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+name: Auto-promote staging → main (PR-based, reusable)
+
+# Reusable PR-based auto-promote for repos whose `main` branch has
+# protection rules that require status checks "set by the expected
+# GitHub apps" — direct `git push` from a workflow can't satisfy
+# that, only PR merges through the merge queue can.
+#
+# Distinct from the simpler ff-only auto-promote in this same repo
+# (auto-promote-staging.yml): that one does `git merge --ff-only` +
+# direct push and only works on repos WITHOUT required-status-checks.
+# This reusable workflow is for the protected-branch case.
+#
+# Call from each repo's .github/workflows/ via a thin wrapper:
+#
+#   name: Auto-promote staging → main
+#   on:
+#     workflow_run:
+#       workflows: [CI, E2E Staging Canvas, ...]
+#       types: [completed]
+#     workflow_dispatch:
+#       inputs:
+#         force:
+#           description: "Force promote (manual override)"
+#           required: false
+#           default: "false"
+#   permissions:
+#     contents: write
+#     pull-requests: write
+#   jobs:
+#     promote:
+#       uses: Molecule-AI/molecule-ci/.github/workflows/auto-promote-staging-pr.yml@main
+#       with:
+#         gates: "ci.yml,e2e-staging-canvas.yml,e2e-api.yml,codeql.yml"
+#         force: ${{ github.event.inputs.force == 'true' }}
+#       secrets: inherit
+#
+# IMPORTANT: the caller MUST keep the `on.workflow_run.workflows`
+# display-name list in sync with the `gates` input (which uses
+# workflow filenames). The reusable can't validate this — display
+# names and filenames are decoupled in GitHub Actions.
+#
+# Required repo settings (one-time, in the CALLER repo):
+#
+#   Settings → Actions → General → Workflow permissions
+#   → ✅ Allow GitHub Actions to create and approve pull requests
+#
+# Without it, every workflow run fails with:
+#
+#   pull request create failed: GraphQL: GitHub Actions is not
+#   permitted to create or approve pull requests (createPullRequest)
+#
+# Toggle: caller repo variable AUTO_PROMOTE_ENABLED=true. Override
+# via the `enabled-var` input if a different name is needed.
+# When the variable is unset, the workflow logs what it would have
+# done but doesn't open the PR — useful for dry-running the gate
+# logic without surfacing a noisy PR while staging CI is still flaky.
+
+on:
+  workflow_call:
+    inputs:
+      gates:
+        description: >-
+          Comma-separated list of workflow FILENAMES (not display
+          names) that must be conclusion=success on the staging head
+          SHA before promote fires. Example:
+          "ci.yml,e2e-staging-canvas.yml,codeql.yml". File paths are
+          used (not display names) because gh run list with display
+          names is ambiguous when two workflows share a name (observed
+          2026-04-28 with codeql.yml + GitHub UI's Code-quality default
+          setup both surfacing as "CodeQL").
+        required: true
+        type: string
+      target-branch:
+        description: "Target branch to promote TO (default: main)"
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: main
+      source-branch:
+        description: "Source branch to promote FROM (default: staging)"
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: staging
+      enabled-var:
+        description: >-
+          Repo variable name that gates this workflow. Set this
+          variable to "true" in the caller repo's Settings →
+          Variables → Actions to enable. Defaults to
+          AUTO_PROMOTE_ENABLED.
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: AUTO_PROMOTE_ENABLED
+      merge-method:
+        description: >-
+          Merge method for `gh pr merge --auto`. One of merge|squash|
+          rebase. Defaults to "merge" (matches user preference for
+          merge commits over squash).
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: merge
+      force:
+        description: >-
+          Skip the AUTO_PROMOTE_ENABLED variable check. Pass true
+          when the caller's workflow_dispatch input is force=true.
+          Default false.
+        required: false
+        type: boolean
+        default: false
+
+jobs:
+  check-all-gates-green:
+    # Only consider promotions for the source branch's push events.
+    # PR runs into the source branch don't promote. workflow_dispatch
+    # passes through unconditionally.
+    if: >
+      (github.event_name == 'workflow_run' &&
+       github.event.workflow_run.head_branch == inputs.source-branch &&
+       github.event.workflow_run.event == 'push')
+      || github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    outputs:
+      all_green: ${{ steps.gates.outputs.all_green }}
+      head_sha: ${{ steps.gates.outputs.head_sha }}
+    steps:
+      - name: Check all required gates on this SHA
+        id: gates
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          HEAD_SHA: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_sha || github.sha }}
+          REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
+          GATES_CSV: ${{ inputs.gates }}
+          SOURCE_BRANCH: ${{ inputs.source-branch }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+
+          # Split the comma-separated gates input. Trim whitespace per
+          # entry so callers can format readably (e.g. "ci.yml, e2e.yml").
+          IFS=',' read -ra GATES <<< "$GATES_CSV"
+
+          echo "head_sha=${HEAD_SHA}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          echo "Checking gates on SHA ${HEAD_SHA}"
+
+          ALL_GREEN=true
+          for gate_raw in "${GATES[@]}"; do
+            gate="${gate_raw## }"
+            gate="${gate%% }"
+            if [ -z "$gate" ]; then
+              continue
+            fi
+
+            # Query the most recent run of this workflow on this SHA.
+            # event=push to avoid picking up PR runs. branch filter
+            # guards against someone dispatching the gate on a non-
+            # source branch at the same SHA.
