Download agent file from GitHub on demand with version-aware URL patching (#13612)

Author: Copilot

.github/agents/agentic-workflows.agent.md

@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ Workflows may optionally include:
 - Workflow files: `.github/workflows/*.md` and `.github/workflows/**/*.md`
 - Workflow lock files: `.github/workflows/*.lock.yml`
 - Shared components: `.github/workflows/shared/*.md`
-- Configuration: `.github/aw/github-agentic-workflows.md`
+- Configuration: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/blob/main/.github/aw/github-agentic-workflows.md
 
 ## Problems This Solves
 
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ When you interact with this agent, it will:
 ### Create New Workflow
 **Load when**: User wants to create a new workflow from scratch, add automation, or design a workflow that doesn't exist yet
 
-**Prompt file**: `.github/aw/create-agentic-workflow.md`
+**Prompt file**: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/blob/main/.github/aw/create-agentic-workflow.md
 
 **Use cases**:
 - "Create a workflow that triages issues"
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ When you interact with this agent, it will:
 ### Update Existing Workflow  
 **Load when**: User wants to modify, improve, or refactor an existing workflow
 
-**Prompt file**: `.github/aw/update-agentic-workflow.md`
+**Prompt file**: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/blob/main/.github/aw/update-agentic-workflow.md
 
 **Use cases**:
 - "Add web-fetch tool to the issue-classifier workflow"
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ When you interact with this agent, it will:
 ### Debug Workflow  
 **Load when**: User needs to investigate, audit, debug, or understand a workflow, troubleshoot issues, analyze logs, or fix errors
 
-**Prompt file**: `.github/aw/debug-agentic-workflow.md`
+**Prompt file**: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/blob/main/.github/aw/debug-agentic-workflow.md
 
 **Use cases**:
 - "Why is this workflow failing?"
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ When you interact with this agent, it will:
 ### Upgrade Agentic Workflows
 **Load when**: User wants to upgrade workflows to a new gh-aw version or fix deprecations
 
-**Prompt file**: `.github/aw/upgrade-agentic-workflows.md`
+**Prompt file**: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/blob/main/.github/aw/upgrade-agentic-workflows.md
 
 **Use cases**:
 - "Upgrade all workflows to the latest version"
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ When you interact with this agent, it will:
 ### Create Shared Agentic Workflow
 **Load when**: User wants to create a reusable workflow component or wrap an MCP server
 
-**Prompt file**: `.github/aw/create-shared-agentic-workflow.md`
+**Prompt file**: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/blob/main/.github/aw/create-shared-agentic-workflow.md
 
 **Use cases**:
 - "Create a shared component for Notion integration"
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ When you interact with this agent, it will:
 When a user interacts with you:
 
 1. **Identify the task type** from the user's request
-2. **Load the appropriate prompt** using `.github/aw/<prompt-name>.md`
+2. **Load the appropriate prompt** from the GitHub repository URLs listed above
 3. **Follow the loaded prompt's instructions** exactly
 4. **If uncertain**, ask clarifying questions to determine the right prompt
 
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ gh aw compile --validate
 
 ## Important Notes
 
-- Always reference the instructions file at `.github/aw/github-agentic-workflows.md` for complete documentation
+- Always reference the instructions file at https://github.com/github/gh-aw/blob/main/.github/aw/github-agentic-workflows.md for complete documentation
 - Use the MCP tool `agentic-workflows` when running in GitHub Copilot Cloud
 - Workflows must be compiled to `.lock.yml` files before running in GitHub Actions
 - Follow security best practices: minimal permissions, explicit network access, no template injection

Makefile

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ all: build
 
 # Build the binary, run make deps before this
 .PHONY: build
-build: sync-templates sync-action-pins sync-action-scripts
+build: sync-action-pins sync-action-scripts
 	go build $(LDFLAGS) -o $(BINARY_NAME) ./cmd/gh-aw
 
 # Build for all platforms
@@ -579,26 +579,6 @@ clean-docs:
 	@echo "✓ Documentation artifacts cleaned"
 
 # Sync templates from .github to pkg/cli/templates
-.PHONY: sync-templates
-sync-templates:
-	@echo "Syncing templates from .github to pkg/cli/templates..."
-	@mkdir -p pkg/cli/templates
-
-	# Workflow management templates
-	@cp .github/aw/github-agentic-workflows.md pkg/cli/templates/
-	@cp .github/aw/create-agentic-workflow.md pkg/cli/templates/
-	@cp .github/aw/create-shared-agentic-workflow.md pkg/cli/templates/
-	@cp .github/aw/debug-agentic-workflow.md pkg/cli/templates/
-	@cp .github/aw/update-agentic-workflow.md pkg/cli/templates/
-	@cp .github/aw/upgrade-agentic-workflows.md pkg/cli/templates/
-
-	# Agent templates
-	@cp .github/agents/agentic-workflows.agent.md pkg/cli/templates/
-
-	@echo "✓ Templates synced successfully"
-
-
-
 # Sync action pins from .github/aw to pkg/workflow/data
 .PHONY: sync-action-pins
 sync-action-pins:
@@ -620,7 +600,7 @@ sync-action-scripts:
 
