TrialOps

TrialOps uses temporary trial repositories for safely validating and iterating on workflows before deployment to target repositories. The trial command creates isolated private repos where workflows execute and capture safe outputs (issues, PRs, comments) without affecting your actual codebase.

How Trial Mode Works

gh aw trial githubnext/agentics/weekly-research

The CLI creates a temporary private repository (default: gh-aw-trial), installs and executes the workflow via workflow_dispatch. Results are saved locally in trials/weekly-research.DATETIME-ID.json, in the trial repository on GitHub, and summarized in the console.

Repository Modes

Mode	Flag	Description
Default	(none)	`github.repository` points to your repo; outputs go to trial repo
Direct	`--repo myorg/test-repo`	Runs in specified repo; creates real issues/PRs there
Logical	`--logical-repo myorg/target-repo`	Simulates running against specified repo; outputs in trial repo
Clone	`--clone-repo myorg/real-repo`	Clones repo contents so workflows can analyze actual code

Basic Usage

Dry-Run Mode

Preview what would happen without executing workflows or creating repositories:

gh aw trial ./my-workflow.md --dry-run

Single Workflow

gh aw trial githubnext/agentics/weekly-research  # From GitHub
gh aw trial ./my-workflow.md                      # Local file

Multiple Workflows

Compare workflows side-by-side with combined results:

gh aw trial githubnext/agentics/daily-plan githubnext/agentics/weekly-research

Outputs: individual result files plus trials/combined-results.DATETIME.json.

Repeated Trials

Test consistency by running multiple times:

gh aw trial githubnext/agentics/my-workflow --repeat 3

Custom Trial Repository

gh aw trial githubnext/agentics/my-workflow --host-repo my-custom-trial
gh aw trial ./my-workflow.md --host-repo .  # Use current repo

Advanced Patterns

Issue Context

Provide issue context for issue-triggered workflows:

gh aw trial githubnext/agentics/triage-workflow \
  --trigger-context "https://github.com/myorg/repo/issues/123"

Append Instructions

Test workflow responses to additional constraints without modifying the source:

gh aw trial githubnext/agentics/my-workflow \
  --append "Focus on security issues and create detailed reports."

Cleanup Options

gh aw trial ./my-workflow.md --delete-host-repo-after        # Delete after completion
gh aw trial ./my-workflow.md --force-delete-host-repo-before # Clean slate before running

Understanding Trial Results

Results are saved in trials/*.json with workflow runs, issues, PRs, and comments viewable in the trial repository’s Actions and Issues tabs.

Result file structure:

{
  "workflow_name": "weekly-research",
  "run_id": "12345678",
  "safe_outputs": {
    "issues_created": [{
      "number": 5,
      "title": "Research quantum computing trends",
      "url": "https://github.com/user/gh-aw-trial/issues/5"
    }]
  },
  "agentic_run_info": {
    "duration_seconds": 45,
    "token_usage": 2500
  }
}

Success indicators: Green checkmark, expected outputs created, no errors in logs.

Common issues:

Workflow dispatch failed - Add workflow_dispatch trigger
No safe outputs - Configure safe outputs in workflow
Permission errors - Verify API keys
Timeout - Use --timeout 60 (minutes)

Comparing Multiple Workflows

Run multiple workflows to compare quality, quantity, performance, and consistency:

gh aw trial v1.md v2.md v3.md --repeat 2
cat trials/combined-results.*.json | jq '.results[] | {workflow: .workflow_name, issues: .safe_outputs.issues_created | length}'

SideRepoOps - Run workflows from separate repositories
MultiRepoOps - Coordinate across multiple repositories
Orchestration - Orchestrate multi-issue initiatives
CLI Commands - Complete CLI reference
Safe Outputs Reference - Configuration options
Workflow Triggers - Including workflow_dispatch
Security Best Practices - Authentication and security