fix(cli): address 16 CLI consistency issues from 2026-07-20 audit (#46854)

* Initial plan

* fix(cli): address CLI consistency issues from 2026-07-20 audit

- TG-1: Add missing article 'the' before 'workflow_dispatch trigger' in trial help
- TG-2: Fix phrasing 'created as private and kept' → 'created as a private repository and retained' in trial help
- TG-3: Capitalize 'Markdown' as proper noun in cli.md
- TG-4: Fix tense inconsistency in checks command ('are blocking' → 'blocked')
- TG-5: Add 'Requires a clean working directory' to --push flag help text
- FN-1: Add --delete-host-repo-before flag; keep --force-delete-host-repo-before as deprecated
- FN-2: Add --no-remove-orphans flag for remove command; keep --keep-orphans as deprecated
- FN-3: Remove uppercase -F shorthand from --raw-field; update example to --raw-field
- DM-3: Add [HOST/] prefix to doctor --repo flag description
- DM-4: Update root help 'View execution logs' → 'Download and analyze execution logs'
- DM-5: Fix 'pinned Actions' → 'pinned actions' in cli.md
- DM-6: Fix 'from The Agentics collection' → 'from the Agentics collection' in cli.md
- DM-7: Add note about default action-bump behavior to update command Long description
- ID-1: Standardize --evals flag to positive phrasing in audit command
- ID-2: Expand run --approve description to mention strict-mode behavior
- ID-3: Fix new --force description to 'Overwrite existing workflow files without confirmation'
- Update all related tests and docs

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

* fix(cli): improve trial command variable naming clarity

Rename forceDeleteHostRepo variable to legacyForceDelete for clarity
when merging the deprecated --force-delete-host-repo-before and new
--delete-host-repo-before flags, making the intent more explicit.

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

* fix(cli): address PR review follow-up

Co-authored-by: gh-aw-bot <259018956+gh-aw-bot@users.noreply.github.com>

* test(cli): clarify Windows cleanup retry loop

Co-authored-by: gh-aw-bot <259018956+gh-aw-bot@users.noreply.github.com>

* test(cli): name Windows cleanup retry settings

Co-authored-by: gh-aw-bot <259018956+gh-aw-bot@users.noreply.github.com>

---------

Co-authored-by: copilot-swe-agent[bot] <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: gh-aw-bot <259018956+gh-aw-bot@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: github-actions[bot] <41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>