 # Recompile all workflow files
 .PHONY: recompile
-recompile: sync-templates build
+recompile: build
 	./$(BINARY_NAME) init --codespaces
 	./$(BINARY_NAME) compile --validate --verbose --purge --stats
 #	./$(BINARY_NAME) compile --dir pkg/cli/workflows --validate --verbose --purge
@@ -736,7 +716,6 @@ help:
 	@echo "  actionlint       - Validate workflows with actionlint (depends on build)"
 	@echo "  validate-workflows - Validate compiled workflow lock files (depends on build)"
 	@echo "  install          - Install binary locally"
-	@echo "  sync-templates   - Sync templates from .github to pkg/cli/templates (runs automatically during build)"
 	@echo "  sync-action-pins - Sync actions-lock.json from .github/aw to pkg/workflow/data (runs automatically during build)"
 	@echo "  sync-action-scripts - Sync install-gh-aw.sh to actions/setup-cli/install.sh (runs automatically during build)"
 	@echo "  update           - Update GitHub Actions and workflows, sync action pins, and rebuild binary"

pkg/cli/agentic_workflow_agent_test.go

@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
-	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/github/gh-aw/pkg/testutil"
@@ -16,22 +15,17 @@ func TestEnsureCreateWorkflowPrompt(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name            string
 		existingContent string
-		expectedContent string
+		expectExists    bool
 	}{
 		{
-			name:            "creates new workflow creation prompt file",
+			name:            "reports missing file without error",
 			existingContent: "",
-			expectedContent: strings.TrimSpace(createWorkflowPromptTemplate),
+			expectExists:    false,
 		},
 		{
-			name:            "does not modify existing correct file",
-			existingContent: createWorkflowPromptTemplate,
-			expectedContent: strings.TrimSpace(createWorkflowPromptTemplate),
-		},
-		{
-			name:            "updates modified file",
-			existingContent: "# Modified Workflow Creation Prompt\n\nThis is a modified version.",
-			expectedContent: strings.TrimSpace(createWorkflowPromptTemplate),
+			name:            "reports existing file",
+			existingContent: "# Test content",
+			expectExists:    true,
 		},
 	}
 
@@ -74,24 +68,16 @@ func TestEnsureCreateWorkflowPrompt(t *testing.T) {
 				t.Fatalf("ensureCreateWorkflowPrompt() returned error: %v", err)
 			}
 
-			// Check that file exists
-			if _, err := os.Stat(promptPath); os.IsNotExist(err) {
-				t.Fatalf("Expected prompt file to exist")
-			}
-
-			// Check content
-			content, err := os.ReadFile(promptPath)
-			if err != nil {
-				t.Fatalf("Failed to read prompt: %v", err)
-			}
+			// Check that file exists or not based on test expectation
+			_, statErr := os.Stat(promptPath)
+			fileExists := statErr == nil
 
-			contentStr := strings.TrimSpace(string(content))
-			expectedStr := strings.TrimSpace(tt.expectedContent)
-
-			if contentStr != expectedStr {
-				t.Errorf("Expected content does not match.\nExpected first 100 chars: %q\nActual first 100 chars: %q",
-					expectedStr[:min(100, len(expectedStr))],
-					contentStr[:min(100, len(contentStr))])
+			if fileExists != tt.expectExists {
+				if tt.expectExists {
+					t.Errorf("Expected prompt file to exist, but it doesn't")
+				} else {
+					t.Errorf("Expected prompt file to not exist, but it does")
+				}
 			}
 		})
 	}
@@ -130,7 +116,7 @@ func TestEnsureCreateWorkflowPrompt_WithSkipInstructionsTrue(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestEnsureCreateWorkflowPrompt_CreatesNewFile(t *testing.T) {
+func TestEnsureCreateWorkflowPrompt_ReportsNonExistent(t *testing.T) {
 	// Create a temporary directory for testing
 	tempDir := testutil.TempDir(t, "test-*")
 
@@ -149,16 +135,16 @@ func TestEnsureCreateWorkflowPrompt_CreatesNewFile(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("Failed to init git repo: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	// Call the function to create prompt
+	// Call the function - it should not error even if file doesn't exist
 	err = ensureCreateWorkflowPrompt(false, false)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("ensureCreateWorkflowPrompt() returned error: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	// Check that new prompt file was created in .github/aw/
+	// Check that new prompt file was NOT created (files are source of truth in .github/aw/)
 	awDir := filepath.Join(tempDir, ".github", "aw")
 	newPromptPath := filepath.Join(awDir, "create-agentic-workflow.md")
-	if _, err := os.Stat(newPromptPath); os.IsNotExist(err) {
-		t.Fatalf("Expected new prompt file to be created in .github/aw/")
+	if _, err := os.Stat(newPromptPath); !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected new prompt file to NOT be created (files are source of truth)")
 	}
 }

pkg/cli/commands.go

@@ -1,13 +1,15 @@
 package cli
 
 import (
-	_ "embed"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/github/gh-aw/pkg/console"
 	"github.com/github/gh-aw/pkg/constants"
@@ -28,39 +30,91 @@ func init() {
 	workflow.SetDefaultVersion(version)
 }
 
