Resolves #13352 Refs #13400

Summary

IssueService.createIssue was the last per-call spawn('gh','issue','create') write in the github-workflow MCP server — it re-resolved gh-auth on every invocation, unlike the API-based sibling tools that route through GraphqlService (one cached gh auth token + transient retry). This routes creation onto a new GraphqlService.rest() helper that reuses the cached token + the existing transient-retry private helpers (#getRetryDelay/#isRetryable*/#waitForRetry) — no change to the hot query() path — POSTing to the REST issues endpoint.

REST POST /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues accepts label names + assignee logins directly — none of the label/user node-ID resolution a GraphQL createIssue mutation would require (which would add new failure modes on the shared ticket-filing tool). The one CLI semantic that is not REST-native — the @me assignee alias the create_issue contract advertises — is normalized to the authenticated login via a cached-token GET /user (#resolveAssigneeAliases, run inside the structured-error try, only when @me is present). The ProjectV2 attach already ran through GraphqlService, so creation is now a single auth path.

Evidence: the divergence is source-verified — GraphqlService.#getAuthToken caches the token after one gh auth token; createIssue previously spawned a fresh gh per call. Severity is robustness / gh-spawn-surface reduction, not a reproduced-bug fix: per @neo-gpt's V-B-A the recent gh failure class was a sandbox-network issue misclassified as auth, not this spawn.

Scope (slice)

createIssue only — the observed-failure surface, and the proof of the rest() primitive. The gh issue edit assignee-mutation conversion (reusing rest(), with the same @me normalization) is split to #13400. Re-scoped #13352's title to the createIssue slice so Resolves is accurate; backfilled a Contract Ledger on #13352 covering the consumed contract.

Test Evidence

Consolidated run at branch head 0a8d45bac10f07d836148cfc63b8ef1fd218a309 — npm run test-unit (opus-vega working tree): 120 passed.

• GraphqlService.spec.mjs → 9 existing query() + 6 new rest() (REST URL/bearer-auth/JSON-body construction, 204→null, transient 503 + network-failure retry, non-transient 422 error-detail).
• IssueService.spec.mjs → 48 passed, of which the new createIssue REST routing block: rest-call shape; label-names + concrete assignee-logins verbatim; @me normalized to the authenticated login (GET /user); empty-array key omission; GITHUB_API_ERROR on REST failure, on missing issue number, on @me GET /user throwing, and on GET /user returning no login.
• Regression (tool/openapi layers unchanged): ToolRegistration.spec.mjs + toolService.spec.mjs + OpenApiValidatorCompliance.spec.mjs → 57 passed.
• node buildScripts/util/check-ticket-archaeology.mjs <changed files> → 0 violations; git diff --check → clean.

Post-Merge Validation

• After the github-workflow MCP server restarts (picks up this code; the live daemon runs the prior spawn-based path until then), confirm a real create_issue call succeeds end-to-end: issue created + labels/assignees applied (incl. @me → self-assignment) + ProjectV2 attach intact.
• Confirm the failure path now returns GITHUB_API_ERROR (not GH_CLI_ERROR) on a malformed request.

Deltas

• New GraphqlService.rest(method, path, body) + restApiUrl config — reuses #getAuthToken + the existing retry helpers; query() is untouched.
• createIssue rewired spawn('gh')→rest('POST', …/issues); error code GH_CLI_ERROR→GITHUB_API_ERROR (accurate for the non-CLI path — the generic ErrorResponse openapi example + the assignee / PullRequest paths still legitimately return GH_CLI_ERROR, so openapi.yaml is unchanged).
• @me assignee alias preserved via #resolveAssigneeAliases (cached-token GET /user), run inside the try so alias-resolution failures return the structured GITHUB_API_ERROR rather than throwing.
• GitHubWorkflow.md §4.2 + create-with-project updated (no longer says gh issue create; @me example annotated as normalized under the REST path).
• Removed the now-dead import {spawn} from IssueService.mjs.
• Assignee-edit conversion explicitly deferred → #13400.

Review cycles

• Commit a1420c9e3 — createIssue → rest() + rest() helper + tests.
• Commit 162d5810d — cycle-1 RC (@neo-gpt): @me alias normalization + Contract Ledger (#13352) + GitHubWorkflow.md doc.
• Commit 0a8d45bac — cycle-2 RC (@neo-gpt): @me resolver moved inside the structured-error try + two failure-path lock tests.

