Skip to content
GitHub Agentic Workflows

Tools Configuration

This guide covers the available tools that can be configured in agentic workflows, including GitHub tools, Playwright browser automation, custom MCP servers, and Claude-specific tools.

Overview

Section titled “Overview”

Tools are defined in the frontmatter to specify which GitHub API calls, browser automation, and AI capabilities are available to your workflow:

tools:
  github:
    allowed: [create_issue, update_issue]
  playwright:
    allowed_domains: ["github.com", "*.example.com"]
  edit:
  bash: ["echo", "ls", "git status"]

All tools declared in included components are merged into the final workflow.

GitHub Tools (github:)

Section titled “GitHub Tools (github:)”

Configure which GitHub API operations are allowed for your workflow.

tools:
  github:
    # Uses default GitHub API access with workflow permissions

or the extended form:

tools:
  github:
    allowed: [create_issue, update_issue, add_issue_comment]  # Optional: specific permissions
    docker_image_version: "latest"                          # Optional: MCP server version

The system automatically includes comprehensive default read-only GitHub tools. These defaults are merged with your custom allowed tools, providing comprehensive repository access.

Default Read-Only Tools:

Actions: download_workflow_run_artifact, get_job_logs, get_workflow_run, list_workflows

Issues & PRs: get_issue, get_pull_request, list_issues, list_pull_requests, search_issues

Repository: get_commit, get_file_contents, list_branches, list_commits, search_code

Security: get_code_scanning_alert, list_secret_scanning_alerts, get_dependabot_alert

Users & Organizations: search_users, search_orgs, get_me

Playwright Tool (playwright:)

Section titled “Playwright Tool (playwright:)”

Enable browser automation and web testing capabilities using containerized Playwright:

tools:
  playwright:
    allowed_domains: ["github.com", "*.example.com"]

Playwright Configuration Options

Section titled “Playwright Configuration Options”
tools:
  playwright:
    docker_image_version: "latest"                    # Optional: Playwright Docker image version
    allowed_domains: ["defaults", "github", "*.custom.com"]  # Domain access control

Domain Configuration

Section titled “Domain Configuration”

The allowed_domains field supports the same ecosystem bundle resolution as the top-level network: configuration, with localhost-only as the default for enhanced security:

Ecosystem Bundle Examples:

tools:
  playwright:
    allowed_domains:
      - "defaults"              # Basic infrastructure domains
      - "github"               # GitHub domains (github.com, api.github.com, etc.)
      - "node"                 # Node.js ecosystem
      - "python"               # Python ecosystem
      - "*.example.com"        # Custom domain with wildcard

Security Model:

  • Default: ["localhost", "127.0.0.1"] - localhost access only
  • Ecosystem bundles: Use same identifiers as network: configuration
  • Custom domains: Support exact matches and wildcard patterns
  • Containerized execution: Isolated Docker environment for security

Available Ecosystem Identifiers: Same as network: configuration: defaults, github, node, python, containers, java, rust, playwright, etc.

Custom MCP Tools

Section titled “Custom MCP Tools”

Add custom Model Context Protocol servers for specialized integrations:

tools:
  custom-api:
    mcp:
      command: "node"
      args: ["custom-mcp-server.js"]
      env:
        API_KEY: "${{ secrets.CUSTOM_API_KEY }}"

Tool Execution:

  • Tools are configured as MCP servers that run alongside the AI engine
  • Each tool provides specific capabilities (APIs, browser automation, etc.)
  • Tools run in isolated environments with controlled access
  • Domain restrictions apply to network-enabled tools like Playwright

Neutral Tools (edit:, web-fetch:, web-search:, bash:)

Section titled “Neutral Tools (edit:, web-fetch:, web-search:, bash:)”
tools:
  edit:        # File editing capabilities
  web-fetch:    # Web content fetching
  web-search:   # Web search capabilities
  bash: ["echo", "ls", "git status"]  # Allowed bash commands

Bash Command Configuration

Section titled “Bash Command Configuration”
tools:
  bash: ["echo", "ls", "git", "npm", "python"]

Bash Wildcards

Section titled “Bash Wildcards”
tools:
  bash: [":*"]  # Allow ALL bash commands - use with caution

Wildcard Options:

  • :*: Allows all bash commands without restriction
  • prefix:*: Allows all commands starting with prefix

Security Note: Using :* allows unrestricted bash access. Use only in trusted environments.

Section titled “Related Documentation”