GitHub tools for AI agents

Use this skill when the user wants GitHub API access from an LLM via the @github-tools/sdk package: generateText / streamText, createGithubAgent, or durable createDurableGithubAgent with the Vercel Workflow SDK.

Official docs: https://github-tools.com — paths such as /getting-started/installation, /getting-started/quick-start, /frameworks/ai-sdk, /frameworks/eve, /frameworks/vercel-workflow, /frameworks/chat-sdk, /guide/approval-control, /guide/tokens-and-auth, /api/reference. Copy-prompts for assistants are embedded on those pages.

When to use

• Greenfield: "Add GitHub tools to my AI app" / "Wire Octokit-style ops for the model."
• Existing repo: "We already use the AI SDK — add repo/PR/issue tools."
• Agents: "Use createGithubAgent with a preset" / custom system instructions.
• Durable: "Run the agent inside Vercel Workflow" / "use workflow" / crash-safe tool steps.
• eve: "Add GitHub tools to an eve agent" / defineDynamic / @github-tools/sdk/eve.
• Safety: "Gate merges / file writes with approval" / fine-grained PAT scopes.
• Narrow scope: Presets (code-review, issue-triage, repo-explorer, ci-ops, maintainer) or cherry-picked tool factories.

Install (required)

pnpm add @github-tools/sdk ai zod

Set GITHUB_TOKEN (fine-grained PAT recommended). The SDK reads process.env.GITHUB_TOKEN when token is omitted.

Quick integration patterns

Tools only

import { createGithubTools } from '@github-tools/sdk'
import { generateText } from 'ai'

await generateText({
  model,
  tools: createGithubTools({ preset: 'code-review' }),
  prompt: '…',
})

Reusable agent (ToolLoopAgent)

import { createGithubAgent } from '@github-tools/sdk'

const agent = createGithubAgent({
  model: 'anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6',
  preset: 'issue-triage',
  system: '…',
})
await agent.generate({ prompt: '…' })

Durable agent (Vercel Workflow)

Requires optional peers: workflow, @ai-sdk/workflow. Import from @github-tools/sdk/workflow.

import { createDurableGithubAgent } from '@github-tools/sdk/workflow'
import { getWritable } from 'workflow'

export async function run(messages: ModelMessage[], token: string) {
  'use workflow'
  const agent = createDurableGithubAgent({ model, token, preset: 'maintainer' })
  const writable = getWritable<UIMessageChunk>()
  await agent.stream({ messages, writable })
}

Limitation: Durable agents require @ai-sdk/workflow and WorkflowChatTransport on the client for resumable streams. For predicate/once approval policies, use eve agents.

eve agent

Requires optional peers: eve, **ai v7. Import from @github-tools/sdk/eve`.

// agent/tools/github.ts
import { createGithubTools } from '@github-tools/sdk/eve'

export default createGithubTools({ preset: 'code-review' })

See ./references/eve-agents.md and /frameworks/eve.

Presets

Array presets merge: preset: ['code-review', 'issue-triage'].

Write safety

• Default: writes go through approval (AI SDK tool approval flow) unless requireApproval: false or per-tool overrides.
• Map token scopes to tools (Actions, Contents, Issues, Pull requests, Gists, …).

Durable steps

Each packaged tool uses a named module-level "use step" function so individual GitHub calls register as workflow steps when running under the Workflow SDK. See ./references/durable-workflows.md.

Reference Documentation

Each reference file includes YAML frontmatter with name, description, and tags for searchability. Use the search script available in scripts/search_references.py to quickly find relevant references by tag or keyword.

• Durable Workflows: Best practices for using GitHub tools within Vercel Workflow, including step directives and streaming responses.
• eve Agents: Register GitHub tools in eve via defineDynamic, approval policies, and the eve-agent example.
• Existing Project Integration: How to integrate GitHub tools into an existing codebase, including environment variable management and framework-specific hooks.
• Tokens and Approval: Guidance on mapping GitHub token scopes to specific tools and configuring approval flows for safe write operations.

Searching References

# List all references with metadata
python scripts/search_references.py --list

# Search by tag (exact match)
python scripts/search_references.py --tag <tag>

# Search by keyword (across name, description, tags, and content)
python scripts/search_references.py --search <query>

Scripts

• scripts/search_references.py: Search reference files by tag, keyword, or list all with metadata