Github Actions Audit

.agents/README.md

@@ -88,6 +88,13 @@ Templates are co-located inside the skill folder that uses them:
 | Rule | Scope | Repo scope |
 |------|-------|------------|
 | [dynamo-core-rules](./rules/dynamo-core-rules.md) | C#/.NET coding standards, NUnit, PublicAPI, security, quality checks. | Repo-specific variant |
+| [ci-rules](./rules/ci-rules.md) | Durable GitHub Actions constraints: shell correctness, API auth, action pinning, permissions, and auto-generated content. | Repo-specific variant |
+
+### Knowledge (reference documents and audit findings)
+
+| Document | Contents | Repo scope |
+|----------|----------|------------|
+| [github-actions-audit](./knowledge/github-actions-audit.md) | Full audit of all 18 workflows (2026-04-15): bug inventory with fix snippets, security gaps, consistency/performance/maintainability issues, and a three-phase remediation plan. | Repo-specific variant |
 
 ## Folder Structure
 
@@ -127,7 +134,10 @@ Templates are co-located inside the skill folder that uses them:
 │   └── dynamo-webview-component-scaffold/
 │       └── SKILL.md
 ├── rules/
-│   └── dynamo-core-rules.md
+│   ├── dynamo-core-rules.md
+│   └── ci-rules.md
+├── knowledge/
+│   └── github-actions-audit.md  ← audit findings, fix snippets, remediation plan
 └── README.md                  ← you are here
 ```
 

.agents/knowledge/github-actions-audit.md

@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+# GitHub Actions Audit
+
+Findings and remediation plan from a full review of all 18 workflows under `.github/workflows/`.
+Use this document when planning CI/CD work or triaging workflow failures.
+
+For the durable "never do this" rules derived from this audit, see [`rules/ci-rules.md`](../rules/ci-rules.md).
+
+**Audit date:** 2026-04-15  
+**Workflows reviewed:** `build_dynamo_all.yml`, `build_dynamo_core.yml`, `codeql_analysis.yml`,
+`pr_jira_check.yml`, `pr_description_check.yml`, `check_file_size.yml`, `auto_cherrypick.yml`,
+`close_stale_issues.yml`, `extract_release_notes.yml`, `move_issue.yml`, `Issues_workflow.yml`,
+`dynamo_bin_diff.yml`, `dynamo_post_bin_diff.yml`, `trigger_l10n_jenkins.yml`,
+`auto_update_src_html.yml`, `issue_type_predicter.yml`, `validate_agent_skills.yml`,
+`generate_changelog.yml`
+
+---
+
+## Issue Inventory
+
+### Critical Bugs
+
+| ID | Workflow | Location | Description |
+|----|----------|----------|-------------|
+| BUG-01 | `build_dynamo_core.yml` | Line 93 | Linux binary check **always passes** — `test "./DynamoCLI.exe"` evaluates the non-empty string, not the file. Also checks for `.exe` which doesn't exist on Linux. |
+| BUG-02 | `auto_cherrypick.yml` | Line 48 | `if [[ $milestone -eq "" ]]` uses arithmetic `-eq` to compare a string; always evaluates as equal when milestone is non-numeric — null milestone check silently never fires. |
+| BUG-03 | `Issues_workflow.yml` | Lines 61, 137, 144, 150 | `curl -u admin:${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}` is the wrong format for GitHub API auth. Will return 401 silently because `--fail` is absent. |
+
+**Fixes:**
+
+```bash
+# BUG-01 — build_dynamo_core.yml (linux job)
+# Before
+test "./DynamoCLI.exe" && echo "DynamoCLI exists!"
+# After
+if test -f "./DynamoCLI"; then
+  echo "DynamoCLI exists!"
