[instructions] Sync instruction files with release v0.84.2

[github-actions]

Summary

Routine instructions-janitor pass over .github/aw/*.md.

Release/change audit

• Latest full release: v0.83.4 (2026-07-27); v0.84.0-v0.84.2 are pre-releases.
• No docs/ changes since v0.83.4.
• .github/aw/*.md changes since v0.83.4 (17 files, already merged to main) were reviewed against the current code:
  • New split files: syntax-engine.md, github-mcp-server-pagination.md, token-optimization-caching-budgets.md - all correctly cross-linked from their index files (syntax.md, github-mcp-server.md/github-agentic-workflows.md, token-optimization.md).
  • New feature docs verified against code: tools.github.bounded-queries (pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json:4277), safe-outputs.data: (pkg/workflow/safe_outputs_data_schema.go), create-pull-request.auto-merge: squash|merge|rebase (pkg/workflow/create_pull_request.go:57), engine.auth gcp provider (pkg/workflow/engine.go:124), local skills: paths (pkg/workflow/skills_frontmatter.go), gh aw experiments analyze (pkg/cli/experiments_command.go).
  • No inaccuracies found - all reviewed docs match current code.

Size audit

All .github/aw/*.md files are under their target limits (largest is designer.md at 392 lines, under 400).

Duplication audit

Found and fixed:

• workflow-editing.md stated "always run gh aw compile after any change" twice in the same file (lines 41 and 58) - removed the redundant restatement.
• github-agentic-workflows.md restated the full safe-output security posture (already canonical in workflow-constraints.md, which explicitly asks callers to reference it rather than repeat it) and the frontmatter/body recompilation rule (already canonical in workflow-editing.md) - both trimmed to one-line pointers.
• github-agentic-workflows.md had two near-identical persona tables in the same file (Persona-to-Pattern Quick Matrix and Non-technical persona examples) - removed the duplicate, added a pointer to the first.
• github-agentic-workflows.md had a Compile Commands block duplicating workflow-editing.md's Validation Commands - removed.
• update-agentic-workflow.md restated the frontmatter-vs-body recompilation rule already sourced from workflow-editing.md - trimmed to a single pointer sentence.

No other meaningful duplication found; other cross-references (e.g. safe-outputs.md in creator/updater/debugger prompts, workflow-constraints.md single-job architecture references in workflow-patterns.md) were already short pointers, not restatements.

Before/after line counts (modified files only)

File	Before	After
github-agentic-workflows.md	163	139
update-agentic-workflow.md	121	118
workflow-editing.md	68	64

All three remain well under their target limits (github-agentic-workflows.md < 200, others < 400).

Test plan

• Grepped for dangling references to removed sections/anchors (Non-technical persona examples, Compile Commands, #persona-to-pattern-quick-matrix) - none found.
• Verified new-since-release doc claims against schema/code (see above).
• Re-ran wc -l .github/aw/*.md to confirm size compliance after edits.

Generated by 🧹 Instructions Janitor · sonnet50 · 198.7 AIC · ⌖ 6.11 AIC · ⊞ 5.6K · ◷

• expires on Aug 3, 2026, 1:19 AM UTC-08:00

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Caution

agentic threat detected
Threat detection flagged this output in warn mode. Manual review is REQUIRED before any follow-up automation.

Details

Potential security threats were detected in the agent output.

Review the workflow run logs for details.

Run details: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/actions/runs/30702262954

Generated by 👨‍🍳 PR Sous Chef · gpt54 · 17.7 AIC · ⌖ 5.22 AIC · ⊞ 8.1K · ◷
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[gh-aw-bot]

@copilot quick triage for this PR:

• This PR is currently UNSTABLE; please inspect the latest checks and repair or rerun whatever is blocking merge.
• Branch refresh: GitHub branch update was requested from this run.
• Please run the pr-finisher skill before handoff and summarize whether maintainer action is still needed.

Generated by 👨🍳 PR Sous Chef
_{Comment /souschef to run again}

Generated by 👨‍🍳 PR Sous Chef · gpt54 · 20.7 AIC · ⌖ 8.23 AIC · ⊞ 8.1K · ◷
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[github-actions]

Hey @github-actions 👋 — thanks for keeping the instruction docs in sync! This PR looks great:

✅ Clear scope — focused deduplication and sync of .github/aw/*.md files
✅ Comprehensive audit — release verification, size compliance, and duplication checks all documented
✅ Well-tested — verification steps (dangling references, schema checks, size compliance) all completed
✅ Thorough description — before/after line counts and specific removals clearly listed

The PR is ready for review. All changes align with the project's documentation maintenance standards.

Generated by ✅ Contribution Check · auto · 50.4 AIC · ⌖ 12.9 AIC · ⊞ 8.7K · ◷

[gh-aw-bot]

Caution

agentic threat detected
Threat detection flagged this output in warn mode. Manual review is REQUIRED before any follow-up automation.

Details

Potential security threats were detected in the agent output.

Review the workflow run logs for details.

@copilot quick triage for this PR:

• This PR looks review-ready; please run the pr-finisher skill, confirm there are no hidden blockers, and summarize any maintainer action still needed before merge.
• Branch refresh: GitHub branch update was requested from this run.
• Run details: https://github.com/github/gh-aw/actions/runs/30702262954

Generated by 👨‍🍳 PR Sous Chef · gpt54 · 17.7 AIC · ⌖ 5.22 AIC · ⊞ 8.1K · ◷
_{Comment /souschef to run again}