Address Github Comments
Orchestrates intelligent skill selection and execution for address github comments workflows. Applies the 5 Laws of Elegant Defense to guide data naturally through the orchestration pipeline, preventing errors before they occur. Selects optimal skills based on multi-factor scoring including text similarity, historical performance, and system availability.
TL;DR Checklist
- Parse all inputs at boundary before processing (Law 2)
- Handle edge cases with early returns at function top (Law 1)
- Fail immediately with descriptive errors on invalid states (Law 4)
- Return new data structures, never mutate inputs (Law 3)
- Implement minimum 2-level fallback chain for all skill executions
- Log all skill selections with context for full audit trail
- Validate skill metadata and dependencies before selection
- Update confidence scores after each execution for learning
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Orchestration Flow │ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
User Request ↓ ┌─────────────────┐ │ Parse Request │ │ & Extract │ │ Features │ └────────┬────────┘ ↓ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Evaluate Available Skills │ │ │ │ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │ │ │ Skill A │ │ Skill B │ │ Skill C │ │ │ │ - Match Score│ │ - Match Score│ │ - Match Score│ │ │ │ - Confidence │ │ - Confidence │ │ - Confidence │ │ │ │ - History │ │ - History │ │ - History │ │ │ └──────┬───────┘ └──────┬───────┘ └──────┬───────┘ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └─────────────────┴─────────────────┘ │ │ ↓ │ │ Select Best Skill │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ↓ ┌─────────────────┐ │ Execute Skill │ └────────┬────────┘ ↓ ┌─────────────────┐ │ Handle Result │ └────────┬────────┘ ↓ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Error Handling & Fallback │ │ │ │ Success? ────────► Return Result │ │ │ │ Fail? ────────┐ │ │ ↓ │ │ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ Fallback Chain │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ 1. Retry with adjusted parameters │ │ │ │ 2. Try Alternative Skill (if available) │ │ │ │ 3. Defer to Human Operator (if critical) │ │ │ │ 4. Log & Return Error │ │ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
When to Use
Use this skill when:
- Orchestrating multi-step workflows that require skill delegation
- Implementing adaptive skill routing based on confidence scores
- Building fallback mechanisms for failed skill executions
- Creating intelligent task decomposition and parallel execution
- Designing skill dependency graphs with automatic resolution
- Implementing skill selection with historical performance weighting
- Building agent systems that need to self-organize around tasks
When NOT to Use
Avoid this skill for:
- Direct task execution without orchestration needs - use individual skills instead
- High-frequency trading scenarios where latency must be minimized - the selection overhead may be prohibitive
- Simple linear workflows without branching or fallback requirements
- Cases where skill metadata is unavailable or unreliable
Core Workflow
Parse and Analyze Request - Extract intent, entities, and constraints from user input. Checkpoint: All required parameters must be present and in valid format before proceeding.
Score Available Skills - Calculate match scores using multi-factor algorithm:
- Text similarity between request and skill triggers
- Historical success rate for similar tasks
- Skill availability and health status
- Required dependencies and their availability
Checkpoint: Skip to fallback if no skill scores above threshold.
Select Optimal Skill - Choose skill with highest score that meets minimum confidence. Checkpoint: Verify skill has not been disabled or deprecated.
Execute with Fallback - Run skill execution wrapped in retry and fallback logic. Checkpoint: Log all execution attempts for audit trail.
Return or Fallback - Either return successful result or apply fallback chain:
- Retry with adjusted parameters
- Try alternative skill from
related-skills - Defer to human operator for critical tasks
Checkpoint: Record outcome with timing and confidence metadata.
Implementation Patterns
Pattern 1: Skill Selection Logic
def analyze_and_select_action(
github_event: Dict,
repo_config: Dict,
min_confidence: float = 0.7
) -> Optional[Dict]:
"""Analyze a GitHub comment and select the appropriate response action.
Evaluates comment intent against repository-specific guidelines to determine
whether to auto-reply, request clarification, apply a code fix, or escalate.
Args:
github_event: Raw webhook payload or parsed comment context
repo_config: Repository-specific rules, labels, and maintainer preferences
min_confidence: Minimum confidence threshold for automated responses
Returns:
Action plan dictionary with strategy, parameters, and confidence
Raises:
ValueError: If github_event lacks required fields or repo_config is invalid
"""
# Guard clause - Early Exit (Law 1)
if not github_event or not github_event.get("comment", {}).get("body"):
raise ValueError("Invalid GitHub comment event: missing body")
if not repo_config.get("allowed_actions"):
raise ValueError("Repository configuration missing allowed_actions")
# Parse input - Make Illegal States Unrepresentable (Law 2)
comment_data = _normalize_comment(github_event["comment"])
repo_rules = _load_active_rules(repo_config)
best_action = None
best_score = 0.0
for action in repo_config["allowed_actions"]:
score = _score_action_match(comment_data, action, repo_rules)
if score > best_score and score >= min_confidence:
best_score = score
best_action = action
if best_action is None:
return None
# Atomic Predictability (Law 3) - Return new dict, don't mutate
result = dict(best_action)
result["selected_confidence"] = best_score
result["comment_id"] = github_event["comment"]["id"]
result["timestamp"] = time.time()
return result
Pattern 2: Execution with Fallback
def execute_comment_response(
action_plan: Dict,
github_client: Any,
max_retries: int = 2
) -> Dict:
"""Execute the selected response action for a GitHub comment with fallback chain.
