| name | debugging-workflows |
| description | Debug GitHub Actions workflows by downloading logs, analyzing summaries, and understanding how agentic workflows and the AWF firewall work together. |
| allowed-tools | Bash(gh:*), Bash(curl:*), Bash(npx:*), Bash(node:*), Bash(cat:*), Bash(ls:*), Bash(grep:*), Bash(jq:*), Read |
Debugging Workflows Skill
Use this skill when you need to debug GitHub Actions workflows, download workflow logs or summaries, or understand how agentic workflows and the AWF firewall work together.
Quick Start
Download Workflow Logs
Use the download-workflow-logs.ts script to download logs from a workflow run:
# Download logs from the latest workflow run
npx tsx .github/skills/debugging-workflows/download-workflow-logs.ts
# Download logs from a specific run ID
npx tsx .github/skills/debugging-workflows/download-workflow-logs.ts --run-id 1234567890
# Download logs from a specific workflow
npx tsx .github/skills/debugging-workflows/download-workflow-logs.ts --workflow test-integration.yml
# Save logs to a specific directory
npx tsx .github/skills/debugging-workflows/download-workflow-logs.ts --output ./my-logs
Download Workflow Summary
Use the download-workflow-summary.ts script to get a summary of workflow runs:
# Get summary of latest workflow runs
npx tsx .github/skills/debugging-workflows/download-workflow-summary.ts
# Get summary for a specific workflow run
npx tsx .github/skills/debugging-workflows/download-workflow-summary.ts --run-id 1234567890
# Get summary for a specific workflow file
npx tsx .github/skills/debugging-workflows/download-workflow-summary.ts --workflow test-integration.yml
# Get summary as JSON
npx tsx .github/skills/debugging-workflows/download-workflow-summary.ts --format json
GitHub CLI Commands
The gh CLI is essential for debugging workflows. Here are the most useful commands:
List Workflow Runs
# List recent workflow runs
gh run list --limit 10
# List runs for a specific workflow
gh run list --workflow test-integration.yml --limit 10
# List only failed runs
gh run list --status failure --limit 10
# List runs in JSON format for parsing
gh run list --json databaseId,name,status,conclusion,createdAt --limit 10
View Workflow Run Details
# View a specific run
gh run view <run-id>
# View run with job details
gh run view <run-id> --verbose
# View run as JSON
gh run view <run-id> --json jobs,conclusion,status
Download Run Logs
# Download all logs for a run
gh run download <run-id>
# Download specific artifact
gh run download <run-id> --name <artifact-name>
# Download to specific directory
gh run download <run-id> --dir ./logs
Watch a Running Workflow
# Watch a workflow run in real-time
gh run watch <run-id>
# Watch with exit code (useful for CI)
gh run watch <run-id> --exit-status
Re-run Failed Jobs
# Re-run failed jobs only
gh run rerun <run-id> --failed
# Re-run all jobs
gh run rerun <run-id>
Understanding Agentic Workflows
What are Agentic Workflows?
Agentic workflows are GitHub Actions workflows that use AI agents (like GitHub Copilot or Claude) to perform tasks. They are defined using markdown + YAML frontmatter format in .github/workflows/*.md files and compiled to GitHub Actions YAML (.lock.yml files).
Key Components
Workflow File Format:
.github/workflows/<name>.md- YAML frontmatter for configuration
- Markdown body for AI instructions
- Compiles to
.github/workflows/<name>.lock.yml
Triggers (
on:field):- Standard GitHub events:
issues,pull_request,push,schedule - Command triggers:
/mentionin issues/comments workflow_dispatchfor manual triggers
- Standard GitHub events:
Safe Outputs: Controlled way for AI to create GitHub entities
create-issue:- Create GitHub issuescreate-pull-request:- Create PRs with git patchesadd-comment:- Add comments to issues/PRsadd-labels:- Add labels to issues/PRscreate-discussion:- Create GitHub discussions
Tools Configuration (
tools:field):github:- GitHub API toolsagentic-workflows:- Workflow introspection toolsedit:- File editing toolsweb-fetch:/web-search:- Web access toolsbash:- Shell command tools
Compiling Workflows
# Compile all workflows
gh aw compile
# Compile a specific workflow
gh aw compile <workflow-name>
# Compile with strict security checks
gh aw compile --strict
Debugging Agentic Workflows
# View status of all agentic workflows
gh aw status
# Download and analyze logs from previous runs
gh aw logs <workflow-name> --json
# Audit a specific run for issues
gh aw audit <run-id> --json
Common Issues
- Missing Tool Calls: Check
missing_toolsin audit output - Safe Output Failures: Review
safe_outputs.jsonlartifact - Permission Issues: Verify
permissions:block in frontmatter - Network Blocked: Check
network:configuration for allowed domains
Understanding the AWF Firewall
What is AWF?
