = parseStringListConfig(config.team_reviewers);
+  const rawAssignees = parseStringListConfig(config.assignees);
   const hasCopilotInAssignees = rawAssignees.some(a => a.toLowerCase() === "copilot");
   const configAssignees = sanitizeFallbackAssignees(rawAssignees);
   const draftDefault = parseBoolTemplatable(config.draft, true);
@@ -445,6 +459,9 @@ async function main(config = {}) {
   if (envLabels.length > 0) {
     core.info(`Default labels: ${envLabels.join(", ")}`);
   }
+  if (configFallbackLabels.length > 0) {
+    core.info(`Configured fallback issue labels: ${configFallbackLabels.join(", ")}`);
+  }
   if (configReviewers.length > 0) {
     core.info(`Configured reviewers: ${configReviewers.join(", ")}`);
   }
@@ -955,6 +972,9 @@ async function main(config = {}) {
       .filter(label => !!label)
       .map(label => String(label).trim())
       .filter(label => label);
+    // Use explicitly configured fallback labels when present; otherwise preserve
+    // existing behavior by reusing pull request labels for fallback issues.
+    const effectiveFallbackLabels = configFallbackLabels.length > 0 ? configFallbackLabels : labels;
 
     // Configuration enforces draft as a policy, not a fallback (consistent with autoMerge/allowEmpty)
     const draft = draftDefault;
@@ -1076,7 +1096,7 @@ gh pr create --title '${title}' --base ${baseBranch} --head ${branchName} --repo
 \`\`\``;
 
         try {
-          const { data: issue } = await createFallbackIssue(githubClient, repoParts, title, fallbackBody, mergeFallbackIssueLabels(labels), configAssignees);
+          const { data: issue } = await createFallbackIssue(githubClient, repoParts, title, fallbackBody, mergeFallbackIssueLabels(effectiveFallbackLabels), configAssignees);
 
           core.info(`Created fallback issue #${issue.number}: ${issue.html_url}`);
           await assignCopilotToFallbackIssueIfEnabled(repoParts.owner, repoParts.repo, issue.number);
@@ -1310,7 +1330,7 @@ gh pr create --title '${title}' --base ${baseBranch} --head ${branchName} --repo
 ${patchPreview}`;
 
             try {
-              const { data: issue } = await createFallbackIssue(githubClient, repoParts, title, fallbackBody, mergeFallbackIssueLabels(labels), configAssignees);
+              const { data: issue } = await createFallbackIssue(githubClient, repoParts, title, fallbackBody, mergeFallbackIssueLabels(effectiveFallbackLabels), configAssignees);
 
               core.info(`Created fallback issue #${issue.number}: ${issue.html_url}`);
               await assignCopilotToFallbackIssueIfEnabled(repoParts.owner, repoParts.repo, issue.number);
@@ -1465,7 +1485,7 @@ ${patchPreview}`;
       }
 
       try {
-        const { data: issue } = await createFallbackIssue(githubClient, repoParts, title, fallbackBody, mergeFallbackIssueLabels(labels), configAssignees);
+        const { data: issue } = await createFallbackIssue(githubClient, repoParts, title, fallbackBody, mergeFallbackIssueLabels(effectiveFallbackLabels), configAssignees);
 
         core.info(`Created protected-file-protection review issue #${issue.number}: ${issue.html_url}`);
         await assignCopilotToFallbackIssueIfEnabled(repoParts.owner, repoParts.repo, issue.number);
@@ -1665,7 +1685,7 @@ ${patchPreview}`;
         });
 
         try {
-          const { data: issue } = await createFallbackIssue(githubClient, repoParts, title, fallbackBody, mergeFallbackIssueLabels(labels), configAssignees);
+          const { data: issue } = await createFallbackIssue(githubClient, repoParts, title, fallbackBody, mergeFallbackIssueLabels(effectiveFallbackLabels), configAssignees);
 
           core.info(`Created fallback issue #${issue.number}: ${issue.html_url}`);
           await assignCopilotToFallbackIssueIfEnabled(repoParts.owner, repoParts.repo, issue.number);
@@ -1731,7 +1751,7 @@ gh pr create --title "${title}" --base ${baseBranch} --head ${branchName} --repo
 ${patchPreview}`;
 
       try {
-        const { data: issue } = await createFallbackIssue(githubClient, repoParts, title, fallbackBody, mergeFallbackIssueLabels(labels), configAssignees);
+        const { data: issue } = await createFallbackIssue(githubClient, repoParts, title, fallbackBody, mergeFallbackIssueLabels(effectiveFallbackLabels), configAssignees);
 
         core.info(`Created fallback issue #${issue.number}: ${issue.html_url}`);
         await assignCopilotToFallbackIssueIfEnabled(repoParts.owner, repoParts.repo, issue.number);

actions/setup/js/create_pull_request.test.cjs

@@ -1776,6 +1776,15 @@ describe("create_pull_request - copilot assignee on fallback issues", () => {
     expect(global.github.graphql).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3);
   });
 