Author: 4 people

.github/aw/cli-commands.md

@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ gh aw run <workflow-name>           # Run by short name
 gh aw run <workflow-name>.md        # Alternative: explicit .md extension
 gh aw run <workflow-name> --ref main              # Run on a specific branch/tag/SHA
 gh aw run <workflow-name> --repeat 3              # Run 4 times total (1 + 3 repeats)
-gh aw run <workflow-name> -F key=value            # Pass a specific input (alias: --raw-field)
+gh aw run <workflow-name> --raw-field key=value   # Pass a specific input
 ```
 
 **MCP equivalent**: Not available. Fallback: use the GitHub MCP server's `create_workflow_dispatch` with `workflow_id: <workflow-name>.lock.yml`.

cmd/gh-aw/main.go

@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ Common Tasks:
   ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` compile               		# Compile all workflows
   ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` run my-workflow       		# Execute a workflow
   ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` status                		# Check workflow status
-  ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` logs my-workflow      		# View execution logs
+  ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` logs my-workflow      		# Download and analyze execution logs
   ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` audit <run-id-or-url> 		# Audit and compare workflow runs
 
 For detailed help on any command, use:
@@ -173,17 +173,19 @@ The workflow-id is the basename of the Markdown file without the .md extension.
 You can provide a substring to match multiple workflows, or a specific workflow-id.
 
 By default, this command also removes orphaned include files that are no longer referenced
-by any workflow. Use --keep-orphans to skip this cleanup.`,
-	Example: `  ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` remove my-workflow              # Remove specific workflow
-  ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` remove test-                    # Remove all workflows containing 'test-' in name
-  ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` remove old- --keep-orphans      # Remove workflows but keep orphaned includes
+by any workflow. Use --no-remove-orphans to skip this cleanup.`,
+	Example: `  ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` remove my-workflow                    # Remove specific workflow
+  ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` remove test-                          # Remove all workflows containing 'test-' in name
+  ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` remove old- --no-remove-orphans       # Remove workflows but keep orphaned includes
   ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` remove my-workflow --dir .github/workflows/shared  # Remove from custom directory`,
 	RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		var pattern string
 		if len(args) > 0 {
 			pattern = args[0]
 		}
 		keepOrphans, _ := cmd.Flags().GetBool("keep-orphans")
+		noRemoveOrphans, _ := cmd.Flags().GetBool("no-remove-orphans")
+		keepOrphans = keepOrphans || noRemoveOrphans
 		workflowDir, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("dir")
 		return cli.RemoveWorkflows(pattern, keepOrphans, workflowDir)
 	},
@@ -432,7 +434,7 @@ This command only works with workflows that have workflow_dispatch triggers.
   ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` run daily-perf-improver --repeat 3  # Run 4 times total (1 initial + 3 repeats)
   ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` run daily-perf-improver --enable-if-needed  # Enable if disabled, run, then restore state
   ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` run daily-perf-improver --auto-merge-prs  # Auto-merge any PRs created during execution
-  ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` run daily-perf-improver -F name=value -F env=prod  # Pass workflow inputs
+  ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` run daily-perf-improver --raw-field name=value --raw-field env=prod  # Pass workflow inputs
   ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` run daily-perf-improver --push  # Commit, push, and dispatch the workflow
   ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` run daily-perf-improver --dry-run  # Preview without triggering workflow runs
   ` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` run daily-perf-improver --json  # Output results in JSON format`,
@@ -711,7 +713,7 @@ Use "` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` help all" to show help for all
 	cli.RegisterEngineFlagCompletion(initCmd)
 
 	// Add flags to new command
-	newCmd.Flags().BoolP("force", "f", false, "Overwrite existing files without confirmation")
+	newCmd.Flags().BoolP("force", "f", false, "Overwrite existing workflow files without confirmation")
 	newCmd.Flags().BoolP("interactive", "i", false, "Launch interactive workflow creation wizard")
 	newCmd.Flags().StringP("engine", "e", "", cli.EngineFlagOverrideUsage)
 	cli.RegisterEngineFlagCompletion(newCmd)
@@ -774,7 +776,9 @@ Use "` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` help all" to show help for all
 	rootCmd.AddCommand(compileCmd)
 
 	// Add flags to remove command
+	removeCmd.Flags().Bool("no-remove-orphans", false, "Skip removal of orphaned include files that are no longer referenced by any workflow")
 	removeCmd.Flags().Bool("keep-orphans", false, "Skip removal of orphaned include files that are no longer referenced by any workflow")
+	_ = removeCmd.Flags().MarkDeprecated("keep-orphans", "use --no-remove-orphans instead")
 	removeCmd.Flags().StringP("dir", "d", "", "Workflow directory (default: $GH_AW_WORKFLOWS_DIR or .github/workflows)")
 	// Register completions for remove command
 	removeCmd.ValidArgsFunction = cli.CompleteWorkflowNames
@@ -795,10 +799,11 @@ Use "` + string(constants.CLIExtensionPrefix) + ` help all" to show help for all
 	runCmd.Flags().String("ref", "", "Branch or tag name to run the workflow on (default: current branch)")
 	runCmd.Flags().Bool("auto-merge-prs", false, "Auto-merge any pull requests created during the workflow execution")
 	runCmd.Flags().StringArrayP("raw-field", "F", []string{}, "Pass a workflow dispatch input in key=value format (can be specified multiple times)")
-	runCmd.Flags().Bool("push", false, "Commit and push workflow files (including transitive imports) before running")
+	_ = runCmd.Flags().MarkShorthandDeprecated("raw-field", "use --raw-field instead")
+	runCmd.Flags().Bool("push", false, "Commit and push workflow files (including transitive imports) before running. Refuses to proceed when unrelated files are already staged.")
 	runCmd.Flags().Bool("dry-run", false, "Preview workflow execution without triggering runs on GitHub Actions")
 	runCmd.Flags().BoolP("json", "j", false, "Output results in JSON format")
-	runCmd.Flags().Bool("approve", false, "Approve safe update manifest changes when --push triggers an automatic recompile step")
+	runCmd.Flags().Bool("approve", false, "Approve safe update manifest changes when --push triggers an automatic recompile step. When strict mode is active (the default), the recompile step enforces safe update checking; pass this flag to approve those changes.")
 	// Register completions for run command
 	runCmd.ValidArgsFunction = cli.CompleteWorkflowNames
 	cli.RegisterEngineFlagCompletion(runCmd)

cmd/gh-aw/main_help_text_test.go

@@ -13,11 +13,18 @@ func TestRunCommandHelpTextConsistency(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Contains(t, runCmd.Long, "this command enters interactive mode and shows", "run command interactive mode text should be explicit")
 
 	runApprove := runCmd.Flags().Lookup("approve")
+	runPush := runCmd.Flags().Lookup("push")
+	runRawField := runCmd.Flags().Lookup("raw-field")
 	compileApprove := compileCmd.Flags().Lookup("approve")
 	require.NotNil(t, runApprove, "run command should define --approve")
+	require.NotNil(t, runPush, "run command should define --push")
+	require.NotNil(t, runRawField, "run command should define --raw-field")
 	require.NotNil(t, compileApprove, "compile command should define --approve")
 	assert.Contains(t, compileApprove.Usage, "safe update changes", "compile --approve should describe compiler safe update approval")
-	assert.Equal(t, "Approve safe update manifest changes when --push triggers an automatic recompile step", runApprove.Usage, "run --approve should explain the --push-triggered recompile behavior")
+	assert.Equal(t, "Approve safe update manifest changes when --push triggers an automatic recompile step. When strict mode is active (the default), the recompile step enforces safe update checking; pass this flag to approve those changes.", runApprove.Usage, "run --approve should explain the --push-triggered recompile behavior with strict mode context")
+	assert.Equal(t, "Commit and push workflow files (including transitive imports) before running. Refuses to proceed when unrelated files are already staged.", runPush.Usage, "run --push should describe the staged-files precondition precisely")
+	assert.Equal(t, "F", runRawField.Shorthand, "run --raw-field should keep the legacy -F shorthand for compatibility")
+	assert.Equal(t, "use --raw-field instead", runRawField.ShorthandDeprecated, "run -F shorthand should be marked deprecated")
 }
 
 func TestCompileScheduleSeedHelpUsesConsistentQuotes(t *testing.T) {

docs/interactive-run-mode.md

@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ All standard `run` command flags work in interactive mode:
 The following flags are NOT supported in interactive mode:
 - `--repeat` - Use the displayed command for repeated runs
 - `--enable-if-needed` - Enable workflows manually first
-- `-F` / `--raw-field` - Inputs are collected interactively
+- `--raw-field` - Inputs are collected interactively
 
 ## CI Detection
 

docs/src/content/docs/experimental/trial-ops.md

@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ gh aw trial githubnext/agentics/my-workflow \
 
