YAML Syntax

Every TinyOps rule is defined as a single YAML file. This page covers the complete schema, required and optional fields, naming conventions, and a fully annotated example.

Rule Structure

A rule file has four top-level sections:

rule-structure.yaml


name: rule-name
trigger: { ... }
condition: { ... }   # optional
action: { ... }

Field	Required	Description
`name`	Yes	Unique identifier for the rule. Lowercase, hyphenated.
`trigger`	Yes	The event that starts execution. See Triggers.
`condition`	No	A check that must pass before the action runs. See Conditions.
`action`	Yes	The operation to perform. See Actions.

Conditions are optional. If you omit the condition block, the action fires every time the trigger activates.

Naming Conventions

Rule names must be lowercase with hyphens separating words (e.g., stale-pr-alert, deploy-rollback).
Names should be descriptive and indicate what the rule does.
Names must be unique within an organization.

Field Reference

trigger

Defines when the rule executes. Exactly one trigger type must be specified.

trigger-field.yaml


trigger:
  type: schedule | webhook | poll
  # Additional fields depend on the type

See Triggers for full details on each type.

condition

Defines a check against a provider’s data. The action only runs if the condition passes.

condition-field.yaml


condition:
  provider: github | vercel | supabase
  check: string        # provider-specific check name
  operator: string     # comparison operator
  value: string | number | boolean  # optional comparison value
  repo: string         # optional, for GitHub provider

See Conditions for all operators and provider checks.

action

Defines what happens when the rule fires.

action-field.yaml


action:
  provider: github | vercel | slack | email
  method: string       # provider-specific method name
  params:              # method-specific parameters (object)
    key: value

Action params support template variables for dynamic values.

Complete Annotated Example

stale-pr-alert.yaml


# Rule name: unique identifier, lowercase with hyphens
name: stale-pr-alert
 
# Trigger: runs weekdays at 9:00 AM UTC
trigger:
  type: schedule
  cron: "0 9 * * 1-5"
 
# Condition: check if any PR is older than 3 days
condition:
  provider: github
  check: pr.age
  operator: gt
  value: 3
  repo: acme/webapp
 
# Action: send a Slack notification
action:
  provider: slack
  method: send_message
  params:
    channel: "#engineering"
    text: "There are stale PRs older than 3 days in acme/webapp. Current age: {{condition.result}} days."

Minimal Example (No Condition)

When you want an action to fire on every trigger without any check:

release-notification.yaml


name: release-notification
 
trigger:
  type: webhook
  event: release
  source: generic
 
action:
  provider: slack
  method: send_message
  params:
    channel: "#releases"
    text: "New release published at {{now}}. Payload: {{trigger.data}}"

Value Types

Type	Examples	Used in
`string`	`"0 9 * * 1-5"`, `"github.pull_request.opened"`	trigger fields, condition value, action params
`number`	`3`, `50`, `500`	condition value
`boolean`	`true`, `false`	condition value
`object`	`{ channel: "#eng", text: "..." }`	action params

Cron expressions and strings containing special characters should always be wrapped in quotes to avoid YAML parsing issues.

Next Steps

Triggers for schedule, webhook, and poll configuration
Conditions for operators and provider checks
Actions for available methods per provider
Template Variables for dynamic values in action params