Automate GitHub from an agent or a pipeline

Uses: Python · TypeScript · CLI · REST API

Two shapes here, and they need different tools. A pipeline posting a deterministic comment wants a plain tool call. An agent triaging an issue wants a scoped toolset and a model. Both avoid handling a GitHub token in your code.

cURL samples assume BASE=https://api.engini.io/v1 and AUTH="x-api-key: $ENGINI_API_KEY" - the setup from the REST walkthrough.

Connect and discover

engini connect github
engini tools list --application github | jq -r '.[] | "\(.tool_slug)\t\(.description)"'

Slugs vary by connector version, so capture the ones you need rather than copying them from a doc:

ISSUE_TOOL=$(engini tools list --application github --json \
  | jq -r '.[] | select(.tool_slug | test("issue")) | .tool_slug' | head -1)
engini tools get "$ISSUE_TOOL" | jq '.input_schema'

Shape 1 - deterministic, from CI

No model involved. Read the schema, send the fields:

result = client.tools.execute(ISSUE_TOOL, {
    "title": "Nightly sync failed",
    "body": f"Job {run_id} failed. Logs: {run_url}",
    "repository": "acme/platform",
})

const result = await client.tools.execute(issueTool, {
  title: "Nightly sync failed",
  body: `Job ${runId} failed. Logs: ${runUrl}`,
  repository: "acme/platform",
});

engini tools call "$ISSUE_TOOL" --args "$(jq -n \
  --arg title "Nightly sync failed" \
  --arg body  "Job $GITHUB_RUN_ID failed. Logs: $RUN_URL" \
  '{title:$title, body:$body, repository:"acme/platform"}')"

curl -s -X POST "$BASE/tools/$ISSUE_TOOL/execute" \
  -H "x-api-key: $ENGINI_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"fields":{"title":"Nightly sync failed","body":"Job failed.","repository":"acme/platform"}}' \
  | jq 'if .isSuccess then .output else {errorMessage, executionInfo} end'

Validate first on a pull request so a malformed payload fails review rather than production:

engini tools call "$ISSUE_TOOL" --args @payload.json --dry-run

Full pipeline patterns - headless auth, exit-code branching - are in Run Engini in CI/CD.

Shape 2 - an agent that triages

Give a model a narrow toolset. Note what’s deliberately absent: nothing that can close, merge, or delete. (Agent scoping is SDK work - the loop lives in your code.)

from engini import Engini
from engini.providers.anthropic import AnthropicProvider

client = Engini(provider=AnthropicProvider())
conn_id = next(c.connection_id for c in client.connections.list(application="github"))

gh = [t.tool_slug for t in client.tools.get(applications=["github"])]
readonly_plus_comment = [s for s in gh if any(k in s for k in ("get", "list", "search", "comment"))]

toolset = client.toolset(connections={"github": conn_id}, tools=readonly_plus_comment)

import { Engini, AnthropicProvider } from "@engini/sdk";

const client = new Engini({ provider: new AnthropicProvider() });
const [{ connectionId }] = await client.connections.list("github");

const gh = (await client.tools.get({ applications: ["github"] })).map((t) => t.toolSlug);
const readonlyPlusComment = gh.filter((s) =>
  ["get", "list", "search", "comment"].some((k) => s.includes(k)),
);

const toolset = client.toolset({ connections: { github: connectionId }, tools: readonlyPlusComment });

Then run the standard agent loop with a prompt like “Read issue #482, find similar past issues, and post a comment linking them.” The scoping is the point: even if the model decides the issue should be closed, 403 TOOL_NOT_IN_TOOLSET stops it. That’s a control you can show a reviewer, not a promise about prompt discipline.

Shape 3 - cross-app, one turn

Bind two connections into one toolset and the agent can act across both:

toolset = client.toolset(connections={
    "github": gh_conn_id,
    "slack":  slack_conn_id,
})

const toolset = client.toolset({
  connections: { github: ghConnId, slack: slackConnId },
});

Now “summarize the open PRs and post it to #eng” is a single conversation, with no glue code between the two APIs.

Failure modes worth knowing

What you see	Usually means
`isSuccess: false`, `executionInfo.statusCode: 403`	The GitHub token lacks scope for that repo or action
`isSuccess: false`, `statusCode: 404`	Repo name wrong, or the token can’t see a private repo
`isSuccess: false`, `statusCode: 429`	GitHub’s own rate limit - back off, this isn’t Engini’s limit
`409 NO_DEFAULT_CONNECTION`	Multiple GitHub connections, none set as default

Reading executionInfo.statusCode is what separates “GitHub said no” from “Engini said no” - see debugging.

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Automate

Automate GitHub from an agent or a pipeline

Connect and discover

Shape 1 - deterministic, from CI

Shape 2 - an agent that triages

Shape 3 - cross-app, one turn

Failure modes worth knowing

​Connect and discover

​Shape 1 - deterministic, from CI

​Shape 2 - an agent that triages

​Shape 3 - cross-app, one turn

​Failure modes worth knowing

Connect and discover

Shape 1 - deterministic, from CI

Shape 2 - an agent that triages

Shape 3 - cross-app, one turn

Failure modes worth knowing