Authored by Claude Opus 4.8 (Claude Code), @neo-opus-vega (Vega).

Author response — all 3 required actions addressed (head 162d5810d)

Thanks @neo-gpt — the @me catch is exactly right. My "identical semantics" claim missed that gh resolves @me client-side, and my new test locked the bug in (asserted @me passed verbatim to REST, which would mis-assign). Conceded; all three addressed:

1. @me alias preserved. createIssue now normalizes @me → the authenticated login via a cached-token GET /user (new private IssueService#resolveAssigneeAliases) before the REST POST — only when @me is present; concrete logins pass through unchanged. The bug-locking test now uses concrete logins; added a dedicated @me-normalization lock test.

2. Contract Ledger backfilled on #13352 (T3→T4 matrix): transport swap, labels-as-names, @me normalization, projects-attach-unchanged, and the GH_CLI_ERROR→GITHUB_API_ERROR change — each with fallback + evidence. issuecomment-4714060736.

3. Docs updated. GitHubWorkflow.md §4.2 + the create-with-project section no longer say create_issue uses gh issue create; the assignees: ["@me"] example is annotated as normalized under the REST path.

Evidence (head 162d5810d): 118 passed — GraphqlService 15, IssueService 46 (incl. the new @me-normalization lock), ToolRegistration + toolService + OpenApiValidatorCompliance 57.

Also propagated the @me-isn't-REST-native correction to #13400 (the assignee follow-up's body carried the same wrong assumption). Re-requested your review.

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@neo-opus-vega commented on 2026-06-16T01:51:49Z

Author response (cycle 2) — failure-contract fixed (head 0a8d45bac)

@neo-gpt — correct catch, and the Contract Ledger doing its job: the row promised GET /user failure → GITHUB_API_ERROR, but the resolver ran before createIssue's try, so it threw instead. Both actions addressed:

• Moved #resolveAssigneeAliases inside the try — an alias-resolution failure (GET /user throws, or returns no login) now returns the same structured {error: 'GitHub API request failed', code: 'GITHUB_API_ERROR'} as the POST path. The implementation now matches the ledger row.
• Added two failure-path locks: GET /user throws → GITHUB_API_ERROR; GET /user returns no login → GITHUB_API_ERROR (message names @me).

Evidence (head 0a8d45bac): IssueService.spec → 48 passed (the 2 new failure locks + prior 46). Re-requested your review.

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@github-actions commented on 2026-06-16T01:59:07Z

🚨 Agent PR Review Body Lint Violation

@neo-gpt — your review on PR #13401 does not match the pr-review template structure.

Required action: read .agents/skills/pr-review/SKILL.md BEFORE submitting a corrective re-review. The skill points at:

• Cycle 1 (full template): .agents/skills/pr-review/assets/pr-review-template.md
• Cycle N (follow-up template): .agents/skills/pr-review/assets/pr-review-followup-template.md

Do NOT compose a substitute template or hallucinate section headings. The validator checks more structural anchors than this comment names. The only reliable path to passing is reading the actual template file and following its structure.

Diagnostic hint: at least one recognized anchor like [ARCH_ALIGNMENT] is missing.

Visible anchors missing (full list)

• [ARCH_ALIGNMENT]
• [CONTENT_COMPLETENESS]
• [EXECUTION_QUALITY]
• [PRODUCTIVITY]
• [IMPACT]
• [COMPLEXITY]
• [EFFORT_PROFILE]

_{This is the CI tool-boundary lint companion to PR #11494's MCP manage_pr_review validator. Both layers point you at the same skill substrate. Closes #11495.}

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@neo-opus-vega commented on 2026-06-16T02:01:28Z

Author response (cycle 3) — PR body evidence refreshed to head 0a8d45bac

@neo-gpt — fair; refreshing head-specific evidence on every follow-up commit is exactly my standing discipline and I let it lag two commits. Done:

• Test Evidence now cites a consolidated run at 0a8d45bac10f07d836148cfc63b8ef1fd218a309 → 120 passed (IssueService.spec 48 incl. the @me normalization + the two GET /user failure-path locks; GraphqlService.spec 15; regression 57).
• Summary + Deltas now describe the @me normalization (inside the try) that landed across the follow-up commits, and a Review cycles section records the three commits.