-//go:embed templates/github-agentic-workflows.md
-var copilotInstructionsTemplate string
+// SetVersionInfo sets the version information for the CLI and workflow package
+func SetVersionInfo(v string) {
+	version = v
+	workflow.SetDefaultVersion(v) // Keep workflow package in sync
+}
 
-//go:embed templates/agentic-workflows.agent.md
-var agenticWorkflowsDispatcherTemplate string
+// GetVersion returns the current version
+func GetVersion() string {
+	return version
+}
 
-//go:embed templates/create-agentic-workflow.md
-var createWorkflowPromptTemplate string
+// downloadAgentFileFromGitHub downloads the agentic-workflows.agent.md file from GitHub
+func downloadAgentFileFromGitHub(verbose bool) (string, error) {
+	commandsLog.Print("Downloading agentic-workflows.agent.md from GitHub")
+
+	// Determine the ref to use (tag for releases, main for dev builds)
+	ref := "main"
+	currentVersion := GetVersion()
+
+	// If version looks like a release tag (starts with v and contains dots), use it
+	isRelease := strings.HasPrefix(currentVersion, "v") && strings.Contains(currentVersion, ".")
+	if isRelease {
+		ref = currentVersion
+		commandsLog.Printf("Using release tag: %s", ref)
+		if verbose {
+			fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, console.FormatInfoMessage(fmt.Sprintf("Using release version: %s", ref)))
+		}
+	} else {
+		commandsLog.Print("Using main branch for dev build")
+		if verbose {
+			fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, console.FormatInfoMessage("Using main branch (dev build)"))
+		}
+	}
 
-//go:embed templates/update-agentic-workflow.md
-var updateWorkflowPromptTemplate string
+	// Construct the raw GitHub URL
+	url := fmt.Sprintf("https://raw.githubusercontent.com/github/gh-aw/%s/.github/agents/agentic-workflows.agent.md", ref)
+	commandsLog.Printf("Downloading from URL: %s", url)
 
-//go:embed templates/create-shared-agentic-workflow.md
-var createSharedAgenticWorkflowPromptTemplate string
+	// Create HTTP client with timeout
+	client := &http.Client{
+		Timeout: 30 * time.Second,
+	}
 
-//go:embed templates/debug-agentic-workflow.md
-var debugWorkflowPromptTemplate string
+	// Download the file
+	resp, err := client.Get(url)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to download agent file: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
 
-//go:embed templates/upgrade-agentic-workflows.md
-var upgradeAgenticWorkflowsPromptTemplate string
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to download agent file: HTTP %d", resp.StatusCode)
+	}
 
-//go:embed templates/serena-tool.md
-var serenaToolTemplate string
+	// Read the content
+	content, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to read agent file content: %w", err)
+	}
 
-// SetVersionInfo sets the version information for the CLI and workflow package
-func SetVersionInfo(v string) {
-	version = v
-	workflow.SetDefaultVersion(v) // Keep workflow package in sync
+	contentStr := string(content)
+
+	// Patch URLs to match the current version/ref
+	patchedContent := patchAgentFileURLs(contentStr, ref)
+	if patchedContent != contentStr && verbose {
+		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, console.FormatInfoMessage(fmt.Sprintf("Patched URLs to use ref: %s", ref)))
+	}
+
+	commandsLog.Printf("Successfully downloaded agent file (%d bytes)", len(patchedContent))
+	return patchedContent, nil
 }
 
-// GetVersion returns the current version
-func GetVersion() string {
-	return version
+// patchAgentFileURLs patches URLs in the agent file to use the correct ref
+func patchAgentFileURLs(content, ref string) string {
+	// Pattern 1: Convert local paths to GitHub URLs
+	// `.github/aw/file.md` -> `https://github.com/github/gh-aw/blob/{ref}/.github/aw/file.md`
+	content = strings.ReplaceAll(content, "`.github/aw/", fmt.Sprintf("`https://github.com/github/gh-aw/blob/%s/.github/aw/", ref))
+
+	// Pattern 2: Update existing GitHub URLs to use the correct ref
+	// https://github.com/github/gh-aw/blob/main/ -> https://github.com/github/gh-aw/blob/{ref}/
+	if ref != "main" {
+		content = strings.ReplaceAll(content, "/blob/main/", fmt.Sprintf("/blob/%s/", ref))
+	}
+
+	return content
 }
 
 func isGHCLIAvailable() bool {