Migrate from "agent task" to "agent session" terminology by Copilot · Pull Request #9214 · github/gh-aw

Copilot · 2026-01-07T12:29:48Z

Agent Sessions Terminology Migration - Complete ✅

Phase 1: Code Implementation ✅

Phase 2: Documentation ✅

Update reference documentation
Update guides and examples
Create skills/gh-agent-session/ directory
Update root documentation
Update all specs files (40+ files)
Add CHANGELOG entry

Phase 3: Merge Main ✅

Merged latest main branch (11 commits)
Resolved merge conflict in tokens.md
Recompiled lock files with new terminology
Schema updates applied
Build successful after merge

Phase 4: Code Quality ✅

Formatted all Go code with gofmt
Linted all Go code with golangci-lint (0 issues)
Formatted all JavaScript/JSON with prettier
All formatting checks passing

Validation ✅

Codemod tested and working correctly
Backward compatibility verified (old key still works)
New key compilation verified
JavaScript file references updated correctly
All unit tests passing
Merge conflicts resolved
Lock files recompiled successfully
Code formatting and linting clean

Breaking Change: create-agent-task → create-agent-session

Migration: Run gh aw fix --write to automatically update workflows

Backward Compatibility: Old key still supported with deprecation warning

External Tool: gh agent-task CLI name unchanged (maintained separately)

Code Quality:

All Go code formatted with gofmt
0 linting issues with golangci-lint
All JavaScript/JSON formatted with prettier
All validation checks passing

Original prompt

The new terminology to start an agent is "New Agent Session" , it used to be "New Agent Task"

review all uses of "agent task"

generate a plan to update the terminology

if you are renaming a field in the JSON schema, also plan updating the codemod

review docs

review compiler

Generate a plan at specs/agent-sessions.md

💬 We'd love your input! Share your thoughts on Copilot coding agent in our 2 minute survey.

Changeset

Type: minor
Description: Migrated terminology from "agent task" to "agent session" across code, JSON schemas, codemod, docs, and tests. Included codemod instructions and a note about backward compatibility (old create-agent-task key still supported with deprecation warning).

Ahoy! This treasure was crafted by 🏴‍☠️ Changeset Generator

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

pelikhan · 2026-01-07T12:44:38Z

@copilot execute plan

- Add codemod for automatic user workflow migration - Update JSON schema with new create-agent-session field - Mark create-agent-task as deprecated with backward compatibility - Rename Go files and types (CreateAgentTaskConfig -> CreateAgentSessionConfig) - Update environment variables (GITHUB_AW_AGENT_TASK_BASE -> GITHUB_AW_AGENT_SESSION_BASE) - Rename JavaScript action files and update variable names - Update tool definitions in safe_outputs_tools.json - Update output names (task_number/task_url -> session_number/session_url) - Update all test files with new terminology - Maintain backward compatibility for deprecated create-agent-task key Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

- Update safe-outputs.md with new terminology - Update frontmatter-full.md, tokens.md reference docs - Update guides (multirepoops.md) and examples (multi-repo.md) - Create new skills/gh-agent-session/ directory with updated skill docs - Update AGENTS.md with skill reference change - Update all specs files with new terminology - Add CHANGELOG entry documenting breaking change - Preserve gh agent-task CLI command references (external tool) Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

- Update safeOutputFieldMapping: CreateAgentTasks -> CreateAgentSessions - Fix test expectations for output names (task_number -> session_number) - All tests now pass with new terminology Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-01-07T13:15:37Z

@copilot execute plan

Executed the plan successfully! ✅

The terminology migration from "agent task" to "agent session" is complete across the entire codebase:

Code Changes (commits 93c8ff9, 15711b5):

✅ Created codemod for automatic migration (gh aw fix)
✅ Updated JSON schema with new create-agent-session field
✅ Renamed all Go files, types, and functions
✅ Renamed JavaScript action files
✅ Updated environment variables (GITHUB_AW_AGENT_SESSION_BASE)
✅ Updated output names (session_number, session_url)
✅ Backward compatibility maintained for create-agent-task

Documentation Updates (commit 867c539):

✅ Updated all reference docs, guides, and examples
✅ Created new skills/gh-agent-session/ directory
✅ Updated 40+ spec files
✅ Added CHANGELOG entry

Validation:

✅ Build successful
✅ All tests passing
✅ Codemod tested and working
✅ Backward compatibility verified

Migration Path:
Users run gh aw fix --write to automatically update their workflows. The old create-agent-task key is still supported with a deprecation warning.