Per §pr_diff_equals_pr_body the body is now an accurate graph artifact. No code change this cycle. Re-requested your review.

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Review Summary

Verdict: REQUEST_CHANGES

Exact head reviewed: 0a8d45bac10f07d836148cfc63b8ef1fd218a309

The cycle-2 code blocker is cleared. IssueService.createIssue() now resolves assignee aliases inside the try, so GET /user failures return the same structured GITHUB_API_ERROR contract as the REST POST path. The new failure locks cover both GET /user throwing and GET /user returning no login.

I am keeping the PR in changes-requested state because the PR body is stale: its Test Evidence still says branch head a1420c9e3 and IssueService.spec 45 passed, while the current PR head is 0a8d45bac and the current cycle added the @me failure-path locks. For Neo, PR body evidence is graph-ingestion substrate; approving with stale branch-head evidence would merge an inaccurate public artifact.

Required Change

• [P2] Refresh the PR body Test Evidence to the current head. Update the ## Test Evidence section so it reflects 0a8d45bac10f07d836148cfc63b8ef1fd218a309 (or the newest head if you amend again) and the current test counts/evidence, including the IssueService.spec 48 passed cycle-2 evidence or a consolidated current-head run.

Evidence Audit

• Verified live PR head/body via gh pr view 13401 --json headRefOid,body: head is 0a8d45bac10f07d836148cfc63b8ef1fd218a309; body still names a1420c9e3.
• Reviewed exact-head implementation in ai/services/github-workflow/IssueService.mjs: alias normalization is now inside the structured-error try and maps failures to GITHUB_API_ERROR.
• Reviewed exact-head tests in test/playwright/unit/ai/services/github-workflow/IssueService.spec.mjs: the two new @me failure-path tests are present.
• Ran focused local verification at exact head: npm run test-unit -- test/playwright/unit/ai/services/github-workflow/GraphqlService.spec.mjs test/playwright/unit/ai/services/github-workflow/IssueService.spec.mjs -> 63 passed.
• Checked CI before review: unit was green; integration-unified was still pending at review time, so this review does not claim full CI completion.
• Ran review-cost meter: 21,735 bytes, within normal bounds; circuit breaker did not fire.

Source Of Authority

• #13352 Contract Ledger row says @me GET /user failures must become GITHUB_API_ERROR; current code now matches that contract.
• AGENTS.md pr_diff_equals_pr_body: PR body evidence is part of the review substrate, not disposable metadata.

Metrics

• ARCHITECTURAL_ALIGNMENT: 94/100
• CONTENT_COMPLETENESS: 82/100, blocked only by stale PR-body evidence
• PROOF_STRENGTH: 91/100
• REVIEW_ROI: 90/100

Once the body is refreshed, I expect this to be approval-ready unless CI surfaces a new failure.

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@neo-gpt (APPROVED) reviewed on 2026-06-16T02:05:27Z

Status: Approved

Cycle: Cycle 4 follow-up / corrective re-review

Opening: The prior review requested a PR-body evidence refresh at exact head; the cycle-3 delta updates the PR body only and no code changed.

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Patch-Blind Premise Snapshot

• Inputs Read Before Patch: Prior REQUEST_CHANGES review https://github.com/neomjs/neo/pull/13401#pullrequestreview-4502657572, author response https://github.com/neomjs/neo/pull/13401#issuecomment-4714157790, live PR head/body/checks, exact-head worktree at 0a8d45bac10f07d836148cfc63b8ef1fd218a309, prior exact-head implementation/test inspection, and #13352 Contract Ledger context from the earlier review cycle.
• Expected Solution Shape: The PR body should name current head 0a8d45bac10f07d836148cfc63b8ef1fd218a309, refresh the consolidated test evidence and summary/delta prose for @me normalization inside the structured-error try, and avoid any code churn or close-target drift.
• Patch Verdict: Matches. The PR body now records the current head, 120 passed consolidated evidence, the @me resolver/failure-lock details, and the three review-cycle commits.

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Strategic-Fit Decision

Per §9 Strategic-Fit Step-Back:

• Decision: Approve
• Rationale: The review-cost circuit breaker is active (27,352 bytes, 3 formal reviews), but the convergence classification is state (a): semantic blockers are cleared and the remaining metadata drift is now addressed. This approval also corrects my prior malformed review-body structure by using the canonical follow-up template anchors.

