discuss/spike: GitHub composed action setup vs GitHub workflows

Overview

Investigate and decide on the architectural approach for CI/CD tooling: should we use GitHub composite actions or reusable GitHub workflows? This decision directly impacts how very_good_workflows is structured and maintained going forward.

Background

Both approaches allow us to share CI/CD logic across repositories, but they have different trade-offs in terms of flexibility, composability, visibility, and maintenance overhead.

Questions to Answer

• What are the practical differences between composite actions and reusable workflows for our use cases?
• Which approach scales better as the number of repos and workflow variants grows?
• Are there cases where one is clearly preferred over the other?
• What would a migration look like if we decide to switch or mix both approaches?

Tasks

• Research composite actions vs reusable workflows (capabilities, limitations, gotchas)
• Audit current very_good_workflows usage patterns across VGV repos
• Prototype a composite action equivalent for one existing reusable workflow
• Document findings and recommendation
• Align with the team and make a decision

Start by reviewing the repository's existing reusable workflow usage across Very Good Ventures repositories, then compare GitHub composite actions with reusable workflows using the listed questions. Prototype a composite-action equivalent for one existing reusable workflow, document the findings and recommendation, and seek team alignment on the final decision.