How to Add AI Agent Safety to GitHub Actions

SafeClaw by Authensor integrates directly into GitHub Actions workflows to validate AI agent safety policies, run simulation tests, and verify audit trail integrity on every push and pull request. By adding SafeClaw checks to your CI pipeline, you catch policy misconfigurations and unsafe action patterns before they reach production. Install with npx @authensor/safeclaw and add a safety gate to every deployment.

Prerequisites

• A GitHub repository with an AI agent project
• Node.js 18+ specified in your workflow
• SafeClaw initialized in your project (safeclaw.config.yaml committed to the repo)

Step 1 — Basic Safety Validation Workflow

Create .github/workflows/ai-safety.yml:

name: AI Agent Safety Check

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  safety-check:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: "20"

- name: Install dependencies
        run: npm ci

- name: Validate SafeClaw policy
        run: npx @authensor/safeclaw validate

- name: Run SafeClaw simulation tests
        run: npx @authensor/safeclaw test --simulation

- name: Run full test suite
        run: npm test

The validate command checks your safeclaw.config.yaml for syntax errors, conflicting rules, and common misconfigurations. The test --simulation command runs your agent in simulation mode, where actions are evaluated against the policy but never executed, verifying that expected actions are allowed and dangerous ones are denied.

Step 2 — Policy Diff on Pull Requests

Detect when a PR modifies the safety policy and add a required review:

name: Policy Change Review

on:
  pull_request:
    paths:
      - "safeclaw.config.yaml"
      - "policies/**"

jobs:
  policy-review:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: "20"

- name: Install dependencies
        run: npm ci

- name: Validate updated policy
        run: npx @authensor/safeclaw validate

- name: Compare policy changes
        run: |
          npx @authensor/safeclaw diff \
            --base origin/main \
            --head HEAD

- name: Run simulation against new policy
        run: npx @authensor/safeclaw test --simulation

Add a branch protection rule requiring this workflow to pass before merging any PR that touches the policy file.

Step 3 — Pre-Deploy Safety Gate

Add a safety check as a required job before deployment:

name: Deploy with Safety Gate

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  safety-gate:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: "20"
      - run: npm ci
      - name: Validate policy
        run: npx @authensor/safeclaw validate
      - name: Simulation test
        run: npx @authensor/safeclaw test --simulation

deploy:
    needs: safety-gate
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Deploy to production
        run: |
          npm ci
          npx @authensor/safeclaw
          npm run deploy

The deploy job only runs if safety-gate passes. This ensures no deployment proceeds with an invalid or weakened policy.

Step 4 — Audit Trail Verification in CI

After deployment, verify the production audit trail is intact:

  post-deploy-audit:
    needs: deploy
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: "20"
      - run: npm ci
      - name: Verify audit chain
        run: npx @authensor/safeclaw audit verify --last 100
        env:
          SAFECLAW_AUDIT_SOURCE: ${{ secrets.AUDIT_LOG_URL }}

Step 5 — Matrix Testing Across Providers

If your agent supports multiple LLM providers, test the safety policy against each:

jobs:
  safety-matrix:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      matrix:
        provider: [openai, claude]
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: "20"
      - run: npm ci
      - name: Simulation test (${{ matrix.provider }})
        run: npx @authensor/safeclaw test --simulation --provider ${{ matrix.provider }}

SafeClaw is provider-agnostic — it works identically with Claude and OpenAI — but matrix testing confirms your policy handles provider-specific action patterns correctly.

Step 6 — Badge for Policy Status

Add a status badge to your README:

!AI Safety

This signals to contributors and users that every commit is validated against your AI agent safety policy.

Best Practices

• Commit safeclaw.config.yaml to version control. The policy is code. Treat it like code.
• Require the safety workflow as a status check. In branch protection settings, mark the safety job as required.
• Run simulation tests on every PR. Catch policy regressions before merge.
• Store secrets in GitHub Secrets. Never expose API keys in workflow files.

Related Pages

• CI/CD Pipeline Agent Safety
• Pre-Deploy AI Safety Checks
• Simulation Mode Explained
• Policy-as-Code Pattern