 ```bash
 gh aw trial ./my-workflow.md --delete-host-repo-after        # Delete after completion
-gh aw trial ./my-workflow.md --force-delete-host-repo-before # Clean slate before running
+gh aw trial ./my-workflow.md --delete-host-repo-before # Clean slate before running
 ```
 
 ## Understanding Trial Results

docs/src/content/docs/setup/cli.md

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ sidebar:
   order: 200
 ---
 
-The `gh aw` CLI extension enables developers to create, manage, and execute AI-powered workflows directly from the command line. It transforms natural language markdown files into GitHub Actions.
+The `gh aw` CLI extension enables developers to create, manage, and execute AI-powered workflows directly from the command line. It transforms natural language Markdown files into GitHub Actions.
 
 ## Most Common Commands
 
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ Use `gh aw version` to print the current version.
 
 ### The `--push` Flag
 
-`gh aw run --push` stages all changes, commits them, and pushes before dispatching the workflow. It requires a clean working directory.
+`gh aw run --push` stages workflow files (including transitive imports), commits them, and pushes before dispatching the workflow. It refuses to proceed when unrelated files are already staged.
 
 For `init`, `update`, and `upgrade`, use `--create-pull-request` instead.
 
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ When the Copilot engine is selected, the wizard prompts the user to choose an au
 
 #### `add`
 
-Add workflows from The Agentics collection or other repositories to `.github/workflows`. For remote workflows, this command follows frontmatter [`redirect`](/gh-aw/reference/frontmatter/#redirect-redirect) declarations before installation.
+Add workflows from the Agentics collection or other repositories to `.github/workflows`. For remote workflows, this command follows frontmatter [`redirect`](/gh-aw/reference/frontmatter/#redirect-redirect) declarations before installation.
 
