Agentic DevOps with GitHub Copilot

Agentic workflows with GitHub Actions & Copilot: generate-docs, generate-tests, and beyond

Workflow	Trigger	Description
Generate Docs	Push	Analyzes commits and creates documentation issues
Generate Tests	Push	Identifies missing unit tests and creates issues

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🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• GitHub repository with GitHub Copilot enabled
• Copilot Coding Agent enabled for your organization/repository
• A Personal Access Token (PAT) with Copilot permissions

Step 1: Create a Fine-Grained Personal Access Token

The Copilot CLI requires authentication via a Personal Access Token with specific permissions.

1. Visit https://github.com/settings/personal-access-tokens/new

2. Configure your token:

   • Token name: Copilot CLI Token (or any descriptive name)
   • Expiration: Set as appropriate for your security policies
   • Repository access: Select the repositories where you'll use the workflows

3. Under "Permissions", click "Account permissions" and enable:

   • Copilot Requests — Required for Copilot CLI to function

4. Click "Generate token" and copy the token immediately (you won't see it again!)

Step 2: Add the Token as a Repository Secret

1. Go to your repository → Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
2. Click "New repository secret"
3. Add:
   • Name: COPILOT_CLI_TOKEN
   • Value: Paste your PAT from Step 1
4. Click "Add secret"

Step 3: Enable Copilot Coding Agent

Ensure the Copilot Coding Agent is enabled:

1. Go to your repository → Settings → Copilot → Coding Agent
2. Enable "Allow Copilot to open pull requests"

Step 4: Verify Setup

Make a small code change and push. The workflows should:

1. Install Copilot CLI
2. Analyze your commit
3. Create issues if documentation/tests are needed
4. Assign Copilot to resolve the issues automatically