pelikhan · 2026-01-07T13:41:52Z

@copilot merge main

# Conflicts: # docs/src/content/docs/reference/tokens.md

Resolved merge conflict in docs/src/content/docs/reference/tokens.md by: - Keeping main's table row ordering (Copilot first, then cross-repo) - Applying agent session terminology updates to merged content - Recompiled lock files with new terminology Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-01-07T13:50:49Z

@copilot merge main

Merged main successfully! ✅

Merge Details (commits cc1e634, 88b18ad):

Merged 11 commits from main branch
Resolved merge conflict in docs/src/content/docs/reference/tokens.md
- Kept main's table row ordering (Copilot token first, then cross-repo)
- Applied agent session terminology to merged content
Recompiled lock files with new agent session terminology
Schema updates applied from merge
Build successful after merge

Changes Integrated from Main:

Removed speckit agents and .specify directory
Updated campaign-generator and workflow-generator
Fixed firewall log parsing
Updated docs index page
Improved copy_project error diagnostics
Spinner refactoring

All changes are compatible with the agent session terminology migration.

github-actions · 2026-01-07T13:53:47Z

✨ The prophecy is fulfilled... Smoke Codex has completed its mystical journey. The stars align. 🌟

github-actions · 2026-01-07T13:53:47Z

📰 VERDICT: Smoke Copilot has concluded. All systems operational. This is a developing story. 🎤

github-actions · 2026-01-07T13:53:49Z

🤖 DIAGNOSTIC COMPLETE: Smoke Copilot No Firewall STATUS: ALL_UNITS_OPERATIONAL. MISSION_SUCCESS.

github-actions · 2026-01-07T13:53:49Z

📰 VERDICT: Smoke Copilot Playwright has concluded. All systems operational. This is a developing story. 🎤

github-actions · 2026-01-07T13:53:49Z

✅ Firewall validation complete... Smoke Codex Firewall confirmed network sandboxing is operational. 🛡️

github-actions · 2026-01-07T13:53:50Z

🎉 Yo ho ho! Changeset Generator found the treasure and completed successfully! ⚓💰

github-actions · 2026-01-07T13:53:50Z

🎬 THE END — Smoke Claude MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED! The hero saves the day! ✨

github-actions · 2026-01-07T13:53:52Z

🎉 Yo ho ho! Smoke Copilot Safe Inputs found the treasure and completed successfully! ⚓💰

github-actions · 2026-01-07T13:55:45Z

✅ Smoke Test: Copilot Engine (No Firewall) - PASSED

All tests completed successfully:

✅ Reviewed last 2 merged PRs (#9232, #9222)
✅ Created test file at /tmp/gh-aw/agent/smoke-test-copilot-20783771368.txt
✅ Navigated to https://github.com and verified page title
✅ Listed 3 open issues using GitHub API (#9241, #9240, #9239)

AI generated by Smoke Copilot No Firewall

github-actions · 2026-01-07T13:55:59Z

Smoke Test Results

✅ File Writing: Created /tmp/gh-aw/agent/smoke-test-copilot-20783771324.txt
✅ Bash Tool: Verified file contents successfully
❌ Safe Input gh Tool: Tool not available in environment

Overall Status: PARTIAL FAIL

Note: safeinputs-gh tool not found. Environment only has safe-outputs tools (add_comment, add_labels, missing_tool, noop).

AI generated by Smoke Copilot Safe Inputs

github-actions · 2026-01-07T13:56:00Z

Smoke Test Results (Run 20783771321)

Last 2 Merged PRs:

Add messages block to campaign-generator workflow with professional tone #9232: Add messages block to campaign-generator workflow
Add responsive table component with CSS-only mobile card layout #9222: Add responsive table component with CSS-only mobile layout

Test Results:

✅ GitHub MCP Testing (retrieved PRs)
✅ File Writing Testing (created agent file)
✅ Bash Tool Testing (verified file content)
✅ GitHub MCP Default Toolset (get_me correctly unavailable)
✅ Cache Memory Testing (created and verified cache file)
✅ Web Fetch Testing (retrieved valid JSON from GitHub API)

Available Tools: safeoutputs-, github-, web_fetch, bash, file tools

Overall Status: ✅ PASS

cc: @pelikhan (PR author)

AI generated by Smoke Copilot

github-actions · 2026-01-07T13:56:04Z

Smoke test (Codex+AWF):

PRs: Add messages block to campaign-generator; Remove speckit agents and .specify directory ✅
OpenAI curl blocked ✅; example.com blocked ✅
File write/read /tmp/gh-aw/agent/smoke-test-codex-firewall-20783771313.txt ✅
Network: SANDBOXED
Overall: PASS

AI generated by Smoke Codex Firewall

github-actions · 2026-01-07T13:56:21Z

Smoke Test Results

❌ Playwright MCP: Command not found
✅ Cache Memory: File written successfully
❌ Safe Input gh Tool: Not available in this environment

Overall Status: ❌ FAIL

Notes: Playwright not installed, safe-inputs-gh tool not configured in current workflow environment.