+else
+  echo "::error::DynamoCLI was not found!"; exit 1
+fi
+```
+
+```bash
+# BUG-02 — auto_cherrypick.yml
+# Before
+if [[ $milestone -eq "" ]]; then
+# After
+if [[ -z "$milestone" ]]; then
+```
+
+```bash
+# BUG-03 — Issues_workflow.yml
+# Before
+curl -v -u admin:${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }} -d '...' ${{ github.event.issue.url }}/labels
+# After
+curl -v -H "Authorization: token ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}" -d '...' ${{ github.event.issue.url }}/labels
+```
+
+---
+
+### Security Issues
+
+| ID | Workflow | Description | Remediation |
+|----|----------|-------------|-------------|
+| SEC-01 | `check_file_size.yml` | `tj-actions/changed-files@v46` not pinned to a commit SHA. This action has a [documented supply-chain compromise history](https://github.com/tj-actions/changed-files/issues). | Pin to a specific SHA: `tj-actions/changed-files@<sha>` and document the version in a comment. |
+| SEC-02 | `pr_jira_check.yml` | `neofinancial/ticket-check-action@v2` not pinned to SHA. | Pin to SHA. |
+| SEC-03 | `move_issue.yml` | `leonsteinhaeuser/project-beta-automations@v2.2.1` not pinned to SHA. | Pin to SHA. |
+| SEC-04 | `Issues_workflow.yml`, `issue_type_predicter.yml` | `frabert/replace-string-action@v2.5` not pinned to SHA. | Pin to SHA. |
+| SEC-05 | `dynamo_post_bin_diff.yml` | `dawidd6/action-download-artifact@v20` not pinned to SHA. | Pin to SHA. |
+| SEC-06 | Multiple (6 workflows) | Missing `permissions` blocks — workflows inherit repo default (read/write everything). See details below. | Add least-privilege `permissions` to each job. |
+| SEC-07 | `auto_cherrypick.yml` | Unauthenticated `curl` call to GitHub API (line 38) — will hit rate limits on busy repos. | Add `-H "Authorization: token ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}"`. |
+
+**Missing `permissions` — per-workflow remediation:**
+
+```yaml
+# pr_description_check.yml
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  pull-requests: read
+
+# check_file_size.yml
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  pull-requests: write   # to write the step summary (uses $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY)
+
+# dynamo_bin_diff.yml
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  actions: write         # for cache save/restore
+
+# dynamo_post_bin_diff.yml
+permissions:
+  pull-requests: write   # to create/update comments
+  actions: write         # to delete caches
+
+# close_stale_issues.yml
+permissions:
+  issues: write
+
+# extract_release_notes.yml  (also uses DYNAMO_ISSUES_TOKEN PAT — this is for the workflow runner itself)
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+```
+
+---
+
+### Consistency Issues
+
+| ID | Workflow | Description | Remediation |
+|----|----------|-------------|-------------|
+| CON-01 | `issue_type_predicter.yml` | Uses `actions/setup-dotnet@v4`; all other workflows use `@v5`. | Upgrade to `@v5`. |
+| CON-02 | `build_dynamo_all.yml`, `build_dynamo_core.yml` (Windows jobs), `dynamo_bin_diff.yml` | Hardcodes `repository: DynamoDS/Dynamo` in checkout step — forces checkout of the main repo even when triggered from a fork PR. The Linux job in `build_dynamo_core.yml` correctly omits this. | Remove the `repository:` override from all PR-triggered jobs. Keep it only where cross-repo checkout is intentional. |
+| CON-03 | `build_dynamo_all.yml`, `dynamo_bin_diff.yml` | `save_pr_data` job runs on both `push` and `pull_request` triggers. On `push`, `github.event.number` is empty — saves a blank file. | Add `if: github.event_name == 'pull_request'` to the job condition. |
