From 2706245b03c1e2debd375178b8edff045f387f83 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Chris Farhood <chris@farhood.org>
Date: Mon, 11 May 2026 12:44:56 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] docs: add workflow documentation and best practices

Documents available tools on runners and common patterns for GitHub Actions.
Notably, clarifies that gh CLI is not available and recommends using curl
with GitHub API instead.

Co-Authored-By: Paperclip <noreply@paperclip.ing>
---
 .github/workflows/README.md | 84 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 84 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 .github/workflows/README.md

diff --git a/.github/workflows/README.md b/.github/workflows/README.md
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+# GitHub Actions Workflows
+
+This directory contains reusable and repo-specific GitHub Actions workflows for the privilegedescalation organization.
+
+## Available Tools on Runners
+
+### Always Available
+- `curl` - HTTP client (use this instead of `gh` CLI for API calls)
+- `jq` - JSON processor
+- `bash` - Shell
+- `git` - Version control
+- `docker` / `podman` - Container runtime (depending on runner)
+
+### NOT Available (must install if needed)
+- `gh` CLI - GitHub CLI is **not** pre-installed on runners. Use `curl` with the GitHub API instead.
+
+## Best Practices
+
+### GitHub API Calls
+Instead of using `gh` CLI (which is not installed), use `curl` with the GitHub API:
+
+```yaml
+- name: Set PR label
+  env:
+    GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+    REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
+    PR_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
+  run: |
+    curl -sf \
+      -X POST \
+      -H "Authorization: Bearer ${GH_TOKEN}" \
+      -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.v3+json" \
+      "https://api.github.com/repos/${REPO}/issues/${PR_NUMBER}/labels" \
+      -d '{"labels":["label-name"]}'
+```
+
+### Workflow Validation
+Run actionlint locally before pushing:
+
+```bash
+actionlint -color .github/workflows/*.yaml
+```
+
+### Reusable Workflows
+- `plugin-ci.yaml` - Standard CI for Headlamp plugins
+- `plugin-e2e.yaml` - E2E testing for Headlamp plugins
+- `dual-approval-check.yaml` - Checks for CTO and QA approval
+- `detect-pr-pipeline.yaml` - Detects Pipeline A vs Pipeline B based on changed files
+
+## Workflow Naming Convention
+
+- Use kebab-case: `my-workflow.yaml`
+- Be descriptive: `plugin-ci.yaml` not `ci.yaml`
+- For reusable workflows, keep the name clear about its purpose
+
+## Required Gates
+
+All PRs must pass:
+1. `actionlint` validation (workflow YAML syntax)
+2. Shell script validation (if scripts are used)
+3. Any repo-specific CI checks
+
+## Common Patterns
+
+### Getting Changed Files
+Use `tj-actions/changed-files`:
+
+```yaml
+- name: Get changed files
+  id: changed-files
+  uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v44
+  with:
+    files_separator: '\n'
+```
+
+### Setting Job Outputs
+```yaml
+- name: Set output
+  id: detect
+  run: |
+    echo "pipeline-type=pipeline-a" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+```
+
+Access in downstream jobs: `${{ jobs.job-name.outputs.pipeline-type }}`