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[step-names] Align "pre-fetch" step-name spelling and use imperative verbs in workflow-authored steps #75087
Closed as not planned
Description
Step Name Alignment Issues
Scanned 56,905 step records and 760 unique step names across 356 lock files. The compiler-generated steps are consistent. The findings below are in workflow-authored steps (name: in the .md sources, compiled into the .lock.yml files).
1. Medium: "pre-fetch" family is spelled six different ways
The same concept ("run a deterministic step before the agent to gather or prepare data") appears as Pre-fetch, Prefetch, Pre-compute, Precompute, Preinstall, Predownload, Preload, and Pre-flight.
| Current step name | Workflow source | Suggested name |
|---|---|---|
Pre-fetch PR data |
test-quality-sentinel.md |
keep (reference form) |
Pre-fetch PR diff and review comments (x4) |
impeccable-skills-reviewer.md, mattpocock-skills-reviewer.md, ponytail-reviewer.md, pr-code-quality-reviewer.md |
keep |
Pre-fetch ADR gate PR context |
design-decision-gate.md |
keep |
Pre-fetch moderation context |
ai-moderator.md |
keep |
Pre-fetch release and merged PR data |
weekly-blog-post-writer.md |
keep |
Prefetch dependabot burner context |
dependabot-burner.md |
Pre-fetch Dependabot burner context |
Prefetch forecast usage artifacts |
daily-spending-forecast.md |
Pre-fetch forecast usage artifacts |
Failure investigator prefetch (x2) |
aw-failure-investigator.md |
Pre-fetch failure investigator data |
Deterministic pre-fetch for failure analysis |
aw-failure-investigator.md |
Pre-fetch failure analysis data |
Precompute code scanning alert candidates |
code-scanning-fixer.md |
Pre-compute code scanning alert candidates |
Precompute deterministic findings |
bot-detection.md |
Pre-compute deterministic findings |
Precompute optimization datasets |
copilot-centralization-optimizer.md |
Pre-compute optimization datasets |
Precompute schema analysis data |
schema-consistency-checker.md |
Pre-compute schema analysis data |
Precompute semantic refactor slice |
semantic-function-refactor.md |
Pre-compute semantic refactor slice |
Pre-compute recent changes governance context |
uk-ai-operational-resilience.md |
keep |
Predownload models.dev API index |
daily-model-inventory.md |
Pre-download models.dev API index |
Preload linter source and cache context |
linter-miner.md |
Pre-load linter source and cache context |
Preinstall Aider CLI (x4), Preinstall Pydantic AI coder agent (x2) |
daily-code-debt-aider.md, daily-go-test-stubs-aider.md, engine-conformance-aider.md, engine-conformance-pydantic-ai.md, smoke-pydantic.md |
Pre-install Aider CLI, Pre-install Pydantic AI coder agent |
Pre-flight checks, Pre-flight validation (non-fatal), Playwright browser launch preflight |
unbloat-docs.md, ci-coach.md, (Playwright workflow) |
Pre-flight everywhere (the last one drops the verb too, see #2) |
Suggested convention: hyphenated Pre-<verb> (the majority form already used for Pre-fetch, Pre-compute, Pre-filter, Pre-flight). The Dependabot capitalization fix is incidental.
2. Medium: Several steps are noun phrases instead of imperative verb phrases
About 99% of step names follow the imperative <Verb> <object> pattern. These do not:
| Current | Workflow source | Suggested |
|---|---|---|
Closed PR deduplication guard |
daily-ambient-context-optimizer.md |
Guard against closed PR duplicates |
PR close-rate metric |
daily-ambient-context-optimizer.md |
Compute PR close-rate metric |
Token budget guard |
copilot-opt.md |
Enforce token budget guard (or Check token budget) |
Dependabot burner selection context |
dependabot-burner.md |
Select Dependabot burner context |
Playwright browser launch preflight |
Playwright workflow | Pre-flight Playwright browser launch |
Display Test Config |
daily-choice-test.md |
Print test config (Print is the established verb, 1,072 uses; Display is used once) |
Load Metrics |
workflow-health-manager.md |
Load metrics (capitalization: other steps use sentence case for the object) |
3. Low (already tracked, not re-filed): Set up/Check out and Safe Output(s) casing
Still present, and deliberately not duplicated here:
Set up Go ...,Set up Java 21,Set up safe-output helpers,Check out trusted ... code(see [step-names] Align \"Set up\"/\"Check out\" step names with established one-word Setup/Checkout pattern #65755, [step-names] Align step names in aw-issue-clustering.md with glossary/consistency #66012).Download safe-output temporary ID mapvs Title CaseSafe Outputs(see [step-names] Align "Download safe-output temporary ID map" with Safe Outputs capitalization convention #63553).Configure Safe Output Scripts(17 uses,pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_steps.go:427) is singular where its sibling steps useSafe Outputs. The glossary does use singularSafe Outputas a modifier (Safe Output Messages,Safe Output Actions), so this is acceptable and not a finding on its own. Mentioned only so the convention is recorded in one place.
Verification
- Counts and workflow locations were taken from
/tmp/gh-aw/agent/step-alignment-input.json. I did not open each.mdsource to confirm the exactname:line, other thantest-quality-sentinel.md:38anddependabot-burner.md:76. - The workflow-authored
.mdfiles needmake recompileafter renaming. - Workflows with a
source:frontmatter entry are upstream-managed. Rename those upstream and pull the change in withgh aw update. - I could not query existing issues with
ghin this run, so I relied on cache memory for the duplicate check.
AI dictionary alignment summary
- Terms reviewed: pre-fetch/pre-compute family, agent, prompt-context steps,
Claude Copilot,Agy. - Terms adopted: none new. The existing repository convention (hyphenated
Pre-prefix, imperative verbs) is reused. - Conflicts resolved: none.
Agy(a real engine) andClaude Copilot(Claude served via the Copilot API) are intentional and were not flagged.
Generated by 📋 Step Name Alignment · claude · routed: sonnet55 high · ~26 AIC · ⌖ ~2 AIC · ⊞ 7.1K · ◷
- expires on Nov 6, 2026, 7:59 PM UTC-08:00
Activity
github-actions commentedon Nov 7, 2026
This issue was automatically closed because it expired on 2026-11-07T03:59:35.384Z.