+| CON-04 | `build_dynamo_core.yml` | Step name says `Look for DynamoCLI.exe` in the Linux job (line 89) but the binary is `DynamoCLI`. | Fix step name and checked filename (see BUG-01). |
+
+---
+
+### Performance Issues
+
+| ID | Workflow | Description | Remediation |
+|----|----------|-------------|-------------|
+| PERF-01 | `validate_agent_skills.yml` | `cache: false` on `actions/setup-go@v6` — re-downloads all Go modules on every run. | Remove `cache: false` or set `cache: true`. |
+| PERF-02 | `pr_description_check.yml` | Full `actions/checkout@v6` performed but only `github.event.pull_request.body` is used — no repo files are ever read. | Remove the checkout step entirely. |
+| PERF-03 | `auto_update_src_html.yml` | `fetch-depth: 0` (full history) used when only two commit SHAs from the PR event are needed. | Use `fetch-depth: 2` or a targeted `git fetch`. |
+
+---
+
+### Maintainability Issues
+
+| ID | Workflow | Description | Remediation |
+|----|----------|-------------|-------------|
+| MAINT-01 | `auto_update_src_html.yml` | Hardcoded Jira ticket `DYN-9484` in the auto-generated PR title (line 165). | Use a generic title: `"chore: Sync HTML documentation from doc/distrib"`. |
+| MAINT-02 | `generate_changelog.yml` | Both `head-ref` and `base-ref` default to `v1.0.0` — silent empty changelog if forgotten. | Remove defaults and set `required: true`. |
+| MAINT-03 | `issue_type_predicter.yml` | Workflow/job name uses "Predicter" (incorrect spelling); should be "Predictor". | Rename in workflow name and job name. |
+| MAINT-04 | `build_dynamo_core.yml` | Smoke tests are permanently commented out (lines 97–98) with a TODO but no tracking issue. | Link a Jira ticket in the comment or remove the dead block. |
+| MAINT-05 | `codeql_analysis.yml` | C# analyzed with `build-mode: none` (autobuild). GitHub recommends `manual` build mode for compiled languages. | Switch to `build-mode: manual` with explicit restore + msbuild steps. |
+
+---
+
+## Phased Remediation Plan
+
+Work is divided into three phases by urgency. Each phase can be a standalone PR.
+
+### Phase 1 — Critical Bugs & Security (Do first; blocks correct CI behavior)
+
+**Goal:** Fix the three silent failures and the highest-risk supply-chain exposure.
+
+| Task | Workflow(s) | Effort |
+|------|-------------|--------|
+| Fix Linux binary check (`test -f`, remove `.exe`) | `build_dynamo_core.yml` | Trivial |
+| Fix milestone null check (`-eq ""` → `-z`) | `auto_cherrypick.yml` | Trivial |
+| Fix GitHub API auth in `curl` calls | `Issues_workflow.yml` | Small |
+| Pin `tj-actions/changed-files` to a verified SHA | `check_file_size.yml` | Small |
+| Add auth header to unauthenticated `curl` | `auto_cherrypick.yml` | Trivial |
+
+Suggested PR title: `DYN-XXXX: Fix critical CI bugs in Linux build check, cherry-pick, and Issues workflow`
+
+---
+
+### Phase 2 — Security Hardening (Do next; reduces attack surface)
+
+**Goal:** Lock down third-party actions and enforce least-privilege permissions.
+
+| Task | Workflow(s) | Effort |
+|------|-------------|--------|
+| Pin all remaining third-party actions to SHA | `pr_jira_check.yml`, `move_issue.yml`, `Issues_workflow.yml`, `issue_type_predicter.yml`, `dynamo_post_bin_diff.yml` | Small |
+| Add `permissions` blocks to all 6 workflows missing them | `pr_description_check.yml`, `check_file_size.yml`, `dynamo_bin_diff.yml`, `dynamo_post_bin_diff.yml`, `close_stale_issues.yml`, `extract_release_notes.yml` | Small |
+
+Suggested PR title: `DYN-XXXX: Harden GitHub Actions — pin third-party actions and add permissions blocks`
+
+---
+
+### Phase 3 — Quality & Consistency (Ongoing; improves reliability and maintainability)
+
+**Goal:** Eliminate inconsistencies, speed up runs, and prevent silent failures going forward.
