Developer tools
Give your agents full access to GitHub.
Agents read repositories, review pull requests, triage issues, ship releases, and watch CI — using the whole GitHub REST API rather than a fixed menu of actions. Pair it with GitHub trigger events and an agent picks up work the moment a PR opens or a workflow finishes.
Capabilities
What agents do with GitHub
Helios vector-searches the GitHub API surface at run time, so an agent reaches for whichever endpoint the task needs.
- Search the entire GitHub OpenAPI surface at run time and call any endpoint the task requires.
- Read and write pull requests: diffs, files changed, reviews, review comments, merges, labels.
- Manage issues end to end — open, comment, label, assign, close, and cross-link.
- Inspect repository contents, branches, tags, commits, and blame at any ref.
- Read Actions workflow runs, jobs, and logs to explain a failure in plain English.
- Cut releases and tags, and compose release notes from merged commits.
Use cases
Tasks you can hand to a GitHub agent
Review every pull request as it opens
An agent reads the diff, checks it against your conventions, and leaves a review with concrete suggestions before a human opens the tab.
Review new pull requests against our engineering conventions and leave inline comments.
- github·fetch diff for PR #2841
- github·read CONTRIBUTING.md and recent reviews
- code·run analysis over changed files
- github·post review with 3 inline comments
Review posted on PR #2841
- Flagged an unhandled error path in `sync.ts:142`
- Suggested reusing `parseCursor` instead of a second parser
- Confirmed migration is backward compatible
Explain a failing CI run
When a workflow run finishes red, the agent pulls the logs, finds the first real failure, and posts a plain-English explanation with the likely fix.
When CI fails on main, explain the failure and suggest a fix.
- github·fetch failed jobs for run 91422
- github·download step logs
- code·isolate first failing assertion
- slack·post summary to #eng-alerts
CI failure explained
- `billing.spec.ts` timed out waiting on a Stripe mock
- Introduced by #2833, which changed the fixture loader
- Suggested fix: await `seedFixtures()` before the test body
Triage and route new issues
Every incoming issue gets read, labeled, deduplicated against existing issues, and routed to the team that owns the area.
Triage new issues: label them, find duplicates, and assign an owner.
- github·read issue #1180 body and attachments
- github·search open issues for duplicates
- github·apply labels: `area/auth`, `bug`
- github·assign to @auth-team and comment
Issue #1180 triaged
- Labeled `area/auth` · `bug` · `needs-repro`
- Linked to #1042 as a likely duplicate
- Assigned to the auth team
Draft release notes from merged work
On every tag, the agent walks the commits since the last release, groups them by theme, and writes notes your users can read.
When a tag is created, draft release notes grouped by theme.
- github·compare v2.7.0...v2.8.0
- github·read merged PR titles and bodies
- github·publish draft release v2.8.0
Draft release v2.8.0
- Features — 6 entries, led by scheduled exports
- Fixes — 11 entries, grouped by area
- Breaking — 1 entry, with a migration snippet
Answer questions about the codebase
Point an agent at a repository as a pinned resource and hand it questions. It reads real files at the ref you name.
Where do we validate webhook signatures, and which routes skip it?
- github·search repo for signature verification
- github·read `middleware/verify.ts` at `main`
- code·trace route registrations
Answer with citations
- Verification lives in `middleware/verify.ts:31`
- Applied to every `/hooks/*` route
- `/hooks/health` opts out via `skipVerify`
Keep a weekly engineering digest
A scheduled agent summarizes merged work, open review load, and CI health, then posts it where the team already reads.
Every Friday, summarize merged PRs, review backlog, and CI health.
- github·list PRs merged in the last 7 days
- github·list open PRs awaiting review
- github·aggregate Actions run outcomes
- slack·post digest to #engineering
Week of Mar 3
- 38 PRs merged · median review time 6h
- 5 PRs waiting more than 3 days
- CI pass rate 94%, down from 97%
Triggers
Wake an agent on GitHub events
Attach any of these events to a workflow and filter on the fields that matter. The agent starts within seconds of the event landing.
| Event | What it means |
|---|---|
pull_request.opened | A pull request is opened. Filter by base branch, author, or labels. |
pull_request.closed | A pull request is closed or merged, so agents can follow up on shipped work. |
pull_request.synchronize | New commits land on an open pull request and the review needs a refresh. |
pull_request.labeled | A label lands on a pull request — the usual way to opt a PR into an agent. |
issues.opened | A new issue arrives, ready for triage, labeling, and routing. |
issues.closed | An issue closes, so the agent can update a changelog or notify the reporter. |
issues.labeled | A label lands on an issue. Filter on the label name to scope the agent. |
push | Commits land on a branch. Filter by branch so only `main` wakes the agent. |
tag.created | A tag is created — the signal to draft release notes or start a rollout check. |
release.published | A release goes out, and the agent announces it to the channels you name. |
workflow_run.completed | A GitHub Actions run finishes. Filter on conclusion to catch only failures. |
issue_comment.created | Someone comments on an issue or pull request, including `@mentions` of your agent. |
Cross-app recipes
GitHub works alongside the rest of your stack
One agent, one run, several services. It reads from one tool and writes to the next without a handoff.
Templates
Ready-to-run GitHub agents
Copy the prompt, connect your tools, and put an agent on the task.
Engineering
Pull request reviewer
Reviews every pull request against your conventions, leaves inline comments, and posts a weekly digest of review load and CI health.
Engineering
Release notes writer
Turns a new tag into release notes grouped by theme, publishes them on GitHub, and files a changelog entry in Notion.
Engineering
Standup without the meeting
Reads yesterday's commits, merges, and review queue, then posts a standup so nobody has to attend one.
Engineering
Incident postmortem drafter
Reconstructs the incident timeline from Slack and GitHub, names the triggering change, and drafts the write-up in Notion.
Engineering
CI cost & speed report
Attributes build spend to the workflows driving it, finds the jobs that got slower, and names the change responsible.
Marketing
Discord community digest
Reads every channel each evening, surfaces unanswered questions, and files real bug reports as GitHub issues.
Support
Documentation freshness audit
Checks your written docs against the actual codebase every month and comments on the pages that have gone stale.
Use cases
Where GitHub agents earn their keep
PR review & digest
An agent reads each diff against your conventions and leaves a real review. A second agent summarizes the week: what merged, what is waiting, and how CI is holding up.
Incident summaries
An agent reconstructs the timeline from your incident channel and the deploys around it, identifies the triggering change, and drafts the write-up with the facts already assembled.
Weekly digests
An agent reads a week of activity across the tools your team uses, separates decisions from chatter, and posts a digest people actually read.
Community monitoring
An agent sweeps Reddit and Discord for mentions of your product, your competitors, and your problem space, judges which threads deserve an answer, and brings them to your team.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Put an agent on GitHub.
Connect it once, describe the task in plain English, and let it run on your schedule or your events.