---
title: Agentic Workflows
description: End-to-end process flow for AI-driven issue triage, implementation, and review workflows in hve-core
author: HVE Core Team
ms.date: 2026-03-27
ms.topic: concept
sidebar_position: 4
keywords:
  - agentic workflows
  - issue triage
  - automated implementation
  - pr review
  - github copilot
  - process flow
---

hve-core uses GitHub Agentic Workflows to automate the journey from issue creation through implementation, code review, and dependency management. Five event-driven workflows connect specialized agents into a pipeline where each stage triggers the next through labels, pull requests, and GitHub events.

> [!NOTE]
> GitHub Agentic Workflows is an experimental/beta feature. The workflows described here represent hve-core's early experiments with the technology and may evolve as the platform matures.

## End-to-End Process Flow

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    subgraph TRIGGER["Issue Created or Labeled"]
        A["New issue opened<br/>or labeled needs-triage"]
    end

    subgraph TRIAGE["Issue Triage Workflow"]
        B["Read issue title, body,<br/>and template metadata"]
        C["Classify by type<br/>and component"]
        D["Detect duplicates<br/>via keyword search"]
        E["Assess issue quality"]
        F{"Scope too broad<br/>for single deliverable?"}
        G["Decompose into<br/>sub-issues"]
        H{"Passes all<br/>agent-ready criteria?"}
        I["Apply labels,<br/>remove needs-triage"]
        J["Add agent-ready label"]
        K["Leave for human<br/>review"]
    end

    subgraph IMPLEMENT["Issue Implementation Workflow"]
        L["Read issue and<br/>acceptance criteria"]
        M["Research codebase:<br/>files, patterns, conventions"]
        N["Plan minimal<br/>change set"]
        O["Implement changes"]
        P["Verify against<br/>acceptance criteria"]
        Q["Open pull request<br/>referencing the issue"]
    end

    subgraph REVIEW["PR Review Workflow"]
        R["Detect PR opened<br/>or ready for review"]
        S["Analyze diff against<br/>coding standards"]
        T["Check conventions,<br/>security, quality"]
        U{"Review passed?"}
        V["Add review-passed label"]
        W["Add needs-revision label<br/>with inline comments"]
    end

    subgraph HUMAN["Human Review"]
        X["Maintainer reviews<br/>and merges"]
    end

