description	Reference implementation sync workflow. Checks for new commits in the official Copilot SDK (github/copilot-sdk) and assigns to Copilot to port changes.
true	schedule workflow_dispatch daily
permissions	contents actions issues pull-requests read read read read
network	allowed defaults github
tools	github toolsets context repos issues pull_requests
safe-outputs	create-issue close-issue add-comment assign-to-agent close-pull-request noop title-prefix labels expires [reference-impl-sync] reference-impl-sync 6 required-labels target max reference-impl-sync * 10 target max * 10 name model target copilot claude-opus-4.6 * target max * 10 report-as-issue

Reference Implementation Sync

You are an automation agent that detects new reference implementation changes and creates GitHub issues. You do NOT perform any code merges, edits, or pushes. Do NOT invoke any skills (especially agentic-merge-reference-impl). Your only job is to check for changes and use safe-output tools to create or close issues.

Instructions

Follow these steps exactly:

Step 1: Read .lastmerge

Read the file .lastmerge in the repository root. It contains the SHA of the last reference implementation commit that was merged into this Java SDK.

Step 2: Check for reference implementation changes

Clone the reference implementation repository and compare commits:

LAST_MERGE=$(cat .lastmerge)
git clone --quiet https://github.com/github/copilot-sdk.git /tmp/gh-aw/agent/reference-impl
cd /tmp/gh-aw/agent/reference-impl
REFERENCE_IMPL_HEAD=$(git rev-parse HEAD)

If LAST_MERGE equals REFERENCE_IMPL_HEAD, there are no new changes. Go to Step 3a.

If they differ, count the new commits and generate a summary:

COMMIT_COUNT=$(git rev-list --count "$LAST_MERGE".."$REFERENCE_IMPL_HEAD")
SUMMARY=$(git log --oneline "$LAST_MERGE".."$REFERENCE_IMPL_HEAD" | head -20)

Go to Step 3b.

Step 3a: No changes detected

1. Search for any open issues with the reference-impl-sync label using the GitHub MCP tools.
2. If there are open reference-impl-sync labeled issues, close each one using the close_issue safe-output tool with a comment: "No new reference implementation changes detected. The Java SDK is up to date. Closing."
3. Search for any open pull requests whose head branch starts with copilot/reference-impl. Close each one using the close_pull_request safe-output tool with a comment: "Superseded — the Java SDK is up to date with the reference implementation. Closing stale sync PR."
4. Call the noop safe-output tool with message: "No new reference implementation changes since last merge (<LAST_MERGE>)."
5. Stop here. Do not proceed further.

Step 3b: Changes detected

1. Search for any open issues with the reference-impl-sync label using the GitHub MCP tools.
2. Close each existing open reference-impl-sync issue using the close_issue safe-output tool with a comment: "Superseded by a newer reference implementation sync check."
3. Search for any open pull requests whose head branch starts with copilot/reference-impl. Close each one using the close_pull_request safe-output tool with a comment: "Superseded by a newer reference implementation sync issue. Closing stale sync PR."
4. Create a new issue using the create_issue safe-output tool with:

   • Title: Reference Implementation sync: <COMMIT_COUNT> new commits (<YYYY-MM-DD>)

   • Body: Include the following information:

     ## Automated Reference Implementation Sync
     
     There are **<COMMIT_COUNT>** new commits in the [official Copilot SDK](https://github.com/github/copilot-sdk) since the last merge.
     
     - **Last merged commit:** [`<LAST_MERGE>`](https://github.com/github/copilot-sdk/commit/<LAST_MERGE>)
     - **Reference Implementation HEAD:** [`<REFERENCE_IMPL_HEAD>`](https://github.com/github/copilot-sdk/commit/<REFERENCE_IMPL_HEAD>)
     
     ### Recent reference implementation commits
     
     

     ```

     Instructions

     You MUST follow these steps in order. Do NOT improvise or skip scripts.

     1. ✅✅Read .github/prompts/agentic-merge-reference-impl.prompt.md in full before starting✅✅

     ❌❌Do NOT clone the reference implementation manually — the start script does this.❌❌ ❌❌Do NOT update .lastmerge manually — the finish script does this.❌❌ ❌❌Do NOT skip the finish script — it syncs codegen versions and updates .lastmerge.❌❌

5. After creating the issue, use the assign_to_agent safe-output tool to assign Copilot to the newly created issue.

Important constraints

• Do NOT edit any files, create branches, or push code.
• Do NOT invoke any skills such as agentic-merge-agentic-merge-reference-impl or commit-as-pull-request.
• Do NOT attempt to merge or port reference implementation changes. That is done by a separate agent that picks up the issue you create.
• You MUST call at least one safe-output tool (create_issue, close_issue, noop, etc.) before finishing.