+
+| Task | Workflow(s) | Effort |
+|------|-------------|--------|
+| Upgrade `setup-dotnet@v4` → `@v5` | `issue_type_predicter.yml` | Trivial |
+| Remove hardcoded `repository: DynamoDS/Dynamo` from PR-triggered checkout steps | `build_dynamo_all.yml`, `build_dynamo_core.yml`, `dynamo_bin_diff.yml` | Small |
+| Guard `save_pr_data` jobs with `if: github.event_name == 'pull_request'` | `build_dynamo_all.yml`, `dynamo_bin_diff.yml` | Trivial |
+| Remove unnecessary checkout in `pr_description_check.yml` | `pr_description_check.yml` | Trivial |
+| Re-enable Go module cache | `validate_agent_skills.yml` | Trivial |
+| Reduce `fetch-depth` from `0` to `2` | `auto_update_src_html.yml` | Trivial |
+| Remove hardcoded Jira ticket from auto-generated PR title | `auto_update_src_html.yml` | Trivial |
+| Fix `generate_changelog.yml` input defaults to prevent empty output | `generate_changelog.yml` | Small |
+| Fix "Predicter" → "Predictor" typo in workflow metadata | `issue_type_predicter.yml` | Trivial |
+| Link a Jira ticket to commented-out smoke test TODO | `build_dynamo_core.yml` | Trivial |
+| Switch CodeQL C# analysis to `build-mode: manual` | `codeql_analysis.yml` | Medium |
+
+Suggested PR title: `DYN-XXXX: GitHub Actions consistency and quality improvements`

.agents/rules/ci-rules.md

@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+# CI/CD Rules
+
+Durable constraints for all GitHub Actions work in the Dynamo repository. These rules apply
+when writing, reviewing, or modifying any file under `.github/workflows/`.
+
+For the full issue inventory, fix snippets, and phased remediation plan, see
+[`knowledge/github-actions-audit.md`](../knowledge/github-actions-audit.md).
+
+## Shell Correctness
+
+- **Never use `test "<string>"` to check file existence** — always use `test -f "<path>"` or
+  `[ -f "<path>" ]`. A bare `test "<string>"` evaluates whether the string is non-empty, which
+  is always true for a literal path string.
+- **Never use `-eq` to compare shell strings** — use `==` or `-z`/`-n` inside `[[ ]]`. The `-eq`
+  operator is arithmetic and silently misbehaves on non-numeric values.
+
+## GitHub API Authentication
+
+- **Never authenticate GitHub API `curl` calls with `-u admin:TOKEN`** — this format is rejected
+  by GitHub. Use the header form instead:
+  ```bash
+  curl -H "Authorization: token ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}" ...
+  ```
+- **Always add `--fail` (or `-f`) to `curl` calls** that must succeed — without it, HTTP 4xx/5xx
+  responses are silently treated as success.
+
+## Third-Party Actions
+
+- **Never add a third-party action without pinning it to a full commit SHA.** Floating tags
+  (`@v2`, `@latest`) can be silently updated with malicious content. Use:
+  ```yaml
+  uses: owner/action@<full-sha>  # vX.Y.Z
+  ```
+- **`tj-actions/changed-files` has a documented supply-chain compromise history** — treat it
+  with extra scrutiny and keep the SHA pinned and reviewed on every update.
+
+## Permissions
+
+- **Always declare a `permissions` block on every job.** Omitting it inherits the repo default,
+  which is often broader than needed. Start from nothing and add only what the job requires:
+  ```yaml
+  permissions:
+    contents: read
+    pull-requests: write
+  ```
+
+## Unnecessary Work
+
+- **Never check out the repository in a step that only reads `github.event` context.** Checkout
+  costs ~15 seconds and downloads the entire repo; if the step only uses event payload data
+  (e.g., `github.event.pull_request.body`), skip it entirely.
+
+## Auto-Generated Content
+
+- **Never hardcode Jira ticket numbers in auto-generated output** (PR titles, commit messages,
+  bot comments). Ticket references baked into generated content become stale immediately and
+  mislead future readers. Use generic descriptive text instead.