From 428f90b00451544bf52588060e3fac2709d7475b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2026 13:10:45 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 1/3] Initial plan


From a44653eff7263c9b93a45328eb65c85cb5c87b37 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2026 13:30:10 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 2/3] Add ignore-if-missing field to assign-to-agent safe
 output

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 actions/setup/js/assign_agent_helpers.cjs     |  13 ++
 actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.cjs          |  58 +++++++--
 actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.test.cjs     | 116 ++++++++++++++++++
 .../setup/js/types/safe-outputs-config.d.ts   |   1 +
 pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json  |   5 +
 pkg/workflow/assign_to_agent.go               |   5 +-
 .../compiler_safe_outputs_specialized.go      |   5 +
 7 files changed, 193 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)

diff --git a/actions/setup/js/assign_agent_helpers.cjs b/actions/setup/js/assign_agent_helpers.cjs
index 26e7666d2ff..24e314a197c 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/assign_agent_helpers.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/assign_agent_helpers.cjs
@@ -122,6 +122,19 @@ async function findAgent(owner, repo, agentName) {
   } catch (error) {
     const errorMessage = getErrorMessage(error);
     core.error(`Failed to find ${agentName} agent: ${errorMessage}`);
+
+    // Re-throw authentication/permission errors so they can be handled by the caller
+    // This allows ignore-if-missing logic to work properly
+    if (
+      errorMessage.includes("Bad credentials") ||
+      errorMessage.includes("Not Authenticated") ||
+      errorMessage.includes("Resource not accessible") ||
+      errorMessage.includes("Insufficient permissions") ||
+      errorMessage.includes("requires authentication")
+    ) {
+      throw error;
+    }
+
     return null;
   }
 }
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.cjs b/actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.cjs
index e3d79d26e1e..2f7b762e6af 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.cjs
@@ -50,6 +50,12 @@ async function main() {
   const targetConfig = process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_TARGET?.trim() || "triggering";
   core.info(`Target configuration: ${targetConfig}`);
 
+  // Get ignore-if-missing flag (defaults to false)
+  const ignoreIfMissing = process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_MISSING === "true";
+  if (ignoreIfMissing) {
+    core.info("Ignore-if-missing mode enabled: Will not fail if agent token is unavailable");
+  }
+
   // Get allowed agents list (comma-separated)
   const allowedAgentsEnv = process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_ALLOWED?.trim();
   const allowedAgents = allowedAgentsEnv
@@ -264,6 +270,29 @@ async function main() {
       });
     } catch (error) {
       let errorMessage = getErrorMessage(error);
+
+      // Check if this is a token authentication error
+      const isAuthError =
+        errorMessage.includes("Bad credentials") ||
+        errorMessage.includes("Not Authenticated") ||
+        errorMessage.includes("Resource not accessible") ||
+        errorMessage.includes("Insufficient permissions") ||
+        errorMessage.includes("requires authentication");
+
+      // If ignore-if-missing is enabled and this is an auth error, log warning and skip
+      if (ignoreIfMissing && isAuthError) {
+        core.warning(`Agent token not available or insufficient permissions for assigning ${agentName} to ${type} #${number}. Skipping due to ignore-if-missing=true.`);
+        core.info(`Error details: ${errorMessage}`);
+        results.push({
+          issue_number: issueNumber,
+          pull_number: pullNumber,
+          agent: agentName,
+          success: true, // Treat as success when ignored
+          skipped: true,
+        });
+        continue;
+      }
+
       if (errorMessage.includes("coding agent is not available for this repository")) {
         // Enrich with available agent logins to aid troubleshooting - uses built-in github object
         try {
@@ -287,15 +316,16 @@ async function main() {
   }
 
   // Generate step summary
-  const successCount = results.filter(r => r.success).length;
-  const failureCount = results.length - successCount;
+  const successCount = results.filter(r => r.success && !r.skipped).length;
+  const skippedCount = results.filter(r => r.skipped).length;
+  const failureCount = results.length - successCount - skippedCount;
 
   let summaryContent = "## Agent Assignment\n\n";
 
   if (successCount > 0) {
     summaryContent += `✅ Successfully assigned ${successCount} agent(s):\n\n`;
     summaryContent += results
-      .filter(r => r.success)
+      .filter(r => r.success && !r.skipped)
       .map(r => {
         const itemType = r.issue_number ? `Issue #${r.issue_number}` : `Pull Request #${r.pull_number}`;
         return `- ${itemType} → Agent: ${r.agent}`;
@@ -304,10 +334,22 @@ async function main() {
     summaryContent += "\n\n";
   }
 