+  it("should use configured fallback_labels for fallback issues instead of PR labels", async () => {
+    const { main } = require("./create_pull_request.cjs");
+    const handler = await main({ allow_empty: true, fallback_labels: ["failure", "automated"] });
+    await handler({ title: "Test PR", body: "Test body", labels: ["pr-label"] }, {});
+
+    const issueCall = global.github.rest.issues.create.mock.calls[0][0];
+    expect(issueCall.labels).toEqual(["agentic-workflows", "failure", "automated"]);
+  });
+
   it("should warn but not fail when copilot agent is not available for fallback issue", async () => {
     process.env.GH_AW_ASSIGN_COPILOT = "true";
 

pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json

@@ -5774,6 +5774,13 @@
                   ],
                   "description": "Optional assignee(s) for a fallback issue created when pull request creation cannot proceed, including protected-files fallback-to-issue and pull request creation or push failures. Accepts either a single string or an array of usernames."
                 },
+                "fallback-labels": {
+                  "type": "array",
+                  "description": "Optional labels to apply to fallback issues created when pull request creation cannot proceed. When omitted, fallback issues reuse pull request labels. A managed label is always added for triage.",
+                  "items": {
+                    "type": "string"
+                  }
+                },
                 "draft": {
                   "allOf": [
                     {

pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_config_test.go

@@ -1635,6 +1635,60 @@ func TestCreatePullRequestBaseBranch(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestCreatePullRequestFallbackLabels(t *testing.T) {
+	compiler := NewCompiler()
+
+	workflowData := &WorkflowData{
+		Name: "Test Workflow",
+		SafeOutputs: &SafeOutputsConfig{
+			CreatePullRequests: &CreatePullRequestsConfig{
+				BaseSafeOutputConfig: BaseSafeOutputConfig{
+					Max: strPtr("1"),
+				},
+				FallbackLabels: []string{"failure", "automated"},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	var steps []string
+	compiler.addHandlerManagerConfigEnvVar(&steps, workflowData)
+	require.NotEmpty(t, steps, "Steps should be generated")
+	validated := false
+
+	for _, step := range steps {
+		if strings.Contains(step, "GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS_HANDLER_CONFIG") {
+			parts := strings.Split(step, "GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS_HANDLER_CONFIG: ")
+			if len(parts) != 2 {
+				continue
+			}
+
+			jsonStr := strings.TrimSpace(parts[1])
+			jsonStr = strings.Trim(jsonStr, "\"")
+			jsonStr = strings.ReplaceAll(jsonStr, "\\\"", "\"")
+
+			var config map[string]map[string]any
+			err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(jsonStr), &config)
+			require.NoError(t, err, "Config JSON should be valid")
+
+			prConfig, ok := config["create_pull_request"]
+			require.True(t, ok, "create_pull_request config should exist")
+
+			fallbackLabelsRaw, ok := prConfig["fallback_labels"]
+			require.True(t, ok, "fallback_labels should be in config")
+
+			fallbackLabels, ok := fallbackLabelsRaw.([]any)
+			require.True(t, ok, "fallback_labels should be an array")
+			require.Len(t, fallbackLabels, 2, "fallback_labels should have expected length")
+			assert.Equal(t, "failure", fallbackLabels[0], "first fallback label should match")
+			assert.Equal(t, "automated", fallbackLabels[1], "second fallback label should match")
+			validated = true
+			break
+		}
+	}
+
+	require.True(t, validated, "fallback_labels validation should run when handler config env var is present")
+}
+
 // TestHandlerConfigAssignToUser tests assign_to_user configuration
 func TestHandlerConfigAssignToUser(t *testing.T) {
 	compiler := NewCompiler()

pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_handlers.go

@@ -385,6 +385,7 @@ var handlerRegistry = map[string]handlerBuilder{
 			AddTemplatableInt("max", c.Max).
 			AddIfNotEmpty("title_prefix", c.TitlePrefix).
 			AddStringSlice("labels", c.Labels).
+			AddStringSlice("fallback_labels", c.FallbackLabels).
 			AddStringSlice("reviewers", c.Reviewers).
 			AddStringSlice("team_reviewers", c.TeamReviewers).
 			AddStringSlice("assignees", c.Assignees).

pkg/workflow/config_parsing_helpers_test.go

@@ -311,9 +311,10 @@ func TestParsePullRequestsConfigWithHelpers(t *testing.T) {
 	compiler := &Compiler{}
 	outputMap := map[string]any{
 		"create-pull-request": map[string]any{
-			"title-prefix": "[auto] ",
-			"labels":       []any{"automated", "needs-review"},
-			"target-repo":  "org/project",
+			"title-prefix":    "[auto] ",
+			"labels":          []any{"automated", "needs-review"},
+			"fallback-labels": []any{"failure", "automated"},
+			"target-repo":     "org/project",
 		},
 	}
 
@@ -330,6 +331,10 @@ func TestParsePullRequestsConfigWithHelpers(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("expected 2 labels, got %d", len(result.Labels))
 	}
 
+	if len(result.FallbackLabels) != 2 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 2 fallback labels, got %d", len(result.FallbackLabels))
+	}
+
 	if result.TargetRepoSlug != "org/project" {
 		t.Errorf("expected target-repo 'org/project', got %q", result.TargetRepoSlug)
 	}

pkg/workflow/create_pull_request.go

@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ type CreatePullRequestsConfig struct {
 	Reviewers                      []string `yaml:"reviewers,omitempty"`                           // List of users/bots to assign as reviewers to the pull request
 	TeamReviewers                  []string `yaml:"team-reviewers,omitempty"`                      // List of team slugs to assign as team reviewers to the pull request
 	Assignees                      []string `yaml:"assignees,omitempty"`                           // List of users to assign to any fallback issue created by create-pull-request
+	FallbackLabels                 []string `yaml:"fallback-labels,omitempty"`                     // List of labels to apply to fallback issues created when PR creation cannot proceed. If omitted, fallback issues reuse PR labels.
 	Draft                          *string  `yaml:"draft,omitempty"`                               // Pointer to distinguish between unset (nil), literal bool, and expression values
 	IfNoChanges                    string   `yaml:"if-no-changes,omitempty"`                       // Behavior when no changes to push: "warn" (default), "error", or "ignore"
 	AllowEmpty                     *string  `yaml:"allow-empty,omitempty"`                         // Allow creating PR without patch file or with empty patch (useful for preparing feature branches)