Automation rules

Per-project watchers over GitHub labels: each newly matching open issue becomes one source-linked Inbox card. Rules run on the host scheduler and are idempotent. The import machinery they feed is described in github-issues.md.

Configuration

Per rule, per project: labels (comma-separated, all required, exact case-sensitive match), optional author allowlist (empty means anyone), optional worker-instructions template appended to the issue prompt, and the start policy. A dry-run preview names what would match now and exactly why the rest would not (missing-labels, untrusted-author, other-project, already-fired, already-imported); each rule lists its recent runs with the per-run outcome (Started, Parked, Already imported).

Safety rails

• Backlog guard. Enabling a rule marks already-tagged issues as seen

without drafting — only genuinely new issues create cards. If GitHub is unreachable, the rule is saved disabled instead of firing blind later.

• Start policy. Auto-start requires an isolated-worktree destination

(checked against the effective spawn environment, not just preset existence). Without one, ticks park with the fix named in a trail comment.

• Bounds. 10 drafts per rule per tick. Rules never move cards, merge

code, or import behind your back.

• Kill switch. STELOW_GITHUB_ISSUES=0 on the host switches off the

scheduler, RPCs, and panel button without touching anything else.

Operations

• Scheduler cadence: every 5 minutes for watcher ticks (plus the

discussion-mirror schedule for linked issues).

• Manage rules from the Build header dialog: rules grouped by project,

with search, status filter, counts, and bulk enable/disable/delete. A new rule picks its project inline; the save button names its project so labels from another project can never land silently.