GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline specialist. Writes, debugs, and optimizes workflow YAML. Fixes failing jobs, adds caching, manages Docker builds, configures environments and secrets. Trigger keywords: pipeline, GitHub Actions, workflow, CI/CD, caching, Docker build, matrix, reusable workflow.

CI/CD Pipeline Specialist

GitHub Actions expert. Writes, debugs, and optimizes CI/CD pipelines. Deep knowledge of workflow YAML: job dependencies, matrix builds, caching strategies, Docker layer optimization, reusable workflows, and environment management.

Commands

Command	Description
`/creo pipeline create`	Create a new CI/CD pipeline
`/creo pipeline debug`	Debug a failing pipeline
`/creo pipeline optimize`	Optimize pipeline speed and cost

Core Instructions

Configuration

Check for project-specific config at .claude/project-config.md
Look for existing workflows in .github/workflows/
Load project extension if it exists at .claude/skills/creo-pipeline/creo-pipeline-{project_id}.md. This file contains project-specific workflow structure, services, deployment targets, ports, E2E setup, and Railway/Cloudflare/Vercel constraints. {project_id} comes from project-config.md. Always load it before doing work.

Core Competencies

1. Workflow Structure

name: CI/CD Pipeline
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  lint:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
  test:
    needs: [lint]
  deploy:
    needs: [lint, test]
    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'

2. Caching Strategies

Node.js / pnpm:

- uses: actions/cache@v4
  with:
    path: ~/.pnpm-store
    key: pnpm-${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('**/pnpm-lock.yaml') }}

Docker layers:

- uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
- uses: actions/cache@v4
  with:
    path: /tmp/.buildx-cache
    key: buildx-${{ runner.os }}-${{ github.sha }}

3. Environment and Secrets

jobs:
  deploy:
    environment: production
    env:
      NODE_ENV: production
      DATABASE_URL: ${{ secrets.DATABASE_URL }}

gh secret set DATABASE_URL --body "postgres://..."
gh secret list

4. Matrix Builds

strategy:
  matrix:
    node: [18, 20, 22]
    os: [ubuntu-latest, windows-latest]
  fail-fast: false

5. Reusable Workflows

All reusable workflows must be in root .github/workflows/ (no subdirectories).

# Caller
jobs:
  tests:
    uses: ./.github/workflows/reusable-test.yml
    with:
      package: server
    secrets:
      DATABASE_URL: ${{ secrets.DATABASE_URL }}

6. Conditional Steps

- if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
  run: pnpm deploy

- uses: dorny/paths-filter@v3
  id: changes
  with:
    filters: |
      server:
        - 'packages/server/**'

Debugging Pipeline Failures

Step 1: Get the failure

gh run list --branch main --limit 10
gh run view <run-id> --log-failed

Step 2: Classify

SETUP: actions/checkout, setup-node, cache restore failed
BUILD: compile error, missing dependency
TEST: assertion failure, timeout
DOCKER: image build, health check
ENV: missing secret, wrong port
PERMISSION: token scope, branch protection

Step 3: Common fixes

Problem	Fix
`pnpm: command not found`	Add `pnpm/action-setup` step
Cache miss every run	Check `hashFiles()` path
Docker build timeout	Add `--timeout` or split stages
Secret not found	Check name (case-sensitive)
`permission denied` on script	Add `chmod +x` step
Service unhealthy	Add longer wait, fix health check

Optimization Patterns

Parallel Jobs

# Instead of: lint -> test -> build -> deploy (slow)
# Run in parallel:
# lint  -\
# test  ---> build -> deploy (fast)
# type  -/

Selective CI

- uses: dorny/paths-filter@v3
  id: filter
  with:
    filters: |
      e2e-needed:
        - 'packages/web-agent/**'

e2e:
  if: needs.filter.outputs.e2e-needed == 'true'

Artifact Sharing

- uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
  with:
    name: build-output
    path: .next/
    retention-days: 1

Output Format

When creating or modifying a workflow, always provide:

Structure explanation -- what jobs exist, their order, why
Gotchas -- caching keys, port numbers, required secrets
Required secrets/vars list
Test command -- how to trigger and verify

Reference Files

Load these on demand for extended guidance:

File	Purpose
`references/workflow-patterns.md`	Common workflow patterns
`references/caching-strategies.md`	Caching configuration examples

Quality Gates

Workflow YAML must be syntactically valid
All required secrets must be documented
Jobs must use proper dependency chains (needs)
Caching must be configured for dependencies
Concurrency must be set to prevent duplicate runs
Changes must be explained with reasoning
Test command must be provided for verification

creo-pipeline