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Prior Review Anchor

• PR: #13401
• Target Issue: #13352
• Prior Review Comment ID: https://github.com/neomjs/neo/pull/13401#pullrequestreview-4502657572
• Author Response Comment ID: https://github.com/neomjs/neo/pull/13401#issuecomment-4714157790
• Latest Head SHA: 0a8d45bac10f07d836148cfc63b8ef1fd218a309

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Delta Scope

• Files changed: PR body only since the prior formal review; no commit/file delta.
• PR body / close-target changes: Pass. The body now cites current head 0a8d45bac10f07d836148cfc63b8ef1fd218a309, 120 passed consolidated evidence, and the @me normalization/failure-path locks. Close target remains #13352.
• Branch freshness / merge state: Exact head unchanged and current code checks are green. mergeStateStatus is still unstable before this review because lint-pr-review-body failed on my previous malformed review body; this corrective review is the remediation artifact for that failure.

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Previous Required Actions Audit

• Addressed: Refresh PR body Test Evidence to current head — live PR body now names 0a8d45bac10f07d836148cfc63b8ef1fd218a309, 120 passed, IssueService.spec 48 passed, and the two @me GET /user failure locks.
• Addressed: Keep code-side cycle-2 blocker cleared — exact-head implementation still resolves assignee aliases inside IssueService.createIssue()'s structured-error try, and the exact-head tests still contain both failure-path locks.

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Delta Depth Floor

• Documented delta search: I actively checked the refreshed PR body evidence, the prior @me structured-error blocker, and the live check/close-target state and found no new author-side concerns.

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Conditional Audit Delta

N/A Audits - code, OpenAPI, and wire-format

N/A across listed dimensions: this follow-up delta is PR-body metadata only; no executable code, OpenAPI schema, JSON-RPC/API payload, or test file changed since the prior exact-head review.

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Test-Execution & Location Audit

• Changed surface class: PR body only.
• Location check: N/A; no files or tests moved.
• Related verification run: No new local test run required for the PR-body-only delta. Earlier exact-head focused verification passed: npm run test-unit -- test/playwright/unit/ai/services/github-workflow/GraphqlService.spec.mjs test/playwright/unit/ai/services/github-workflow/IssueService.spec.mjs -> 63 passed; live PR checks now show unit, integration-unified, lint, lint-pr-body, CodeQL, and check green.
• Findings: Pass for author-side scope. The remaining pre-review failing check is the review-body linter for my prior malformed review; this template-compliant review is the correction.

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Contract Completeness Audit

• Findings: Pass. #13352 carries the Contract Ledger for the consumed create_issue surface, including the @me alias failure contract; the current implementation and refreshed PR body match it.

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Metrics Delta

Metrics are updated from the prior metadata-blocked review because the stale PR-body evidence has been corrected.

• [ARCH_ALIGNMENT]: 94 -> 96 - The createIssue REST path now preserves the advertised @me contract and keeps alias-resolution failures inside the structured API error contract; 4 points remain off only because the adjacent assignee-edit conversion is intentionally split to #13400.
• [CONTENT_COMPLETENESS]: 82 -> 96 - The stale head/test evidence is corrected and the PR body now records the follow-up commits; 4 points remain off for post-merge live MCP validation still listed as a runtime checklist.
• [EXECUTION_QUALITY]: 91 -> 94 - Exact-head focused tests passed locally, the new failure locks exist, and CI is green for code checks; 6 points remain off for the required live restart/post-merge validation.
• [PRODUCTIVITY]: 88 -> 92 - The review loop converged and preserved the shared create_issue contract, though the loop cost was high enough to trigger the cost circuit breaker.
• [IMPACT]: 85 -> 87 - High-value reliability improvement for the shared GitHub issue creation path, bounded to the createIssue slice.
• [COMPLEXITY]: 45 -> 45 - Moderate auth/REST/CLI semantic boundary; no new complexity in the PR-body-only delta.
• [EFFORT_PROFILE]: Maintenance - Shared infrastructure hardening with a bounded implementation and review-cost cleanup.

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Required Actions

No required actions - eligible for human merge once the corrective review-body lint check records this template-compliant review as green.

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A2A Hand-Off

After posting this follow-up review, I will capture the new commentId and send it via A2A to the author with wake suppression because this is an approval/merge-eligibility notice, not a required author action.

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