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Getting Started

Installation​

GrillMyCode is a GitHub Action — there is nothing to install. Add a workflow file to the student or assessment repository to get started.

Minimal workflow​

name: Code Assessment
on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, synchronize]

jobs:
  generate-questions:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: read
      pull-requests: write  # required to post the PR comment
      models: read          # required to call GitHub Models API
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0    # full history required for diff resolution

      - uses: NSCC-ITC-Assessment/GrillMyCode@v1
        with:
          github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Copy this file to .github/workflows/grill-my-code.yml in the student repository. No secrets need to be created — GitHub Models (the default AI provider) authenticates with the built-in GITHUB_TOKEN.

Choosing a trigger event​

TriggerWhen to use
pull_requestStudents submit work via pull requests (recommended)
pushStudents work directly on a branch without opening a PR
issue_commentRe-trigger from a PR comment

See Example Workflows for ready-to-use files for each scenario.

Customising the questions​

Use additional_context to give the AI assignment-specific instructions:

- uses: NSCC-ITC-Assessment/GrillMyCode@v1
  with:
    github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
    num_questions: '8'
    additional_context: 'Assignment 3 — Python list comprehensions. Focus on when list comprehensions are appropriate versus when a regular loop should be preferred.'

Choosing an AI provider​

The default provider is GitHub Models — no setup required. To use OpenAI, OpenRouter, or Azure OpenAI, see the AI Providers page.

Next steps​