Add best-effort oldest-first work queue selection by pelikhan · Pull Request #65246 · github/gh-aw

pelikhan · 2026-10-03T05:23:16Z

Why

The work queue should behave like a queue without the coordination cost of strict FIFO. Prefer older available Work while allowing concurrent processing and occasional reordering from delayed visibility or publication.

Approach

Add immutable Unix-millisecond enqueue metadata and matching oldest-available selection in JavaScript and Go. Work identity breaks timestamp ties; claimed and terminal Work is skipped.
Default gh aw work-queue claim --run-id RUN to oldest-first selection, retaining --work-id as an explicit operator override. The MCP snapshot reader exposes ordered available Work and a next_work recommendation, not durable authority.
Preserve the selected Work identity across publication retries. Publication still checks safety rather than global FIFO; no global sequence allocator, queue lock, or completion barrier is introduced.
Extend the TLA+ model with a selection action property, a negative control, and a guarded witness demonstrating permitted reordering. Shared fixtures exercise the JavaScript and Go implementations, including compaction, cancellation, and replay order independence.

Compatibility and trade-offs

Historical records without enqueue metadata use age zero and sort before timestamped Work. Duplicate submissions retain the first durable Work fact's age; conflicting metadata already in the log is rejected. Transaction schemas, audit schemas, historical log readers, and protocol documentation are updated together. Broader dispatcher mutation integration remains separate, and the model does not quantify reordering frequency.

Validation

bash specs/work-queue/check.sh: all three bounded positive configurations exhausted successfully; all negative controls and the weak-ordering witness produced the expected results.
bash specs/work-queue/traces.sh: competing Claims, recovery, external effects, and weak-ordering witnesses passed.
go test ./pkg/workqueue -count=1 and go test ./pkg/cli -run '^TestWork(Command|Queue)' -count=1 passed.
npm run typecheck and six focused JavaScript queue suites passed, covering 76 tests.
make fmt, make lint-cjs, and make agent-report-progress-no-test passed. Impacted Go tests also passed during the final validation run; lint findings were corrected and rechecked separately to avoid repeating the unit-test gate. All 302 workflow lock files remain in sync.

Prefer the oldest available Work using immutable enqueue metadata while retaining safety-only publication and allowing reordering. Add ordering properties, negative controls, and guarded witnesses, and document the weak queue contract. Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Add matching enqueue-time selection in JavaScript and Go, preserve first-submission age and legacy records, expose snapshot recommendations, and default operator claims to the oldest available Work without reselecting on publication retry. Update schemas and exercise both implementations against shared fixtures. Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

github-actions · 2026-10-03T05:26:28Z

✅ Test Quality Sentinel completed test quality analysis.

Test Quality Sentinel skipped because pre-fetch PR data was unavailable: unable to fetch test file diff

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github-actions · 2026-10-03T05:26:29Z

🧠 Matt Pocock Skills Reviewer failed during the skills-based review.

🧠 Reviewed using Matt Pocock's skills by Matt Pocock Skills Reviewer

github-actions · 2026-10-03T05:26:40Z

✅ Design Decision Gate 🏗️ completed the design decision gate check. See the comment below for the result and any generated ADR draft.

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github-actions · 2026-10-03T05:26:42Z

✅ PR Code Quality Reviewer completed the code quality review.

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github-actions · 2026-10-03T05:26:47Z

✅ Ponytail Reviewer completed successfully!

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Generated by Ponytail Reviewer for #65246

github-actions · 2026-10-03T05:30:35Z

✅ Design Decision Gate — ADR Verified

ADR reviewed: ADR-64955: Git-Backed Work Queue Coordination — implementation aligns with the stated decision. Great work! 🏗️

📋 Verification Summary

Verified against docs/adr/64955-git-backed-work-queue-coordination.md.

The ADR now commits to best-effort oldest-first selection using immutable enqueue-time metadata, with safety revalidated at publication rather than strict global FIFO.
pkg/workqueue/selection.go, pkg/cli/work_command.go, and actions/setup/js/work_queue_replay.cjs implement oldest-available selection and preserve the originally selected Work across retries.
actions/setup/js/work_queue_mcp_server.cjs exposes ordered available Work plus next_work as a recommendation, matching the ADR's read-only snapshot boundary.
Supporting schema, parsing, and tests in Go and JavaScript were updated together (pkg/workqueue/schema/*.json, pkg/cli/logs_work_queue.go, actions/setup/js/work_queue_*test.cjs, pkg/workqueue/selection_test.go), and no contradictory architectural change appears in the diff.

No divergences found between the ADR and this PR's implementation.