AI generated by Smoke Copilot Playwright

github-actions · 2026-01-07T13:56:48Z

Smoke Test Results - Claude

Last 2 Merged PRs:

Add messages block to campaign-generator workflow with professional tone #9232: Add messages block to campaign-generator workflow
Add responsive table component with CSS-only mobile card layout #9222: Add responsive table component with CSS-only mobile card layout

Test Results:

✅ GitHub MCP (list PRs)
✅ File Writing (/tmp/gh-aw/agent/)
✅ Bash Tool (file verification)
✅ Playwright MCP (GitHub navigation)
✅ Cache Memory (/tmp/gh-aw/cache-memory/)
❌ Safe Input gh Tool (tool not available)

Overall Status: PASS (5/6 core tests passed)

AI generated by Smoke Claude

github-actions · 2026-01-07T13:57:20Z

PRs: #9232 Add messages block to campaign-generator workflow with professional tone; #9222 Add responsive table component with CSS-only mobile card layout
Tests: GitHub MCP ✅ | File write+cat ✅ | Cache memory ✅ | Playwright title ✅ | safeinputs-gh issues list ❌ (command not found)
Overall: FAIL

AI generated by Smoke Codex

pelikhan · 2026-01-07T13:58:13Z

@copilot format, lint go

Auto-formatted struct field alignment in test files for consistency Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-01-07T14:06:09Z

@copilot format, lint go

Formatted and linted Go code successfully! ✅

Results (commit 95bf6bb):

✅ gofmt: Applied struct field alignment formatting to 3 test files
✅ golangci-lint: 0 issues found
✅ prettier: All JavaScript/JSON files formatted correctly
✅ All validation checks passing

Changes:

Minor whitespace alignment in test files for struct field consistency
No functional code changes

The codebase is now fully formatted and passing all linting checks.

Initial plan

93910e7

Copilot AI assigned Copilot and pelikhan Jan 7, 2026

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan January 7, 2026 12:30 View session

docs: create agent sessions terminology migration plan

169dc56

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Update terminology from agent task to agent session~~ Create agent sessions terminology migration plan Jan 7, 2026

Copilot AI requested a review from pelikhan January 7, 2026 12:40

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan January 7, 2026 12:40

pelikhan marked this pull request as ready for review January 7, 2026 12:43

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan January 7, 2026 12:45 View session

Copilot AI and others added 3 commits January 7, 2026 13:03

Copilot AI changed the title ~~Create agent sessions terminology migration plan~~ Migrate from "agent task" to "agent session" terminology Jan 7, 2026

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan January 7, 2026 13:16

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan January 7, 2026 13:42 View session

Copilot AI and others added 2 commits January 7, 2026 13:48

Merge main into copilot/update-agent-terminology

cc1e634

# Conflicts: # docs/src/content/docs/reference/tokens.md

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan January 7, 2026 13:51

pelikhan added the smoke label Jan 7, 2026

github-actions bot added the smoke-copilot-no-firewall label Jan 7, 2026

github-actions bot added the smoke-copilot label Jan 7, 2026

github-actions bot added the smoke-codex-firewall label Jan 7, 2026

github-actions bot added the smoke-claude label Jan 7, 2026

Add changeset: migrate agent task [skip-ci] → agent session terminology

781124a

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan January 7, 2026 13:58 View session

style: apply gofmt alignment to test files

95bf6bb

Auto-formatted struct field alignment in test files for consistency Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan January 7, 2026 14:07

pelikhan merged commit c251e71 into main Jan 7, 2026
3 checks passed

pelikhan deleted the copilot/update-agent-terminology branch January 7, 2026 14:07

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Agent Sessions Terminology Migration - Complete ✅

Phase 1: Code Implementation ✅

Phase 2: Documentation ✅

Phase 3: Merge Main ✅

Phase 4: Code Quality ✅

Validation ✅

Changeset

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Smoke Test Results

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Smoke Test Results (Run 20783771321)

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Smoke Test Results

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Smoke Test Results - Claude

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