    A --> B
    B --> C
    C --> D
    D --> E
    E --> F
    F -- Yes --> G
    G --> I
    F -- No --> H
    H -- Yes --> I
    I --> J
    H -- No --> I
    I --> K
    J --> L
    L --> M
    M --> N
    N --> O
    O --> P
    P --> Q
    Q --> R
    R --> S
    S --> T
    T --> U
    U -- Yes --> V
    V --> X
    U -- No --> W
    W -.-> O
```

## Workflow Details

| Workflow             | Trigger                                | Agent                                                                                                                            | Key Actions                                                                                                                                             |
|----------------------|----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Issue Triage         | Issue opened or labeled `needs-triage` | [Issue Triage Agent](https://github.com/microsoft/hve-core/blob/main/.github/agents/issue-triage.agent.md)                       | Classify, detect duplicates, assess quality, decompose, label, evaluate readiness                                                                       |
| Issue Implementation | Issue labeled `agent-ready`            | [Task Implementor Agent](https://github.com/microsoft/hve-core/blob/main/.github/agents/hve-core/task-implementor.agent.md)      | Research codebase, plan changes, implement, open PR                                                                                                     |
| PR Review            | PR opened or marked ready for review   | [PR Review Agent](https://github.com/microsoft/hve-core/blob/main/.github/agents/hve-core/pr-review.agent.md)                    | Review correctness, conventions, security; label `review-passed` or `needs-revision` for non-maintainer PRs, advisory `COMMENT` only for maintainer PRs |
| Dependabot PR Review | Dependabot PR opened or updated        | [Dependency Reviewer Agent](https://github.com/microsoft/hve-core/blob/main/.github/agents/dependency-reviewer.agent.md)         | Validate licensing, SHA pinning, environment sync; approve safe bumps                                                                                   |
| Documentation Update | Push to main                           | [Documentation Update Checker Agent](https://github.com/microsoft/hve-core/blob/main/.github/agents/doc-update-checker.agent.md) | Map code changes to docs, create issues for stale documentation                                                                                         |

> [!TIP]
> The triage agent only classifies, labels, and optionally decomposes issues. It does not close issues, assign users, or modify issue titles.

<!-- markdownlint-disable-next-line MD028 -->

> [!NOTE]
> The implementation agent keeps PRs small and focused. If the issue is ambiguous or too large, it posts a comment requesting clarification instead of guessing.

<!-- markdownlint-disable-next-line MD028 -->

> [!NOTE]
> **Maintainer advisory mode.** When the PR author is a `MEMBER`, `OWNER`, or `COLLABORATOR`, the PR Review Agent switches to advisory mode: it posts a `COMMENT` review prefixed with "Advisory review …", never uses `REQUEST_CHANGES`, does not add the `needs-revision` label, and does not convert the PR to draft.
>
> **`skip-review` label guard.** The `skip-review` label only skips the PR Review workflow when the PR author's association is `MEMBER`, `OWNER`, or `COLLABORATOR`; PRs from other authors are reviewed normally even when the label is present.

## Workflow Configuration

All five workflows are defined as GitHub Agentic Workflow markdown files under `.github/workflows/` and compiled to lock files using `gh aw compile`:

| Workflow File             | Lock File                       | Trigger                                | Agent                  |
|---------------------------|---------------------------------|----------------------------------------|------------------------|
| `issue-triage.md`         | `issue-triage.lock.yml`         | Issue opened or labeled `needs-triage` | Issue Triage Agent     |
| `issue-implement.md`      | `issue-implement.lock.yml`      | Issue labeled `agent-ready`            | Task Implementor Agent |
| `pr-review.md`            | `pr-review.lock.yml`            | PR opened or marked ready for review   | PR Review Agent        |
| `dependency-pr-review.md` | `dependency-pr-review.lock.yml` | Dependabot PR opened or updated        | Dependency Reviewer    |
| `doc-update-check.md`     | `doc-update-check.lock.yml`     | Push to main                           | Documentation Checker  |

Each workflow file declares permissions, safe output limits, and activation guards that prevent unintended execution.

## Label-Driven Handoffs

Labels serve as the event bus connecting workflows. Each label transition triggers the next stage:

```mermaid
stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> needs_triage: Issue opened
    needs_triage --> classified: Triage removes needs-triage,<br/>adds type + component labels
    classified --> agent_ready: Triage adds agent-ready<br/>(if criteria met)
    classified --> human_review: Criteria not met,<br/>awaits human labeling
    agent_ready --> pr_opened: Implementation agent<br/>opens PR
    pr_opened --> review_passed: Review agent approves
    pr_opened --> needs_revision: Review agent requests changes
    needs_revision --> pr_opened: Author pushes fixes
    review_passed --> merged: Maintainer merges
    merged --> [*]
```

## Interactive Agent Workflows

Beyond the automated GitHub event-driven pipeline, hve-core provides interactive agents invoked through VS Code Copilot Chat. These agents support the manual side of the development lifecycle.

### RPI Orchestration

The [RPI Agent](https://github.com/microsoft/hve-core/blob/main/.github/agents/hve-core/rpi-agent.agent.md) runs a five-phase iterative cycle: Research, Plan, Implement, Review, and Discover. It delegates to four specialized subagents:

| Agent            | Role                                                           |
|------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
| Task Researcher  | Deep codebase and domain analysis, produces research documents |
| Task Planner     | Creates phased implementation plans with validation steps      |
| Task Implementor | Executes plans through subagent delegation and tracks changes  |
| Task Reviewer    | Validates completed work against plans and conventions         |

Each agent hands off to the next through structured artifacts stored in `.copilot-tracking/`.

### Prompt Engineering

The [Prompt Builder](https://github.com/microsoft/hve-core/blob/main/.github/agents/hve-core/prompt-builder.agent.md) orchestrates a three-phase workflow for creating and refining AI artifacts (agents, prompts, instructions, skills):

1. Execute and evaluate prompt files using sandbox testing
2. Research findings and best practices
3. Apply modifications based on evaluation results

It delegates to Prompt Tester, Prompt Evaluator, Prompt Updater, and Researcher subagents.

### Security Review

The [Security Reviewer](https://github.com/microsoft/hve-core/blob/main/.github/agents/security/security-reviewer.agent.md) orchestrates security skill assessment through four subagents: Codebase Profiler, Skill Assessor, Finding Deep Verifier, and Report Generator. It supports audit, diff, and plan modes across OWASP and Secure by Design frameworks.

### Code Review

The [Functional Code Review](https://github.com/microsoft/hve-core/blob/main/.github/agents/code-review/functional-code-review.agent.md) agent analyzes branch diffs for logic errors, edge case gaps, and error handling deficiencies before code reaches a pull request. The [PR Review](https://github.com/microsoft/hve-core/blob/main/.github/agents/hve-core/pr-review.agent.md) agent provides comprehensive review after PR creation.

### Documentation Operations

The [Doc Ops](https://github.com/microsoft/hve-core/blob/main/.github/agents/hve-core/doc-ops.agent.md) agent audits documentation for style compliance, accuracy against implementation, and coverage gaps.

### Backlog Management

The [GitHub Backlog Manager](https://github.com/microsoft/hve-core/blob/main/.github/agents/github/github-backlog-manager.agent.md) coordinates five workflows (discovery, triage, sprint planning, execution, and quick add) for managing issue lifecycles. The [ADO Backlog Manager](https://github.com/microsoft/hve-core/blob/main/.github/agents/ado/ado-backlog-manager.agent.md) provides equivalent capabilities for Azure DevOps work items.

### Project Planning

Five agents support upstream planning activities:

| Agent                       | Purpose                                  |
|-----------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| BRD Builder                 | Business Requirements Documents          |
| PRD Builder                 | Product Requirements Documents           |
| ADR Creation                | Architecture Decision Records            |
| Architecture Diagrams Skill | ASCII system architecture diagrams       |
| Security Plan Creator       | Security assessment and mitigation plans |

## How It All Connects

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    subgraph AUTOMATED["Automated Pipeline"]
        direction TB
        TRIAGE["Issue Triage<br/><i>event-driven</i>"]
        IMPL["Issue Implementation<br/><i>event-driven</i>"]
        REVIEW["PR Review<br/><i>event-driven</i>"]
        DEPEND["Dependabot PR Review<br/><i>event-driven</i>"]
        DOCS["Doc Update Check<br/><i>event-driven</i>"]
        TRIAGE -- "agent-ready label" --> IMPL
        IMPL -- "opens PR" --> REVIEW
    end

    subgraph INTERACTIVE["Interactive Agents"]
        direction TB
        RPI["RPI Orchestration"]
        PB["Prompt Builder"]
        SR["Security Reviewer"]
        CR["Code Review"]
        DOC["Doc Ops"]
        BM["Backlog Manager"]
        PP["Project Planning"]
    end

    subgraph ARTIFACTS["Shared Artifacts"]
        direction TB
        INST["Instructions<br/>.github/instructions/"]
        TRACK[".copilot-tracking/<br/>plans, research, changes"]
        LABELS["GitHub Labels<br/>and Milestones"]
    end

    AUTOMATED --> INST
    INTERACTIVE --> INST
    RPI --> TRACK
    BM --> LABELS
    TRIAGE --> LABELS
```

The automated pipeline and interactive agents share instruction files for consistent coding standards. Interactive agents produce tracking artifacts that inform implementation. The automated pipeline uses GitHub labels as its coordination mechanism, while interactive agents coordinate through `.copilot-tracking/` files.

---

🤖 Crafted with precision by ✨Copilot following brilliant human instruction, then carefully refined by our team of discerning human reviewers.
