DispatchOps

DispatchOps is the design pattern where workflows are designed primarily for manual execution via the GitHub Actions UI or CLI. This is used for on-demand tasks, testing, and other workflows that need human judgment about timing. The workflow_dispatch trigger lets you run workflows with custom inputs whenever needed, with safe outputs handling write operations securely.

Use manual dispatch for research tasks, operational commands, testing workflows during development, debugging production issues, or any task that doesn’t fit a schedule or event trigger.

flowchart LR user([Developer]) --> trigger[workflow_dispatch with inputs] trigger --> agent[AI agent] agent --> outputs[Safe outputs]

This example shows a workflow with a string input and a choice input, using conditional logic to adjust behavior at runtime:

Reference inputs with ${{ github.event.inputs.INPUT_NAME }}. Supported types: string, boolean, choice, environment. See Triggers Reference for full input syntax and Templating for conditionals.

From GitHub.com: Go to the Actions tab, select the workflow, click Run workflow, fill in inputs, and confirm.

Via CLI:

See CLI Commands for the full gh aw run reference.

• Triggers Reference — Complete workflow_dispatch syntax including all input types
• Templating — Expressions and conditionals in workflow prompts
• TrialOps — Testing workflows in isolation
• CLI Commands — Complete gh aw run reference