Guide

Scope with Presets

Manager & sub-agents Browse all tools See examples

Expose only the tools your workflow needs using presets.

The SDK ships a large tool catalog so you can build almost any GitHub agent. Presets are how you keep that catalog out of the model's context: each preset exposes only the tools for one workflow. Start with the smallest preset that fits; use maintainer or omit preset when you need the full surface.

Tighten GitHub tool scope with presets

Compose agents around presets

Shape	When to use
One preset	A single job (review PRs, triage issues, cut releases)
Array of presets	One agent that spans a few related domains
Manager + sub-agents	Several distinct roles — each specialist mounts one preset (example)
`maintainer` / omit preset	Prototyping or a genuine need for the full catalog

Apply a single preset

Use a preset to restrict the tools to a specific capability domain. For example, a code review agent only needs pull request and commit tools:

review-agent.ts

import { createGithubTools } from '@github-tools/sdk'

const tools = createGithubTools({
  preset: 'code-review',
})

Focused operator workflows:

security-audit-agent.ts

import { createGithubTools } from '@github-tools/sdk'

const tools = createGithubTools({
  preset: 'security-audit',
})

pr-author-agent.ts

import { createGithubTools } from '@github-tools/sdk'

const tools = createGithubTools({
  preset: 'pr-author',
})

Combine multiple presets

When a workflow spans multiple domains, pass an array. This agent can both review PRs and manage issues:

triage-and-review.ts

import { createGithubTools } from '@github-tools/sdk'

const tools = createGithubTools({
  preset: ['code-review', 'issue-triage'],
})

Pick the right preset

Preset	Tools included	Use case
`repo-explorer`	repository metadata, branches, file content, repo tree, code and issue search, discussions, gists, workflows, checks/statuses, releases	knowledge retrieval, repo Q&A
`ci-ops`	workflows, runs, jobs, job logs, checks/statuses, commits, repository context	CI monitoring, build ops
`code-review`	pull requests, commits, compare diff, file diffs, checks/statuses, updates, review comments, review threads, reviewer requests	PR copilots, change summaries
`issue-triage`	issues, issue search, labels, comments, reactions, assignees, close/create/update/reopen	support triage, backlog bots
`security-audit`	read-only exploration, code and issue search, PR/CI visibility, checks/statuses, compare diff, plus issue creation to report findings	vulnerability scanning, risk reporting
`release-manager`	releases, compare diff, commits, workflow runs, pull requests, update/delete releases	changelog generation, release cutting
`discussion-moderator`	discussions list/get/comment, plus light issue context	forum / Q&A bots
`notification-inbox`	notifications list/mark-read, plus get issue/PR/repo	inbox triage (needs a Notifications PAT)
`pr-author`	branches (create/delete), file edits, create/update pull requests, review threads, compare	open focused PRs and address review feedback without full maintainer
`maintainer`	all tool families including branch creation, forking, repo creation, discussions, notifications, gists, and workflows	full operator workflows with approval control

Pair presets with token scopes

Each preset maps to specific GitHub token permissions:

repo-explorer: read-only token, no write permissions needed (add discussions: read for the discussion tools)
code-review: add pull_requests: write only if comments or reviewer requests are needed
issue-triage: add issues: write (also covers reactions)
ci-ops: add actions: write for triggering, cancelling, and re-running workflows
security-audit: read-only token, plus issues: write to report findings
release-manager: add contents: write for creating releases, actions: write if triggering release pipelines
discussion-moderator: add discussions: write and issues: write for cross-linking replies
notification-inbox: repository read scopes plus a user PAT with the "Notifications" account permission (not available on Connect installation tokens)
pr-author: add contents: write and pull_requests: write
maintainer: all write scopes, always paired with approval control; notification tools additionally need a PAT with the "Notifications" account permission

Default to the smallest preset that can complete the task. Add more capabilities only after your prompt and approval policy are stable.

External references

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Recipes

Short, focused GitHub agent snippets, selective approval, a reusable review agent, read-only exploration, toolpick, and evlog observability.

Control Write Safety

Gate dangerous operations with human approval policies.