Inline sub-agents not extracted when workflow suppresses github-context block

[tsm-harmoney]

Bug: Inline sub-agents not extracted when workflow suppresses github-context block

Compiler version: v0.79.6
Affected workflow feature: Inline sub-agents (## agent: <name> blocks)

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Summary

When a workflow defines inline sub-agents using ## agent: <name> blocks but suppresses the standard <github-context> prompt block (e.g. by setting tools: github: false), gh aw compile omits the "Interpolate variables and render templates" step from the generated activation job. This step calls interpolate_prompt.cjs, which is responsible for extracting ## agent: blocks and writing them as .agent.md files to /tmp/gh-aw/.github/agents/. Without this step, the activation artifact never contains the sub-agent files, so the subsequent "Restore inline sub-agents from activation artifact" step in the agent job silently finds nothing.

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Steps to Reproduce

1. Create a workflow markdown file that:

   • Has one or more ## agent: <name> inline sub-agent definitions
   • Sets tools: github: false (or any option that suppresses the injected <github-context> block with {{#if ...}} conditionals)

2. Run gh aw compile

3. Inspect the generated .lock.yml activation job — it will contain only a "Substitute placeholders" step, with no "Interpolate variables and render templates" step.

4. Trigger the workflow. In the agent job, the step "Restore inline sub-agents from activation artifact" logs:

   [restore-sub-agents] source directory not found — no inline sub-agents to restore
   

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Root Cause

The compiler decides whether to emit interpolate_prompt.cjs based on whether the generated prompt contains template expressions — specifically {{#if ...}} conditionals and __GH_AW_EXPR_*__ placeholders. These are injected automatically as part of the standard <github-context> boilerplate for most workflows. When they are present, interpolate_prompt.cjs is needed to evaluate the conditionals, so the step is emitted.

However, when a workflow sets tools: github: false, the compiler suppresses the <github-context> block and its template expressions. With no template expressions in the prompt, the compiler concludes interpolate_prompt.cjs is unnecessary and emits only substitute_placeholders.cjs instead.

The flaw: interpolate_prompt.cjs is also the step that extracts ## agent: blocks and writes them to /tmp/gh-aw/.github/agents/. This extraction is entirely unrelated to template expression evaluation. Skipping the step means:

• The {{#runtime-import .github/workflows/<name>.md}} macro in the prompt is never expanded (the workflow body is never inlined into the prompt)
• The ## agent: \name`blocks are never extracted to/tmp/gh-aw/.github/agents/`
• The activation artifact is uploaded with an empty .github/agents/ directory
• restore_inline_sub_agents.sh in the agent job has nothing to copy

Verification

A minimal workflow with only on: workflow_dispatch and a ## agent: block compiles correctly — the compiler injects the <github-context> block, which carries template expressions, which triggers interpolate_prompt.cjs, which extracts the sub-agents as a side effect.

The same workflow with tools: github: false added would lose the <github-context> injection, drop interpolate_prompt.cjs, and silently break sub-agent discovery.

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Expected Behaviour

gh aw compile should emit the "Interpolate variables and render templates" step whenever the workflow markdown contains either:

• Template expressions in the generated prompt (current behaviour), or
• One or more ## agent: <name> inline sub-agent definitions (missing from current behaviour)

The two concerns — template evaluation and sub-agent extraction — are independent and should each independently gate inclusion of the step.