🏗️ ADR gate enforced by Design Decision Gate 🏗️ · pi · gpt54 · 18.1 AIC · ⌖ 9.19 AIC · ⊞ 10.9K · ◷
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github-actions · 2026-10-03T05:32:50Z

Comment Memory

reviewed_at: 2026-10-03T05:28:26Z
review_event: COMMENT
top_themes:
  - No merge-blocking correctness or queue-ordering regressions found in changed lines
files_reviewed:
  - actions/setup/js/work_queue_mcp_server.cjs
  - actions/setup/js/work_queue_replay.cjs
  - actions/setup/js/work_queue_store.cjs
  - pkg/cli/logs_work_queue.go
  - pkg/cli/work_command.go
  - pkg/workqueue/replay.go
  - pkg/workqueue/selection.go
  - specs/work-queue/WorkQueue.tla
comment_count: 0

Note

This comment is managed by comment memory.

It stores persistent context for this thread in the code block at the top of this comment.
Edit only the text inside the backtick fences; workflow metadata and the footer are regenerated automatically.

Learn more about comment memory

🔎 Code quality review by PR Code Quality Reviewer · copilot · gpt54 · 60.1 AIC · ⌖ 6.99 AIC · ⊞ 20.2K · ◷
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github-actions

Verdict

I did not find a blocking bug in the changed lines. The oldest-first claim path keeps the initially selected work across branch-update retries, and the mirrored JS/Go replay changes stay consistent with the new fixtures and tests.

Highlights

Checked the new default claim flow against pkg/workqueue/branch.go; the selected work_id is captured once and reused on publication conflicts instead of being reselected.
Spot-checked the JS and Go replay logic for enqueue ordering, duplicate submission handling, and legacy enqueued fallback semantics.
Existing review comments were empty, so there were no duplicate findings to suppress.

🔎 Code quality review by PR Code Quality Reviewer · copilot · gpt54 · 60.1 AIC · ⌖ 6.99 AIC · ⊞ 20.2K
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Copilot

Copilot review overview

🟡 Changes recommended

The new enqueue field changes the strict version-1 wire format without advancing its protocol version or codemod path.

Review effort: Balanced
Findings: 1

Open (1)

Adding enqueued changes v1 format without a protocol version bump · New

What changed in this PR

Adds best-effort oldest-first selection to the git-backed work queue while preserving concurrent, non-FIFO processing.

Changes:

Adds enqueue metadata and deterministic selection in Go and JavaScript.
Defaults CLI claims and MCP recommendations to oldest available Work.
Extends schemas, tests, documentation, and the TLA+ model.

File	Description
`specs/work-queue/WorkQueue.tla`	Models oldest-first staging.
`specs/work-queue/WorkQueue.cfg`	Checks queue selection.
`specs/work-queue/WeakOrderingWitness.cfg`	Demonstrates permitted reordering.
`specs/work-queue/transactions.tsp`	Adds enqueue-time schema fields.
`specs/work-queue/traces.sh`	Runs ordering witness traces.
`specs/work-queue/selection-fixtures.json`	Provides shared ordering fixtures.
`specs/work-queue/RecoveryWitness.cfg`	Checks selection during recovery.
`specs/work-queue/Recovery.cfg`	Adds recovery selection verification.
`specs/work-queue/README.md`	Documents queue-ordering semantics.
`specs/work-queue/QueueOrdering.cfg`	Configures two-item ordering checks.
`specs/work-queue/ExternalEffectWitness.cfg`	Adds selection verification.
`specs/work-queue/CompetingClaimsWitness.cfg`	Covers concurrent dispatchers.
`specs/work-queue/check.sh`	Runs new positive and negative checks.
`specs/work-queue/BrokenQueueSelection.cfg`	Tests the selection negative control.
`schemas/logs.schema.json`	Exposes enqueue metadata.
`schemas/logs-jsonl.schema.json`	Exposes enqueue metadata in JSONL logs.
`schemas/audit.schema.json`	Exposes enqueue metadata in audits.
`pkg/workqueue/selection.go`	Implements Go queue selection.
`pkg/workqueue/selection_test.go`	Tests Go selection behavior.
`pkg/workqueue/schema/WorkTransaction.json`	Extends operator Work schema.
`pkg/workqueue/schema/WorkQueueWorkTransaction.json`	Extends runtime Work schema.
`pkg/workqueue/schema_test.go`	Tests enqueue schema validation.
`pkg/workqueue/replay.go`	Projects ordered available Work.
`pkg/cli/work_command.go`	Defaults claims to oldest available Work.
`pkg/cli/work_command_test.go`	Tests selection and retry behavior.
`pkg/cli/logs_work_queue.go`	Parses enqueue metadata from snapshots.
`pkg/cli/logs_work_queue_test.go`	Tests snapshot metadata validation.
`docs/adr/64955-git-backed-work-queue-coordination.md`	Records ordering design decisions.
`actions/setup/js/work_queue_store.test.cjs`	Tests retry identity preservation.
`actions/setup/js/work_queue_store.cjs`	Extends transaction typing.
`actions/setup/js/work_queue_replay.test.cjs`	Tests JavaScript ordering and metadata.
`actions/setup/js/work_queue_replay.cjs`	Implements JavaScript selection and replay.
`actions/setup/js/work_queue_mcp_server.test.cjs`	Tests MCP ordering recommendations.
`actions/setup/js/work_queue_mcp_server.cjs`	Returns ordered Work and `next_work`.

