Developer tools
Give your agents full access to GitHub.
Agents read repositories, review pull requests, triage issues, ship releases, and watch CI - using the whole GitHub REST API. Pair it with GitHub trigger events and an agent picks up work the moment a PR opens or a workflow finishes.
5,000 free credits to start.
Agent reach
GitHub REST API
The full surface, searched at run time.
Connect with
- Helios OAuth app
- Your own OAuth app
- API key
Organization installs also ask each person to authorize once, so the agent acts as that person.
Event triggers
Yes · 12 events
Plus manual, schedule, and signed webhook.
What the agent can do
What agents do with GitHub
Helios searches the GitHub REST API at run time. The agent finds the endpoint the task needs and calls it.
- Search the entire GitHub OpenAPI surface at run time and call any endpoint the task requires.
- Read and write pull requests: diffs, files changed, reviews, review comments, merges, labels.
- Manage issues end to end - open, comment, label, assign, close, and cross-link.
- Inspect repository contents, branches, tags, commits, and blame at any ref.
- Read Actions workflow runs, jobs, and logs to explain a failure in plain English.
- Cut releases and tags, and compose release notes from merged commits.
Examples
Tasks you can hand to a GitHub agent
Review every pull request as it opens
An agent reads the diff, checks it against your conventions, and leaves a review with concrete suggestions before a human opens the tab.
Review new pull requests against our engineering conventions and leave inline comments.
- github·fetch diff for PR #2841
- github·read CONTRIBUTING.md and recent reviews
- code·run analysis over changed files
- github·post review with 3 inline comments
Review posted on PR #2841
- Flagged an unhandled error path in `sync.ts:142`
- Suggested reusing `parseCursor` instead of a second parser
- Confirmed migration is backward compatible
Explain a failing CI run
When a workflow run finishes red, the agent pulls the logs, finds the first real failure, and posts a plain-English explanation with the likely fix.
When CI fails on main, explain the failure and suggest a fix.
- github·fetch failed jobs for run 91422
- github·download step logs
- code·isolate first failing assertion
- slack·post summary to #eng-alerts
CI failure explained
- `billing.spec.ts` timed out waiting on a Stripe mock
- Introduced by #2833, which changed the fixture loader
- Suggested fix: await `seedFixtures()` before the test body
Triage and route new issues
Every incoming issue gets read, labeled, deduplicated against existing issues, and routed to the team that owns the area.
Triage new issues: label them, find duplicates, and assign an owner.
- github·read issue #1180 body and attachments
- github·search open issues for duplicates
- github·apply labels: `area/auth`, `bug`
- github·assign to @auth-team and comment
Issue #1180 triaged
- Labeled `area/auth` · `bug` · `needs-repro`
- Linked to #1042 as a likely duplicate
- Assigned to the auth team
Draft release notes from merged work
On every tag, the agent walks the commits since the last release, groups them by theme, and writes notes your users can read.
When a tag is created, draft release notes grouped by theme.
- github·compare v2.7.0...v2.8.0
- github·read merged PR titles and bodies
- github·publish draft release v2.8.0
Draft release v2.8.0
- Features - 6 entries, led by scheduled exports
- Fixes - 11 entries, grouped by area
- Breaking - 1 entry, with a migration snippet
Answer questions about the codebase
Point an agent at a repository as a pinned resource and hand it questions. It reads real files at the ref you name.
Where do we validate webhook signatures, and which routes skip it?
- github·search repo for signature verification
- github·read `middleware/verify.ts` at `main`
- code·trace route registrations
Answer with citations
- Verification lives in `middleware/verify.ts:31`
- Applied to every `/hooks/*` route
- `/hooks/health` opts out via `skipVerify`
Keep a weekly engineering digest
A scheduled agent summarizes merged work, open review load, and CI health, then posts it where the team already reads.
Every Friday, summarize merged PRs, review backlog, and CI health.
- github·list PRs merged in the last 7 days
- github·list open PRs awaiting review
- github·aggregate Actions run outcomes
- slack·post digest to #engineering
Week of Mar 3
- 38 PRs merged · median review time 6h
- 5 PRs waiting more than 3 days
- CI pass rate 94%, down from 97%
Event triggers
Start a run on GitHub events
Attach any of these events to a workflow and filter on the fields that matter. Manual, schedule, and signed webhook triggers work too.
| Event | What it means |
|---|---|
pull_request.opened | A pull request is opened. Filter by base branch, author, or labels. |
pull_request.closed | A pull request is closed or merged, so agents can follow up on shipped work. |
pull_request.synchronize | New commits land on an open pull request and the review needs a refresh. |
pull_request.labeled | A label lands on a pull request - the usual way to opt a PR into an agent. |
issues.opened | A new issue arrives, ready for triage, labeling, and routing. |
issues.closed | An issue closes, so the agent can update a changelog or notify the reporter. |
issues.labeled | A label lands on an issue. Filter on the label name to scope the agent. |
push | Commits land on a branch. Filter by branch so only `main` wakes the agent. |
tag.created | A tag is created - the signal to draft release notes or start a rollout check. |
release.published | A release goes out, and the agent announces it to the channels you name. |
workflow_run.completed | A GitHub Actions run finishes. Filter on conclusion to catch only failures. |
issue_comment.created | Someone comments on an issue or pull request, including `@mentions` of your agent. |
Works with
GitHub works with the rest of your stack
One agent, one run, several services. It reads from one tool and writes to the next in the same sandbox.
Templates
Ready-to-run GitHub workflows
Copy the prompt, connect your tools, and start a run.
Engineering
Pull request reviewer
Reviews every pull request against your conventions and leaves inline comments only where it found something concrete.
Engineering
Release notes writer
Turns a new tag into release notes grouped by theme, publishes a draft release on GitHub, and files a changelog entry in Notion.
Engineering
Standup without the meeting
Reads yesterday's commits, merges, and review queue, then posts a standup to Slack every weekday morning.
Engineering
Incident postmortem drafter
Rebuilds the incident timeline from Slack and GitHub, names the likely change, and drafts the write-up in Notion.
Support
Documentation freshness audit
Checks your written docs against the codebase every month and comments on the pages that have gone stale.
Use cases
Where GitHub agents fit
Engineering
Pull request review
A workflow reads each diff against your conventions and leaves a real review. A second workflow on a schedule posts the week's merged work, review backlog, and CI health.
Engineering
Incident summaries
A workflow rebuilds the timeline from your incident channel and the deploys around it. It names the likely change and drafts the write-up with the facts in place.
Marketing
Community monitoring
A workflow sweeps Reddit and Discord for mentions of your product, your competitors, and your problem space. It picks the threads worth a reply and brings them to your team.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Put an agent on GitHub.
Connect it once and describe the task in chat. Then reuse the prompt as a workflow on a schedule or a webhook.