+            RESULT=$(gh run list \
+              --repo "$REPO" \
+              --workflow "$gate" \
+              --branch "$SOURCE_BRANCH" \
+              --event push \
+              --commit "$HEAD_SHA" \
+              --limit 1 \
+              --json status,conclusion \
+              --jq '.[0] | "\(.status)/\(.conclusion // "none")"' \
+              2>/dev/null || echo "missing/none")
+
+            echo "  $gate → $RESULT"
+
+            # Only completed/success counts. Anything else aborts.
+            if [ "$RESULT" != "completed/success" ]; then
+              ALL_GREEN=false
+            fi
+          done
+
+          echo "all_green=${ALL_GREEN}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          if [ "$ALL_GREEN" != "true" ]; then
+            echo "::notice::auto-promote: not all gates are green on ${HEAD_SHA} — staying on current ${{ inputs.target-branch }}"
+          fi
+
+  promote:
+    needs: check-all-gates-green
+    if: needs.check-all-gates-green.outputs.all_green == 'true'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Check rollout gate
+        env:
+          ENABLED_VAR_NAME: ${{ inputs.enabled-var }}
+          ENABLED_VAR_VALUE: ${{ vars[inputs.enabled-var] }}
+          FORCE: ${{ inputs.force }}
+        run: |
+          set -eu
+          # Caller repo controls rollout via the named variable.
+          # Default name is AUTO_PROMOTE_ENABLED; callers can override.
+          if [ "${ENABLED_VAR_VALUE:-}" != "true" ] && [ "${FORCE:-false}" != "true" ]; then
+            {
+              echo "## ⏸ Auto-promote disabled"
+              echo
+              echo "Repo variable \`${ENABLED_VAR_NAME}\` is not set to \`true\`."
+              echo "All gates are green on ${{ inputs.source-branch }}; would have opened a promote PR to \`${{ inputs.target-branch }}\`."
+              echo
+              echo "To enable: Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → Variables → \`${ENABLED_VAR_NAME}=true\`."
+              echo "To test once manually: workflow_dispatch with \`force=true\`."
+            } >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+            echo "::notice::auto-promote disabled — dry run only"
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
+      - name: Open (or reuse) ${{ inputs.source-branch }} → ${{ inputs.target-branch }} promote PR + enable auto-merge
+        if: ${{ vars[inputs.enabled-var] == 'true' || inputs.force == true }}
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
+          TARGET_SHA: ${{ needs.check-all-gates-green.outputs.head_sha }}
+          SOURCE_BRANCH: ${{ inputs.source-branch }}
+          TARGET_BRANCH: ${{ inputs.target-branch }}
+          MERGE_METHOD: ${{ inputs.merge-method }}
+          GATES_CSV: ${{ inputs.gates }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+
+          # Look for an existing open promote PR (idempotent on re-run).
+          # The PR's head IS the source branch — the whole point is
+          # "advance target to source's tip", so we don't need a per-SHA
+          # branch like auto-sync-main-to-staging.yml uses.
+          PR_NUM=$(gh pr list --repo "$REPO" \
+            --base "$TARGET_BRANCH" --head "$SOURCE_BRANCH" --state open \
+            --json number --jq '.[0].number // ""')
+
+          if [ -z "$PR_NUM" ]; then
+            TITLE="${SOURCE_BRANCH} → ${TARGET_BRANCH}: auto-promote ${TARGET_SHA:0:7}"
+            BODY_FILE=$(mktemp)
+            cat > "$BODY_FILE" <<EOFBODY
+          Automated promotion of \`${SOURCE_BRANCH}\` (\`${TARGET_SHA:0:8}\`) to \`${TARGET_BRANCH}\`. Required gates green at this SHA: ${GATES_CSV}.
+
+          This PR is auto-generated by a thin caller of \`Molecule-AI/molecule-ci/.github/workflows/auto-promote-staging-pr.yml\` whenever every required gate completes green on the same source-branch SHA. It exists because protected branches require status checks "set by the expected GitHub apps" — direct \`git push\` from a workflow can't satisfy that, only PR merges through the queue can.
+
+          Merge queue lands this; no human action needed unless gates fail.
+          EOFBODY
+            PR_URL=$(gh pr create --repo "$REPO" \
+              --base "$TARGET_BRANCH" --head "$SOURCE_BRANCH" \
+              --title "$TITLE" \
+              --body-file "$BODY_FILE")
+            PR_NUM=$(echo "$PR_URL" | grep -oE '[0-9]+$' | tail -1)
+            rm -f "$BODY_FILE"
+            echo "::notice::Opened PR #${PR_NUM}"
+          else
+            echo "::notice::Re-using existing promote PR #${PR_NUM}"
+          fi
+
+          # Enable auto-merge — the merge queue picks it up once
+          # required gates are green on the merge_group ref.
+          if ! gh pr merge "$PR_NUM" --repo "$REPO" --auto --"$MERGE_METHOD" 2>&1; then
+            echo "::warning::Failed to enable auto-merge on PR #${PR_NUM} — operator may need to merge manually."
+          fi
+
+          {
+            echo "## ✅ Auto-promote PR opened"
+            echo
+            echo "- Source: \`${SOURCE_BRANCH}\` at \`${TARGET_SHA:0:8}\`"
+            echo "- Target: \`${TARGET_BRANCH}\`"
+            echo "- PR: #${PR_NUM}"
+            echo
+            echo "Merge queue lands the PR once required gates are green; no human action needed unless gates fail."
+          } >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"