+  if (skippedCount > 0) {
+    summaryContent += `⏭️ Skipped ${skippedCount} agent assignment(s) (ignore-if-missing enabled):\n\n`;
+    summaryContent += results
+      .filter(r => r.skipped)
+      .map(r => {
+        const itemType = r.issue_number ? `Issue #${r.issue_number}` : `Pull Request #${r.pull_number}`;
+        return `- ${itemType} → Agent: ${r.agent} (agent token not available)`;
+      })
+      .join("\n");
+    summaryContent += "\n\n";
+  }
+
   if (failureCount > 0) {
     summaryContent += `❌ Failed to assign ${failureCount} agent(s):\n\n`;
     summaryContent += results
-      .filter(r => !r.success)
+      .filter(r => !r.success && !r.skipped)
       .map(r => {
         const itemType = r.issue_number ? `Issue #${r.issue_number}` : `Pull Request #${r.pull_number}`;
         return `- ${itemType} → Agent: ${r.agent}: ${r.error}`;
@@ -315,7 +357,7 @@ async function main() {
       .join("\n");
 
     // Check if any failures were permission-related
-    const hasPermissionError = results.some(r => (!r.success && r.error?.includes("Resource not accessible")) || r.error?.includes("Insufficient permissions"));
+    const hasPermissionError = results.some(r => (!r.success && !r.skipped && r.error?.includes("Resource not accessible")) || r.error?.includes("Insufficient permissions"));
 
     if (hasPermissionError) {
       summaryContent += generatePermissionErrorSummary();
@@ -326,7 +368,7 @@ async function main() {
 
   // Set outputs
   const assignedAgents = results
-    .filter(r => r.success)
+    .filter(r => r.success && !r.skipped)
     .map(r => {
       const number = r.issue_number || r.pull_number;
       const prefix = r.issue_number ? "issue" : "pr";
@@ -337,7 +379,7 @@ async function main() {
 
   // Set assignment error output for failed assignments
   const assignmentErrors = results
-    .filter(r => !r.success)
+    .filter(r => !r.success && !r.skipped)
     .map(r => {
       const number = r.issue_number || r.pull_number;
       const prefix = r.issue_number ? "issue" : "pr";
@@ -347,7 +389,7 @@ async function main() {
   core.setOutput("assignment_errors", assignmentErrors);
   core.setOutput("assignment_error_count", failureCount.toString());
 
-  // Fail if any assignments failed
+  // Fail if any assignments failed (but not if they were skipped)
   if (failureCount > 0) {
     core.setFailed(`Failed to assign ${failureCount} agent(s)`);
   }
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.test.cjs b/actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.test.cjs
index 1191550e34d..d07c187ab63 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.test.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.test.cjs
@@ -43,6 +43,10 @@ describe("assign_to_agent", () => {
 
   beforeEach(() => {
     vi.clearAllMocks();
+
+    // Reset mockGithub.graphql to ensure no lingering mock implementations
+    mockGithub.graphql = vi.fn();
+
     delete process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_OUTPUT;
     delete process.env.GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS_STAGED;
     delete process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_DEFAULT;
@@ -50,6 +54,7 @@ describe("assign_to_agent", () => {
     delete process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_TARGET;
     delete process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_ALLOWED;
     delete process.env.GH_AW_TARGET_REPO;
+    delete process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_MISSING;
 
