ci: scope reusable-workflow App tokens to least privilege#245
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Add explicit permission-* inputs to the six create-github-app-token steps that minted unscoped tokens (inheriting blanket GitHub App installation permissions), clearing the six standing zizmor/github-app code-scanning alerts (#170-#175). Each token is scoped to exactly what its consuming steps need, mirroring each job's already-declared permissions block: - enable-auto-merge (auto-merge): contents, pull-requests - create-release (release): contents, issues, pull-requests (semantic-release) - sync-cluster-policies (sync-policies): contents, pull-requests - validate-go-project (tidy, golangci-lint): contents, pull-requests - validate-go-project (lint): contents, issues, pull-requests Additive and backward-compatible: the token scope only narrows; no caller interface changes. update-copilot-skills.yaml was already scoped in #240. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Pull request overview
This PR scopes previously unscoped GitHub App tokens in several reusable workflows by adding explicit permission-* inputs to actions/create-github-app-token, reducing token privileges and addressing zizmor github-app alerts across the workflow portfolio.
Changes:
- Added explicit
permission-*scopes to GitHub App token minting steps in multiple reusable workflows. - Aligned token scopes with the intended permissions needed by the downstream steps (checkout, PR operations, semantic-release).
Reviewed changes
Copilot reviewed 4 out of 4 changed files in this pull request and generated 3 comments.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| .github/workflows/validate-go-project.yaml | Adds explicit App token permission scoping for the auto-fix/tokenized checkout paths in tidy/lint jobs. |
| .github/workflows/sync-cluster-policies.yaml | Scopes the App token used for checkout + create-pull-request. |
| .github/workflows/enable-auto-merge.yaml | Scopes the App token used by gh to approve PRs and enable auto-merge. |
| .github/workflows/create-release.yaml | Scopes the App token used by semantic-release and checkout. |
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The App tokens in the tidy, golangci-lint, and mega-linter jobs are used only as the git credential for checkout + git-auto-commit-action (pushing linter auto-fixes). They are never used for PR/issue API calls — MegaLinter's PR/issue reporting uses the default GITHUB_TOKEN, governed by the unchanged job-level permissions block. So the App tokens need contents:write only; drop the unused permission-pull-requests/permission-issues inputs to keep them least-privileged (addresses the Copilot review on PR #245). Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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What
Add explicit
permission-*inputs to the sixactions/create-github-app-tokensteps that were minting unscoped App tokens (inheriting the GitHub App's blanket installation permissions). This clears the six standingzizmor/github-app("dangerous use of GitHub App tokens") code-scanning alerts (#170–#175) on these reusable workflows.Why
A minted App token with no
permission-*inputs carries the full installation permission set, far more than any single job needs — exactly what zizmor'sgithub-apprule flags. These six were baseline (pre-existing, non-blocking) alerts. Scoping each token to least privilege hardens every consumer of these reusable workflows at once (the supply-chain blast radius is the whole portfolio) and is consistent with the scoping already applied toupdate-copilot-skills.yamlin #240.Scopes
Each token is scoped to exactly what its consuming steps need, mirroring each job's already-declared
permissions:block (so the App token is never more privileged than the job's intent — additive, nothing widens):permission-*addedenable-auto-merge/ auto-mergegh pr review --approve,gh pr merge --autocreate-release/ releasesync-cluster-policies/ sync-policiescreate-pull-request(signed commits)validate-go-project/ tidygo mod tidyauto-fixesvalidate-go-project/ golangci-lintvalidate-go-project/ lintValidation
actionlintclean on all four changed files — the only finding is the pre-existingcode-qualityunknown-scope false positive atvalidate-go-project.yaml(already documented in-file and ignored in CI viaACTION_ACTIONLINT_ARGUMENTS: -ignore code-quality); it is unrelated to this diff.workflow_callinputs/secrets) changes.Trade-offs / notes
create-releaseis scoped to the canonical semantic-release permission set (contents/issues/pull-requests) so both the Go (GoReleaser, commit-analyzer-only) and .NET (with@semantic-release/github) consumers keep working — a tightercontents-only scope would break the latter.