 ```bash wrap
 gh aw add githubnext/agentics/ci-doctor           # Add single workflow
@@ -341,7 +341,7 @@ Unlike `gh aw upgrade`, `gh aw compile` does not run codemods unless you pass `-
 
 **Dependabot Integration (`--dependabot`):** Generates dependency manifests and `.github/dependabot.yml` by analyzing runtime tools across all workflows. See [Dependabot Support reference](/gh-aw/reference/dependabot/).
 
-**Strict Mode (`--strict`):** Enforces security best practices: no write permissions (use [safe-outputs](/gh-aw/reference/safe-outputs/)), explicit `network` config, no wildcard domains, pinned Actions, no deprecated fields. See [Strict Mode reference](/gh-aw/reference/frontmatter/#strict-mode-strict).
+**Strict Mode (`--strict`):** Enforces security best practices: no write permissions (use [safe-outputs](/gh-aw/reference/safe-outputs/)), explicit `network` config, no wildcard domains, pinned actions, no deprecated fields. See [Strict Mode reference](/gh-aw/reference/frontmatter/#strict-mode-strict).
 
 **Shared Workflows:** Workflows without an `on` field are detected as shared components. Validated with relaxed schema and skip compilation. See [Imports reference](/gh-aw/reference/imports/).
 
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ gh aw trial ./workflow.md --host-repo owner/repo   # Run directly in repository
 gh aw trial ./workflow.md --dry-run                # Preview without executing
 ```
 
-**Options:** `-e/--engine`, `--repeat`, `--delete-host-repo-after`, `--logical-repo/-l`, `--clone-repo`, `--trigger-context`, `--host-repo`, `--dry-run`, `--append`, `--auto-merge-prs`, `--no-security-scanner`, `--force-delete-host-repo-before`, `--json/-j`, `--timeout`, `--yes/-y`
+**Options:** `-e/--engine`, `--repeat`, `--delete-host-repo-after`, `--logical-repo/-l`, `--clone-repo`, `--trigger-context`, `--host-repo`, `--dry-run`, `--append`, `--auto-merge-prs`, `--no-security-scanner`, `--delete-host-repo-before`, `--json/-j`, `--timeout`, `--yes/-y`
 
 **Secret Handling:** API keys required for the selected engine are automatically checked. If missing from the target repository, they are prompted for interactively and uploaded.
 
@@ -410,7 +410,7 @@ gh aw run workflow --dry-run                # Preview without triggering workflo
 gh aw run workflow --json                   # Output triggered workflow results as JSON
 ```
 
-**Options:** `--repeat`, `--push` (see [--push flag](#the---push-flag)), `--ref`, `--enable-if-needed`, `--json/-j`, `--auto-merge-prs`, `--dry-run`, `--engine/-e`, `--raw-field/-F`, `--repo/-r`, `--approve`
+**Options:** `--repeat`, `--push` (see [--push flag](#the---push-flag)), `--ref`, `--enable-if-needed`, `--json/-j`, `--auto-merge-prs`, `--dry-run`, `--engine/-e`, `--raw-field`, `--repo/-r`, `--approve`
 
 When `--json` is set, a JSON array of triggered workflow results is written to stdout.
 