     // Reset context to default
     mockContext.eventName = "issues";
@@ -806,4 +811,115 @@ describe("assign_to_agent", () => {
     expect(mockCore.error).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(mockCore.setFailed).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
+
+  it("should skip assignment and not fail when ignore-if-missing is true and token is missing", async () => {
+    process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_MISSING = "true";
+    setAgentOutput({
+      items: [
+        {
+          type: "assign_to_agent",
+          issue_number: 42,
+          agent: "copilot",
+        },
+      ],
+      errors: [],
+    });
+
+    // Simulate authentication error - use mockRejectedValueOnce to avoid affecting other tests
+    const authError = new Error("Bad credentials");
+    mockGithub.graphql.mockRejectedValueOnce(authError);
+
+    await eval(`(async () => { ${assignToAgentScript}; await main(); })()`);
+
+    // Should log that ignore-if-missing is enabled
+    expect(mockCore.info).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Ignore-if-missing mode enabled"));
+
+    // Should warn about skipping but not fail
+    expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Agent token not available"));
+    expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("ignore-if-missing=true"));
+
+    // Should not fail the workflow
+    expect(mockCore.setFailed).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+    // Summary should show skipped assignments
+    expect(mockCore.summary.addRaw).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    const summaryCall = mockCore.summary.addRaw.mock.calls[0][0];
+    expect(summaryCall).toContain("⏭️ Skipped");
+    expect(summaryCall).toContain("agent token not available");
+  });
+
+  it("should fail when ignore-if-missing is false (default) and token is missing", async () => {
+    // Don't set GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_MISSING (defaults to false)
+    setAgentOutput({
+      items: [
+        {
+          type: "assign_to_agent",
+          issue_number: 42,
+          agent: "copilot",
+        },
+      ],
+      errors: [],
+    });
+
+    // Simulate authentication error
+    const authError = new Error("Bad credentials");
+    mockGithub.graphql.mockRejectedValue(authError);
+
+    await eval(`(async () => { ${assignToAgentScript}; await main(); })()`);
+
+    // Should NOT log ignore-if-missing mode
+    expect(mockCore.info).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Ignore-if-missing mode enabled"));
+
+    // Should error and fail
+    expect(mockCore.error).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Failed to assign agent"));
+    expect(mockCore.setFailed).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Failed to assign 1 agent(s)"));
+  });
+
+  it("should handle ignore-if-missing with 'Resource not accessible' error", async () => {
+    process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_MISSING = "true";
+    setAgentOutput({
+      items: [
+        {
+          type: "assign_to_agent",
+          issue_number: 42,
+          agent: "copilot",
+        },
+      ],
+      errors: [],
+    });
+
+    // Simulate permission error
+    const permError = new Error("Resource not accessible by integration");
+    mockGithub.graphql.mockRejectedValue(permError);
+
+    await eval(`(async () => { ${assignToAgentScript}; await main(); })()`);
+
+    // Should skip and not fail
+    expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Agent token not available"));
+    expect(mockCore.setFailed).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("should still fail on non-auth errors even with ignore-if-missing enabled", async () => {
+    process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_MISSING = "true";
+    setAgentOutput({
+      items: [
+        {
+          type: "assign_to_agent",
+          issue_number: 42,
+          agent: "copilot",
+        },
+      ],
+      errors: [],
+    });
+
+    // Simulate a different error (not auth-related)
+    const otherError = new Error("Network timeout");
+    mockGithub.graphql.mockRejectedValue(otherError);
+
+    await eval(`(async () => { ${assignToAgentScript}; await main(); })()`);
+
+    // Should error and fail (not skipped because it's not an auth error)
+    expect(mockCore.error).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Failed to assign agent"));
+    expect(mockCore.setFailed).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Failed to assign 1 agent(s)"));
+  });
 });
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/types/safe-outputs-config.d.ts b/actions/setup/js/types/safe-outputs-config.d.ts
index 9148908ca21..95ed76b1619 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/types/safe-outputs-config.d.ts
+++ b/actions/setup/js/types/safe-outputs-config.d.ts
@@ -182,6 +182,7 @@ interface AssignToAgentConfig extends SafeOutputConfig {
   "default-agent"?: string;
   target?: string;
   "target-repo"?: string;
+  "ignore-if-missing"?: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json b/pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json
index 23c1ea32126..acf40e3e8e8 100644
--- a/pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json
+++ b/pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json
@@ -4903,6 +4903,11 @@
                   "type": "string",
                   "description": "Target repository in format 'owner/repo' for cross-repository agent assignment. Takes precedence over trial target repo settings."
                 },
+                "ignore-if-missing": {
+                  "type": "boolean",
+                  "description": "If true, the workflow continues gracefully when the agent token (GH_AW_AGENT_TOKEN) is not available, logging a warning instead of failing. Default is false. Useful for workflows that should not fail when agent assignment is optional.",
+                  "default": false
+                },
                 "github-token": {
                   "$ref": "#/$defs/github_token",
                   "description": "GitHub token to use for this specific output type. Overrides global github-token if specified."
diff --git a/pkg/workflow/assign_to_agent.go b/pkg/workflow/assign_to_agent.go
index eafd3d1af20..0270b2469f6 100644
--- a/pkg/workflow/assign_to_agent.go
+++ b/pkg/workflow/assign_to_agent.go
@@ -10,8 +10,9 @@ var assignToAgentLog = logger.New("workflow:assign_to_agent")
 type AssignToAgentConfig struct {
 	BaseSafeOutputConfig   `yaml:",inline"`
 	SafeOutputTargetConfig `yaml:",inline"`
-	DefaultAgent           string   `yaml:"name,omitempty"`    // Default agent to assign (e.g., "copilot")
-	Allowed                []string `yaml:"allowed,omitempty"` // Optional list of allowed agent names. If omitted, any agents are allowed.
+	DefaultAgent           string   `yaml:"name,omitempty"`              // Default agent to assign (e.g., "copilot")
+	Allowed                []string `yaml:"allowed,omitempty"`           // Optional list of allowed agent names. If omitted, any agents are allowed.
+	IgnoreIfMissing        bool     `yaml:"ignore-if-missing,omitempty"` // If true, workflow continues when agent token is not available
 }
 
