[step-names] Align step names in 3 workflows - missing imperative verbs

[github-actions]

Step Name Alignment Issues

Analysis date: 2026-01-31
Workflows analyzed: 146
Consistency score: 99.8% (down from 99.9%)

Summary

Three workflows contain step names that don't follow the established imperative verb pattern used across 146 workflows. These step names are missing action verbs at the beginning, making them inconsistent with the naming conventions documented in the naming conventions guide.

Issues Identified

1. [Medium Priority] Missing Verb: "Dev dependencies"

Current step name:

• "Dev dependencies"

Found in:

• ci-coach.lock.yml
• tidy.lock.yml

Issue:
Step name lacks an imperative verb. All other dependency-related steps across 146 workflows follow the pattern: Install (dependencies) or Setup (dependencies).

Suggested improvements:

• "Install dev dependencies" (recommended - matches "Install npm dependencies", "Install dependencies")
• "Setup dev dependencies" (alternative - matches "Setup Node.js dependencies")

Established pattern reference:

• Install dependencies - used in multiple workflows
• Install npm dependencies - used in multiple workflows
• Install JavaScript dependencies - established pattern

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2. [Medium Priority] Missing Verb: "Super-linter"

Current step name:

• "Super-linter"

Found in:

• super-linter.lock.yml

Issue:
Step name is just a tool name without an action verb. The established pattern requires an imperative verb before the tool/artifact name.

Suggested improvements:

• "Run Super-linter" (recommended - matches "Run Codex", "Run linter", "Run unit tests")
• "Execute Super-linter" (alternative - but less common pattern)

Established pattern reference:

• Run linter - established pattern
• Run unit tests - established pattern
• Run Codex - established pattern
• Execute GitHub Copilot CLI - established pattern for CLI tools

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3. [Low Priority] Verbose Phrasing: "Check for linting issues"

Current step name:

• "Check for linting issues"

Found in:

• super-linter.lock.yml

Issue:
Uses "Check for" instead of direct imperative form. While grammatically correct, it's more verbose than the established pattern.

Suggested improvements:

• "Check linting issues" (more concise)
• "Validate linting rules" (alternative with different verb)

Note: This is low priority as the current phrasing is acceptable, just slightly verbose.

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Impact

Quality metrics:

• Missing verbs: 2 occurrences across 3 workflows
• Consistency score: 99.8% (215 unique step names, 3 with issues)
• Pattern compliance: 99.0% (212/215 follow imperative verb patterns)

Why this matters:

• Consistency helps developers quickly understand workflow steps
• Imperative mood clearly indicates what action is being performed
• Following established patterns reduces cognitive load when reading workflows

Established Naming Conventions

All step names should follow these patterns:

Pattern	Format	Examples
Install	Install (tool/package)	Install npm dependencies, Install GitHub Copilot CLI
Setup	Setup (component)	Setup Scripts, Setup Node.js, Setup Python
Run	Run (tool/command)	Run linter, Run unit tests, Run Codex
Execute	Execute (tool)	Execute GitHub Copilot CLI, Execute Codex
Check	Check (target)	Check licenses, Check workflow file timestamps
Download	Download (artifact)	Download agent artifacts, Download container images
Upload	Upload (artifact)	Upload agent artifacts, Upload Safe Outputs

See the Step Naming Conventions for the complete reference.

Agentic Task Description

To fix these step name inconsistencies:

1. Review the source workflow files (.md files, not .lock.yml files):

   • .github/workflows/ci-coach.md
   • .github/workflows/tidy.md
   • .github/workflows/super-linter.md

2. Update step names to include imperative verbs:

   • Change "Dev dependencies" to "Install dev dependencies"
   • Change "Super-linter" to "Run Super-linter"
   • (Optional) Change "Check for linting issues" to "Check linting issues"

3. Recompile the workflows:

   gh aw compile .github/workflows/ci-coach.md
   gh aw compile .github/workflows/tidy.md
   gh aw compile .github/workflows/super-linter.md

4. Verify the changes:

   • Confirm the .lock.yml files now contain the updated step names
   • Ensure no other changes were introduced during recompilation

5. Update naming conventions cache:

   • Update /tmp/gh-aw/cache-memory/step-name-alignment/naming-conventions.md if new patterns were established

Related Files

• Source workflows:
  • .github/workflows/ci-coach.md
  • .github/workflows/tidy.md
  • .github/workflows/super-linter.md
• Compiled workflows:
  • .github/workflows/ci-coach.lock.yml
  • .github/workflows/tidy.lock.yml
  • .github/workflows/super-linter.lock.yml
• Naming conventions: /tmp/gh-aw/cache-memory/step-name-alignment/naming-conventions.md
• Project glossary: docs/src/content/docs/reference/glossary.md

Priority

This issue is Medium Priority. The step names work correctly but violate established naming conventions. Fixing these will restore consistency to 99.9%+ across all 146 workflows.

Context

This is run #15 of the Step Name Alignment agent. Previous 14 runs maintained 99.9% consistency with only 1 trivial issue ("Assign To Agent" capitalization). The current decrease to 99.8% is due to these 2-3 new step names in recently added/modified workflows.

The vast majority of the codebase (99.8%) follows excellent naming conventions. This issue ensures the remaining 0.2% aligns with the established patterns.

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