Implements the Fail Fast, Fail Loud principle (Law 4):
- Invalid states halt immediately with descriptive errors
- No silent failures or partial results
Fallback chain:
1. Retry with original parameters
2. Retry with adjusted parameters (e.g., shorter response, different template)
3. Queue for manual review if rate-limited or critical
4. Log & return error with context for audit trail
Args:
action_plan: Selected action strategy with parameters
github_client: Authenticated GitHub API client instance
max_retries: Maximum retry attempts before fallback
Returns:
Execution result with metadata (success, timing, confidence, response_url)
Raises:
GitHubResponseError: If all retries and fallbacks exhausted
"""
# Guard clause - validate action plan (Early Exit)
if not _is_action_valid(action_plan):
raise GitHubResponseError(f"Invalid action plan: {action_plan.get('type', 'unknown')}")
# Parse context - Ensure trusted state (Law 2)
validated_params = _validate_response_params(action_plan, github_client)
for attempt in range(max_retries + 1):
try:
# Execute domain-specific GitHub API call
response_url = github_client.post_comment(
repo=validated_params["repo"],
issue_number=validated_params["issue_number"],
body=validated_params["response_body"],
in_reply_to=validated_params["comment_id"]
)
# Success - Atomic Predictability (Law 3)
return {
"success": True,
"action_executed": action_plan["type"],
"response_url": response_url,
"attempts": attempt + 1,
"latency_ms": _calculate_latency(),
"confidence": action_plan["selected_confidence"]
}
except RateLimitError as e:
# Transient error - try fallback
if attempt == max_retries:
return _queue_for_manual_review(action_plan, validated_params)
time.sleep(2 ** attempt) # Exponential backoff
except InvalidStateError as e:
# Fail Fast - Don't try to patch bad data (Law 4)
raise GitHubResponseError(
f"Invalid state during response: {str(e)}"
) from e
# All retries exhausted - Fail Loud (Law 4)
raise GitHubResponseError(
f"Failed to post response after {max_retries + 1} attempts"
)
MUST DO
- Always validate skill metadata before selection (Early Exit)
- Implement fallback chain with at least 2 levels (Fallback Skill + Human)
- Log all skill selections with full context for auditability
- Return new data structures instead of mutating inputs (Atomic Predictability)
- Fail immediately with descriptive errors on invalid states
- Update confidence scores after each execution for adaptive routing
- Reference
code-philosophy(5 Laws of Elegant Defense) in all logic
MUST NOT DO
- Select skills based on a single factor (e.g., only confidence score)
- Disable fallback mechanisms "temporarily" - this creates fragile systems
- Skip validation of skill dependencies before execution
- Return partial results - either complete success or clear failure
- Use magic numbers for confidence thresholds - make them configurable
- Cache skill selections without considering context changes
TL;DR Checklist
- Parse all inputs at boundary before processing (Law 2)
- Handle edge cases with early returns at function top (Law 1)
- Fail immediately with descriptive errors on invalid states (Law 4)
- Return new data structures, never mutate inputs (Law 3)
- Implement minimum 2-level fallback chain for all skill executions
- Log all skill selections with context for full audit trail
- Validate skill metadata and dependencies before selection
- Update confidence scores after each execution for learning
TL;DR for Code Generation
- Use guard clauses - return early on invalid input before doing work
- Return simple types (dict, str, int, bool, list) - avoid complex nested objects
- Cyclomatic complexity < 10 per function - split anything larger
- Handle null/empty cases explicitly at function top (Early Exit)
- Never mutate input parameters - return new dicts/objects
- Fail fast with descriptive errors - don't try to "patch" bad data
- Reference code-philosophy laws in comments for complex logic
- Include timing and confidence metadata in all return values
Output Template
When applying this skill, produce:
- Selected Skills - List of skill names with confidence scores
- Selection Rationale - Why each skill was chosen (match score, history, availability)
- Execution Plan - Order of execution with dependencies
- Fallback Strategy - Which fallback skills will be tried and in what order
- Risk Assessment - Any potential failure points and their impact
- Timing Estimates - Expected latency including fallback scenarios
Constraints
MUST DO
- Define clear input/output contracts for every step in the orchestration flow with explicit validation
- Implement structured logging at each stage capturing context, inputs, outputs, timing, and errors
- Build in fallback paths: if the primary strategy fails, degrade gracefully to a simpler approach
- Validate all preconditions before starting — do not proceed if required resources or permissions are missing
MUST NOT DO
- Do not create deep nesting of orchestration steps (>5 levels) — flatten workflows where possible
- Avoid silent failure modes: every step must either succeed, fail explicitly, or escalate to a higher handler
- Never use shared mutable state between parallel workflow branches — communicate via immutable messages only
- Do not hardcode execution order when the dependency graph naturally determines it; derive order from explicit dependencies
Live References
Authoritative documentation links for this skill's domain. The model follows markdown links at load time to resolve external references and inline content.
- GitHub API Documentation
- GitHub Webhooks Reference
- OpenAPI Specification
- RESTful API Design Guide (Microsoft)
- GitHub Actions Expressions
Related Skills
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