 // parseAssignToAgentConfig handles assign-to-agent configuration
diff --git a/pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_specialized.go b/pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_specialized.go
index 7f63477b0c0..28dd86bffdb 100644
--- a/pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_specialized.go
+++ b/pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_specialized.go
@@ -38,6 +38,11 @@ func (c *Compiler) buildAssignToAgentStepConfig(data *WorkflowData, mainJobName
 		customEnvVars = append(customEnvVars, fmt.Sprintf("          GH_AW_AGENT_ALLOWED: %q\n", allowedStr))
 	}
 
+	// Add ignore-if-missing flag if set
+	if cfg.IgnoreIfMissing {
+		customEnvVars = append(customEnvVars, "          GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_MISSING: \"true\"\n")
+	}
+
 	condition := BuildSafeOutputType("assign_to_agent")
 
 	return SafeOutputStepConfig{

From 4f510e187284f52389adf2a5adcab4dddb763626 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "copilot-swe-agent[bot]" <198982749+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2026 13:54:17 +0000
Subject: [PATCH 3/3] Rename ignore-if-missing to ignore-if-error

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>
---
 actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.cjs          | 18 +++++------
 actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.test.cjs     | 30 +++++++++----------
 .../setup/js/types/safe-outputs-config.d.ts   |  2 +-
 pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json  |  4 +--
 pkg/workflow/assign_to_agent.go               |  6 ++--
 .../compiler_safe_outputs_specialized.go      |  6 ++--
 6 files changed, 33 insertions(+), 33 deletions(-)

diff --git a/actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.cjs b/actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.cjs
index 2f7b762e6af..0f6384d7c07 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.cjs
@@ -50,10 +50,10 @@ async function main() {
   const targetConfig = process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_TARGET?.trim() || "triggering";
   core.info(`Target configuration: ${targetConfig}`);
 
-  // Get ignore-if-missing flag (defaults to false)
-  const ignoreIfMissing = process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_MISSING === "true";
-  if (ignoreIfMissing) {
-    core.info("Ignore-if-missing mode enabled: Will not fail if agent token is unavailable");
+  // Get ignore-if-error flag (defaults to false)
+  const ignoreIfError = process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_ERROR === "true";
+  if (ignoreIfError) {
+    core.info("Ignore-if-error mode enabled: Will not fail if agent assignment encounters errors");
   }
 
   // Get allowed agents list (comma-separated)
@@ -279,9 +279,9 @@ async function main() {
         errorMessage.includes("Insufficient permissions") ||
         errorMessage.includes("requires authentication");
 