@@ -698,12 +698,12 @@ gh aw disable ci-doctor --repo owner/repo   # Disable in specific repository
 Remove workflows (both `.md` and `.lock.yml`). Accepts a workflow ID (basename without `.md`) or a substring pattern matching multiple workflows. By default, also removes orphaned include files no longer referenced by any workflow.
 
 ```bash wrap
-gh aw remove my-workflow                 # Remove specific workflow
-gh aw remove test-                       # Remove all workflows containing 'test-' in their name
-gh aw remove my-workflow --keep-orphans  # Remove but keep orphaned include files
+gh aw remove my-workflow                        # Remove specific workflow
+gh aw remove test-                              # Remove all workflows containing 'test-' in their name
+gh aw remove my-workflow --no-remove-orphans    # Remove but keep orphaned include files
 ```
 
-**Options:** `--dir/-d`, `--keep-orphans`
+**Options:** `--dir/-d`, `--no-remove-orphans`
 
 #### `update`
 

pkg/cli/audit.go

@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ func registerAuditCommandFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	cmd.Flags().Bool("stdin", false, "Read workflow run IDs or URLs from stdin (one per line) instead of positional arguments")
 	cmd.Flags().String("experiment", "", "Filter to runs that include this experiment name")
 	cmd.Flags().String("variant", "", "Filter to runs with a specific variant value (requires --experiment)")
-	cmd.Flags().Bool("evals", false, "Skip runs that do not contain evals results (evals.jsonl); automatically downloads the usage artifact (which includes evals) when --artifacts is narrowed")
+	cmd.Flags().Bool("evals", false, "Filter to runs containing evals results (evals.jsonl); automatically downloads the usage artifact (which includes evals) when --artifacts is narrowed")
 	RegisterDirFlagCompletion(cmd, "output")
 }
 

pkg/cli/checks_command.go

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ const (
 	CheckStatePending CheckState = "pending"
 	// CheckStateNoChecks indicates no checks have been configured or triggered.
 	CheckStateNoChecks CheckState = "no_checks"
-	// CheckStatePolicyBlocked indicates policy or account gates are blocking the PR.
+	// CheckStatePolicyBlocked indicates policy or account gates blocked the PR.
 	CheckStatePolicyBlocked CheckState = "policy_blocked"
 	// CheckStateSuccess indicates all checks passed.
 	CheckStateSuccess CheckState = "success"
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ Maps PR check rollups to one of the following normalized states:
   failed         - one or more checks failed
   pending        - checks are still running or queued
   no_checks      - no checks configured or triggered
-  policy_blocked - policy or account gates are blocking the PR
+  policy_blocked - policy or account gates blocked the PR
 
 ` + "Raw check run and commit status signals are included in JSON output." + `
 

pkg/cli/compile_integration_test.go

@@ -24,6 +24,11 @@ var (
 	binaryTempDir    string
 )
 
+const (
+	windowsRemoveRetries    = 10
+	windowsRemoveRetryDelay = 100 * time.Millisecond
+)
+
 // TestMain builds the gh-aw binary once before running tests
 func TestMain(m *testing.M) {
 	// Get project root
@@ -150,7 +155,7 @@ func setupIntegrationTest(t *testing.T) *integrationTestSetup {
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("Failed to change back to original working directory: %v", err)
 		}
-		err = os.RemoveAll(tempDir)
+		err = removeAllWithRetry(tempDir)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("Failed to remove temp directory: %v", err)
 		}
@@ -229,6 +234,27 @@ Please check the repository for any open issues and create a summary.
 	t.Logf("Successfully compiled workflow to %s", lockFilePath)
 }
 
+func removeAllWithRetry(path string) error {
+	attempts := 1
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		attempts = windowsRemoveRetries
+	}
+
+	var err error
+	for i := 0; i < attempts; i++ {
+		err = os.RemoveAll(path)
+		if err == nil || os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			return nil
+		}
+		if runtime.GOOS != "windows" {
+			return err
+		}
+		time.Sleep(windowsRemoveRetryDelay)
+	}
+
+	return err
+}
+
 func TestCompileWithIncludeWithEmptyFrontmatterUnderPty(t *testing.T) {
 	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
 		t.Skip("PTY-based test is not supported on Windows")

pkg/cli/doctor_command.go

@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ target the correct host.`,
 		},
 	}
 
-	cmd.Flags().StringP("repo", "r", "", "Target repository in owner/repo format")
+	cmd.Flags().StringP("repo", "r", "", "Target repository in [HOST/]owner/repo format")
 	cmd.Flags().StringP("dir", "d", "", "Checkout directory to inspect (defaults to the repo name)")
 	cmd.Flags().String("require-owner-type", "any", "Require a specific owner type: any, org, or user")
 	addJSONFlag(cmd)