AwesomeGlossary
Terms & definitions
37 terms across 5 groups. Every concept used across the catalogue and learning centre, defined.
LightSpeed terms
The vocabulary specific to how LightSpeed runs the .github control plane.
- Control planeA single repository — here, .github — that governs configuration, automation, and standards across…
- Canonical assetsSource-of-truth files — instructions, schemas, workflows, prompts — maintained in one place and…
- Hooks layerA semantic abstraction over automation. A hook describes what should happen ("label new issues")…
- Workflow layerThe GitHub Actions implementation that turns hook declarations into executable CI/CD jobs.
- Plugin packA curated, versioned bundle of capabilities — governance, automation, and AI-ops — distributed as a…
- ManifestA structured JSON or YAML file that declares what a plugin pack contains, its dependencies, and its…
- Plugin distributionPackaging and delivering reusable plugins from the .github control plane out to consuming…
- Portable assetsAgents, instructions, hooks, and workflows designed to work outside the repo they were born in — no…
- Repository inheritanceA repo automatically picking up configuration, workflows, and templates from a parent .github repo.
- Template systemA framework for generating consistent files — issue templates, PR templates, docs — across repos…
- FrontmatterA block of YAML metadata at the top of a Markdown file, fenced by ---. Declares properties, schemas,…
GitHub basics
The GitHub primitives the control plane is built on.
- GitHub ActionsGitHub's built-in CI/CD platform for running scripts, tests, and deployments triggered by repository…
- WorkflowA YAML automation file in .github/workflows/ describing jobs triggered by GitHub events.
- Issue templateA pre-formatted Markdown file that populates the New Issue form to capture structured information.
- Pull request templateA pre-formatted file that guides contributors through a PR, often with testing, docs, and…
- LabelA tag on issues and PRs used to categorise, prioritise, and filter work.
- Automation ruleA condition-and-action spec that auto-applies labels, assigns reviewers, or closes issues based on…
- Semantic versioningA MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH scheme that signals the nature of a change.
AI-ops concepts
How AI gets governed, not just used.
- AgentAn AI-powered system that autonomously performs tasks — labelling issues, drafting release notes,…
- SkillA self-contained, reusable automation capability bundling logic, docs, and examples so it travels…
- AI-driven governanceUsing AI agents to enforce standards, policies, and conventions across repositories.
- CopilotGitHub Copilot, an AI assistant that generates code, docs, and automation, and can be steered by…
- Prompt engineeringCrafting instructions and context to guide an AI agent toward consistent, high-quality behaviour.
- Schema validationAutomated checking that data — frontmatter, issue metadata, config — matches a declared structure.
- Task delegationHanding a well-scoped task — with context, constraints, and exit criteria — to an AI agent to…
- LLMLarge Language Model — the generative AI foundation underlying Copilot, Claude, and other agents.
Architecture patterns
The structural patterns that make the control plane composable.
- Single source of truthOne canonical location for each piece of configuration or content — no copies that can drift.
- Hub-and-spokeA topology where one central repo (the hub) distributes standards and configuration to many…
- Inheritance boundariesThe explicit rules about which configurations flow automatically from the hub versus which must be…
- Modular architectureDesigning systems as independent, composable units that can be combined without tight coupling.
- DecouplingSeparating the intent of an action (the hook) from its implementation (the workflow) so each can…
- PortabilityThe property of a component that lets it run in multiple environments without modification.
- ScalabilityThe ability of the control plane to govern more repos without proportionally more effort.
WordPress context
WordPress-specific terms that shape how we build plugins and agents.
- WP agent skillsAgent skills tuned to WordPress conventions — block.json, WPCS, i18n, and the wp-scripts toolchain.
- GPLThe GNU General Public Licence — the open-source licence WordPress and most of its ecosystem use.
- WordPress pluginA PHP package that extends WordPress using its hooks and APIs, registered via the main plugin file…
- Block editorThe Gutenberg-based editor that replaced the classic editor in WordPress 5.0, powered by React and…