Repository navigation
Cannot create PR modifying .github/workflows/* due to disallowed workflows:write permission #16163
Description
Problem
When using gh-aw with strict mode and safe_outputs.create-pull-request,
it is not possible to create a PR that modifies files under:
.github/workflows/
This is because:
workflows: writeis disallowed in frontmattercontents: writeis also rejected in strict mode- modifying workflow files requires elevated permissions
Use Case
I am building a CI optimization agent that:
- analyzes workflow performance
- proposes improvements
- creates PRs updating
ci.yml
Currently this is blocked by permission constraints.
Question
What is the intended pattern for:
- agents that need to propose workflow changes?
- or safe PR creation for workflow file modifications?
Should this:
- Be done via external GitHub App with workflow scope?
- Be disallowed intentionally?
- Be supported in a future version?
Would appreciate clarification or recommended architecture.
``
Activity
pelikhan commentedon Feb 16, 2026
This is a builtin protection to actions. The GitHub actions user cannot write to these files.
You need to use a custom token or a GitHub app.
elika56 commentedon Feb 16, 2026
Thanks for clarifying — that makes sense from a security perspective.
One important constraint in this case is that when using
safe_outputs.create-pull-request, the token is managed internallyand cannot be replaced with a custom token or GitHub App credential.
So even if we want to use a token with
workflows: write,there is currently no way to supply it to
safe_outputs.Given that limitation, what is the recommended pattern for agents that
need to propose changes to
.github/workflows/*?For example, a CI optimization agent that:
ci.ymlIs the expectation that:
Would appreciate clarification on the intended architecture here.
strawgate commentedon Feb 17, 2026
Maybe this is just a feature request to add the GitHub token override to the create pr safe output and push to pr branch safe output?
elika56 commentedon Feb 17, 2026
you are correct. what should i do in order to open this as a feature request?
dsyme commentedon Feb 17, 2026
Hmmmm it should be possible to specify a token, see here https://github.github.com/gh-aw/reference/safe-outputs/#global-configuration-options
Have you tried that? Thanks
dsyme commentedon Feb 17, 2026
I believe this is fixed by #16427
cc @pelikhan to confirm