-      // If ignore-if-missing is enabled and this is an auth error, log warning and skip
-      if (ignoreIfMissing && isAuthError) {
-        core.warning(`Agent token not available or insufficient permissions for assigning ${agentName} to ${type} #${number}. Skipping due to ignore-if-missing=true.`);
+      // If ignore-if-error is enabled and this is an auth error, log warning and skip
+      if (ignoreIfError && isAuthError) {
+        core.warning(`Agent assignment failed for ${agentName} on ${type} #${number} due to authentication/permission error. Skipping due to ignore-if-error=true.`);
         core.info(`Error details: ${errorMessage}`);
         results.push({
           issue_number: issueNumber,
@@ -335,12 +335,12 @@ async function main() {
   }
 
   if (skippedCount > 0) {
-    summaryContent += `⏭️ Skipped ${skippedCount} agent assignment(s) (ignore-if-missing enabled):\n\n`;
+    summaryContent += `⏭️ Skipped ${skippedCount} agent assignment(s) (ignore-if-error enabled):\n\n`;
     summaryContent += results
       .filter(r => r.skipped)
       .map(r => {
         const itemType = r.issue_number ? `Issue #${r.issue_number}` : `Pull Request #${r.pull_number}`;
-        return `- ${itemType} → Agent: ${r.agent} (agent token not available)`;
+        return `- ${itemType} → Agent: ${r.agent} (assignment failed due to error)`;
       })
       .join("\n");
     summaryContent += "\n\n";
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.test.cjs b/actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.test.cjs
index d07c187ab63..05a75d51b2b 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.test.cjs
+++ b/actions/setup/js/assign_to_agent.test.cjs
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ describe("assign_to_agent", () => {
     delete process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_TARGET;
     delete process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_ALLOWED;
     delete process.env.GH_AW_TARGET_REPO;
-    delete process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_MISSING;
+    delete process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_ERROR;
 
     // Reset context to default
     mockContext.eventName = "issues";
@@ -812,8 +812,8 @@ describe("assign_to_agent", () => {
     expect(mockCore.setFailed).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
-  it("should skip assignment and not fail when ignore-if-missing is true and token is missing", async () => {
-    process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_MISSING = "true";
+  it("should skip assignment and not fail when ignore-if-error is true and auth error occurs", async () => {
+    process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_ERROR = "true";
     setAgentOutput({
       items: [
         {
@@ -831,12 +831,12 @@ describe("assign_to_agent", () => {
 
     await eval(`(async () => { ${assignToAgentScript}; await main(); })()`);
 
-    // Should log that ignore-if-missing is enabled
-    expect(mockCore.info).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Ignore-if-missing mode enabled"));
+    // Should log that ignore-if-error is enabled
+    expect(mockCore.info).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Ignore-if-error mode enabled: Will not fail if agent assignment encounters errors"));
 
     // Should warn about skipping but not fail
-    expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Agent token not available"));
-    expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("ignore-if-missing=true"));
+    expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Agent assignment failed"));
+    expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("ignore-if-error=true"));
 
     // Should not fail the workflow
     expect(mockCore.setFailed).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
@@ -845,10 +845,10 @@ describe("assign_to_agent", () => {
     expect(mockCore.summary.addRaw).toHaveBeenCalled();
     const summaryCall = mockCore.summary.addRaw.mock.calls[0][0];
     expect(summaryCall).toContain("⏭️ Skipped");
-    expect(summaryCall).toContain("agent token not available");
+    expect(summaryCall).toContain("assignment failed due to error");
   });
 
-  it("should fail when ignore-if-missing is false (default) and token is missing", async () => {
+  it("should fail when ignore-if-error is false (default) and auth error occurs", async () => {
     // Don't set GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_MISSING (defaults to false)
     setAgentOutput({
       items: [
@@ -867,16 +867,16 @@ describe("assign_to_agent", () => {
 
     await eval(`(async () => { ${assignToAgentScript}; await main(); })()`);
 
-    // Should NOT log ignore-if-missing mode
-    expect(mockCore.info).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Ignore-if-missing mode enabled"));
+    // Should NOT log ignore-if-error mode
+    expect(mockCore.info).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("ignore-if-error mode enabled"));
 
     // Should error and fail
     expect(mockCore.error).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Failed to assign agent"));
     expect(mockCore.setFailed).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Failed to assign 1 agent(s)"));
   });
 
-  it("should handle ignore-if-missing with 'Resource not accessible' error", async () => {
-    process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_MISSING = "true";
+  it("should handle ignore-if-error when 'Resource not accessible' error", async () => {
+    process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_ERROR = "true";
     setAgentOutput({
       items: [
         {
@@ -895,11 +895,11 @@ describe("assign_to_agent", () => {
     await eval(`(async () => { ${assignToAgentScript}; await main(); })()`);
 