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github-actions

🧠 Reviewed using Matt Pocock's skills by Matt Pocock Skills Reviewer · copilot · sonnet50 · 240.5 AIC · ⌖ 14.3 AIC · ⊞ 10K
_{Comment /matt to run again}

Add a deterministic 1-to-2 codemod, preserve strict historical message shapes and age-zero Work, and align runtime schemas, audit parsing, documentation, and regression tests. Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Keep duplicate submissions as age-preserving no-ops while exposing an idempotent count and accurate per-attempt new/rejected/idempotent publication diagnostics. Cover mixed outcomes, physical duplicates, skipped writes, and retry accounting. Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

pelikhan · 2026-10-03T12:34:52Z

@copilot run pr-finisher / fix ci failures

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-10-03T12:57:36Z

@copilot run pr-finisher / fix ci failures

Fixed in 925aebf: the Codex workflow test now resolves omitted models through the Codex engine default and accepts the supported copilot/auto canary route. Local validation passed; CI must be re-triggered by a maintainer because agent pushes do not start new runs.

pelikhan · 2026-10-03T13:01:17Z

@copilot update TLA+ specification with new semantics

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-10-03T13:41:27Z

@copilot update TLA+ specification with new semantics

Updated in 1a4d956: the TLA+ model now covers same-identity Work resubmissions with different enqueue metadata as idempotent no-ops, and checks that they preserve replayed facts and the original enqueue age. A reduced TLC configuration passed (84 states); the full work-queue search did not finish in this run.

pelikhan · 2026-10-03T13:43:58Z

@copilot resolve the merge conflicts on this branch.

…rdering # Conflicts: # pkg/workflow/prompts_test.go Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-10-03T13:56:26Z

@copilot resolve the merge conflicts on this branch.

Merged main and resolved the conflict in pkg/workflow/prompts_test.go in merge commit 6407e97. The resolution retains main's shared Codex model compatibility helper and tests. Focused tests and change-scoped validation passed.

github-actions · 2026-10-05T23:10:51Z

🎉 This pull request is included in a new release.

Release: v0.91.0

pelikhan and others added 2 commits October 2, 2026 22:04

pelikhan marked this pull request as ready for review October 3, 2026 05:25

Copilot AI balanced review requested due to automatic review settings October 3, 2026 05:25

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of pelikhan October 3, 2026 05:26 View session

github-actions Bot mentioned this pull request Oct 3, 2026

[aw] Ponytail Reviewer produced no safe outputs #65072

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github-actions Bot added the needs-review label Oct 3, 2026

github-actions Bot reviewed Oct 3, 2026

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Comment thread specs/work-queue/transactions.tsp

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Comment thread actions/setup/js/work_queue_replay.cjs

pelikhan and others added 2 commits October 2, 2026 22:52

github-actions Bot mentioned this pull request Oct 3, 2026

[pr-review] Daily PR Code Quality Review — 37101105700 #65269

Closed

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan October 3, 2026 12:36 View session

Fix Codex workflow CI check

925aebf

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan October 3, 2026 12:58

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan October 3, 2026 13:01 View session

Model idempotent work resubmissions in TLA+

1a4d956

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan October 3, 2026 13:42

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan October 3, 2026 13:44 View session

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into pelikhan-work-queue-o…

6407e97

…rdering # Conflicts: # pkg/workflow/prompts_test.go Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan October 3, 2026 13:57

pelikhan merged commit 25cd1c2 into main Oct 3, 2026
29 checks passed

pelikhan deleted the pelikhan-work-queue-ordering branch October 3, 2026 13:57

Conversation

pelikhan commented Oct 3, 2026

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✅ Design Decision Gate — ADR Verified

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🟡 Changes recommended

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