GitHub Release Gates

Evidence-backed release governance for AI-generated software

Enterprise Skills classifies each change's risk, requires the right evidence, and posts one explainable, commit-bound release decision as a required check, then proves exactly why every commit was allowed into production. Setup is four required steps, about ten minutes, plus one optional step for agent-produced evidence.

1. 1

   Install the GitHub App

   Install Enterprise Skills Release Governor on the repositories you want governed. Permissions are minimal: checks (write), pull requests, contents, and metadata (read).

2. 2

   Add your license key as a repository secret

   In your repo: Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → New repository secret. Name it ES_LICENSE_KEY with the license key from your purchase email. The key never appears in workflow files. Active-repository limits follow your plan (Pro 3 · Team 10 · Enterprise contract-defined).

3. 3

   Add the Release Governor workflow

   Create .github/workflows/release-governor.yml:

   name: Release Governor
   on:
     pull_request:
       types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]
   permissions:
     contents: read
     id-token: write
   jobs:
     govern:
       runs-on: ubuntu-latest
       steps:
         - uses: actions/checkout@v4
           with:
             ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }}
             fetch-depth: 0
         - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
           with:
             node-version: 20
         - name: Activate license
           run: |
             mkdir -p ~/.enterprise-skills
             node -e "require('fs').writeFileSync(require('os').homedir()+'/.enterprise-skills/license.json', JSON.stringify({ key: process.env.ES_LICENSE_KEY }))"
           env:
             ES_LICENSE_KEY: ${{ secrets.ES_LICENSE_KEY }}
         - name: Govern and post the decision
           run: npx --yes enterprise-skills@^4.3.0 govern --post --pr "$PR_NUMBER" --base "origin/$BASE_REF"
           env:
             PR_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.number }}
             BASE_REF: ${{ github.base_ref }}

   The Governor reads commit-bound evidence from .project-ai/skill-outputs/ : produced by your reviewing agent for each change. Every file declares the commit it was produced against with a top-level commit: <sha> field; run enterprise-skills evidence bind after committing the change to stamp it. Missing evidence for a required domain fails closed, and so does evidence that carries no binding or belongs to an earlier commit.

4. 4

   Optional: produce semantic evidence automatically

   When a change requires evidence no CI tool produces mechanically (API compatibility, migration safety, observability/rollback readiness), you can let your own coding agent produce it in CI instead of relying on a reviewer to commit it. Add this step before the govern step, with your model credentials as a secret:

         # Optional: auto-produce semantic evidence before governing.
         # Runs ONLY the agents this diff's risk classification requires.
         - name: Semantic domain agents
           run: npx --yes enterprise-skills@^4.3.0 agents run --yes --base "origin/$BASE_REF" --agent-cmd "claude -p \"{prompt}\" --permission-mode acceptEdits"
           env:
             BASE_REF: ${{ github.base_ref }}
             ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}

   The same risk classification the Governor uses selects which agents run: a docs change runs none, a migration runs migration-safety, and each agent must write schema-valid evidence while touching nothing else, or the step fails closed. Any agent CLI works via --agent-cmd; we never pick a vendor for you. Agent output is evidence, never policy: the deterministic Governor still makes the only decision.

5. 5

   Make the check required

   Repo Settings → Rules → Rulesets → New branch ruleset: target your default branch and require the status check enterprise-skills/release-governor. From that moment, merges block until a fresh, passing decision exists for the exact head commit.

Need a license? See plans. Questions? Help hub.