     // Should skip and not fail
-    expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Agent token not available"));
+    expect(mockCore.warning).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Agent assignment failed"));
     expect(mockCore.setFailed).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
-  it("should still fail on non-auth errors even with ignore-if-missing enabled", async () => {
+  it("should still fail on non-auth errors even with ignore-if-error enabled", async () => {
     process.env.GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_MISSING = "true";
     setAgentOutput({
       items: [
diff --git a/actions/setup/js/types/safe-outputs-config.d.ts b/actions/setup/js/types/safe-outputs-config.d.ts
index 95ed76b1619..f1eb310512b 100644
--- a/actions/setup/js/types/safe-outputs-config.d.ts
+++ b/actions/setup/js/types/safe-outputs-config.d.ts
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ interface AssignToAgentConfig extends SafeOutputConfig {
   "default-agent"?: string;
   target?: string;
   "target-repo"?: string;
-  "ignore-if-missing"?: boolean;
+  "ignore-if-error"?: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json b/pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json
index acf40e3e8e8..82001886207 100644
--- a/pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json
+++ b/pkg/parser/schemas/main_workflow_schema.json
@@ -4903,9 +4903,9 @@
                   "type": "string",
                   "description": "Target repository in format 'owner/repo' for cross-repository agent assignment. Takes precedence over trial target repo settings."
                 },
-                "ignore-if-missing": {
+                "ignore-if-error": {
                   "type": "boolean",
-                  "description": "If true, the workflow continues gracefully when the agent token (GH_AW_AGENT_TOKEN) is not available, logging a warning instead of failing. Default is false. Useful for workflows that should not fail when agent assignment is optional.",
+                  "description": "If true, the workflow continues gracefully when agent assignment fails (e.g., due to missing token or insufficient permissions), logging a warning instead of failing. Default is false. Useful for workflows that should not fail when agent assignment is optional.",
                   "default": false
                 },
                 "github-token": {
diff --git a/pkg/workflow/assign_to_agent.go b/pkg/workflow/assign_to_agent.go
index 0270b2469f6..743f3d2a3bc 100644
--- a/pkg/workflow/assign_to_agent.go
+++ b/pkg/workflow/assign_to_agent.go
@@ -10,9 +10,9 @@ var assignToAgentLog = logger.New("workflow:assign_to_agent")
 type AssignToAgentConfig struct {
 	BaseSafeOutputConfig   `yaml:",inline"`
 	SafeOutputTargetConfig `yaml:",inline"`
-	DefaultAgent           string   `yaml:"name,omitempty"`              // Default agent to assign (e.g., "copilot")
-	Allowed                []string `yaml:"allowed,omitempty"`           // Optional list of allowed agent names. If omitted, any agents are allowed.
-	IgnoreIfMissing        bool     `yaml:"ignore-if-missing,omitempty"` // If true, workflow continues when agent token is not available
+	DefaultAgent           string   `yaml:"name,omitempty"`            // Default agent to assign (e.g., "copilot")
+	Allowed                []string `yaml:"allowed,omitempty"`         // Optional list of allowed agent names. If omitted, any agents are allowed.
+	IgnoreIfError          bool     `yaml:"ignore-if-error,omitempty"` // If true, workflow continues when agent assignment fails
 }
 
 // parseAssignToAgentConfig handles assign-to-agent configuration
diff --git a/pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_specialized.go b/pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_specialized.go
index 28dd86bffdb..f4743255a37 100644
--- a/pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_specialized.go
+++ b/pkg/workflow/compiler_safe_outputs_specialized.go
@@ -38,9 +38,9 @@ func (c *Compiler) buildAssignToAgentStepConfig(data *WorkflowData, mainJobName
 		customEnvVars = append(customEnvVars, fmt.Sprintf("          GH_AW_AGENT_ALLOWED: %q\n", allowedStr))
 	}
 
-	// Add ignore-if-missing flag if set
-	if cfg.IgnoreIfMissing {
-		customEnvVars = append(customEnvVars, "          GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_MISSING: \"true\"\n")
+	// Add ignore-if-error flag if set
+	if cfg.IgnoreIfError {
+		customEnvVars = append(customEnvVars, "          GH_AW_AGENT_IGNORE_IF_ERROR: \"true\"\n")
 	}
 
 	condition := BuildSafeOutputType("assign_to_agent")