AWF (Agent Workflow Firewall) is a tool that provides L7 (HTTP/HTTPS) egress control for GitHub Copilot CLI and other agents. It restricts network access to a whitelist of approved domains using Squid proxy and Docker containers.
Architecture Overview
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Host (GitHub Actions Runner / Local) │
│ │
│ ┌────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Firewall CLI (awf) │ │
│ │ - Parse arguments │ │
│ │ - Generate Squid config │ │
│ │ - Start Docker Compose │ │
│ └────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Docker Compose │ │
│ │ ┌────────────────────────────┐ │ │
│ │ │ Squid Proxy Container │ │ │
│ │ │ - Domain ACL filtering │ │ │
│ │ │ - HTTP/HTTPS proxy │ │ │
│ │ └────────────────────────────┘ │ │
│ │ ▲ │ │
│ │ ┌────────┼───────────────────┐ │ │
│ │ │ Agent Container │ │ │
│ │ │ - Full filesystem access │ │ │
│ │ │ - iptables redirect │ │ │
│ │ │ - All traffic → Squid │ │ │
│ │ └────────────────────────────┘ │ │
│ └──────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘
Key Containers
awf-squid- Squid proxy container (IP: 172.30.0.10)- Filters HTTP/HTTPS traffic based on domain allowlist
- Logs all traffic decisions
awf-agent- Agent execution container (IP: 172.30.0.20)- Runs the actual command/agent
- Has iptables rules to redirect traffic to Squid
- Full filesystem access via
/hostmount
Traffic Flow
- Command runs in agent container
- All HTTP/HTTPS traffic → iptables DNAT → Squid proxy
- Squid checks domain against allowlist
- Allowed → forward to destination
- Blocked → return 403 Forbidden
Squid Log Analysis
# View Squid access log (shows traffic decisions)
docker exec awf-squid cat /var/log/squid/access.log
# Find blocked domains
docker exec awf-squid grep "TCP_DENIED" /var/log/squid/access.log | awk '{print $3}' | sort -u
# Count blocked by domain
docker exec awf-squid grep "TCP_DENIED" /var/log/squid/access.log | awk '{print $3}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn
# Real-time blocked traffic
docker exec awf-squid tail -f /var/log/squid/access.log | grep --line-buffered TCP_DENIED
Squid Decision Codes
TCP_TUNNEL:HIER_DIRECT= ALLOWED (HTTPS)TCP_MISS:HIER_DIRECT= ALLOWED (HTTP)TCP_DENIED:HIER_NONE= BLOCKED
Running Commands Through Firewall
# Basic usage
sudo awf --allow-domains github.com 'curl https://api.github.com'
# With debug logging
sudo awf --allow-domains github.com --log-level debug 'your-command'
# Keep containers for inspection
sudo awf --allow-domains github.com --keep-containers 'your-command'
Preserved Logs Locations
With --keep-containers:
- Squid:
/tmp/awf-<timestamp>/squid-logs/access.log - Agent:
/tmp/awf-<timestamp>/agent-logs/
Normal execution (after cleanup):
- Squid:
/tmp/squid-logs-<timestamp>/access.log - Agent:
/tmp/awf-agent-logs-<timestamp>/
# Find preserved logs
ls -ldt /tmp/awf-* /tmp/squid-logs-* 2>/dev/null | head -5
# View preserved Squid logs
sudo cat $(ls -t /tmp/squid-logs-*/access.log 2>/dev/null | head -1)
Debugging Workflow Failures
Step-by-Step Process
Identify the failing workflow run
gh run list --status failure --limit 5Get run details
gh run view <run-id> --verboseDownload logs
gh run download <run-id> --dir ./logs # Or use the script: npx tsx .github/skills/debugging-workflows/download-workflow-logs.ts --run-id <run-id>Analyze the failure
- Check job logs for error messages
- Look for timeout issues
- Check for permission errors
- Review network-related errors
For agentic workflows, audit the run
gh aw audit <run-id> --jsonIf firewall-related, check Squid logs
# If containers are still running docker exec awf-squid cat /var/log/squid/access.log # Or check preserved logs sudo cat /tmp/squid-logs-*/access.log
Common Failure Patterns
Permission Denied
Error: Resource not accessible by integration
Fix: Check permissions: in workflow frontmatter
Domain Blocked
curl: (56) Recv failure: Connection reset by peer
Fix: Add domain to --allow-domains or network: configuration
Timeout
Error: The operation was canceled.
Fix: Increase timeout-minutes in workflow configuration
Missing Tool
Tool 'xyz' not found
Fix: Add tool to tools: configuration in workflow frontmatter
Related Documentation
- Architecture - System architecture details
- Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions
- GitHub Actions Integration - CI/CD setup
- Logging Documentation - Comprehensive logging guide
- Debug Firewall Skill - Firewall-specific debugging