Gate book PDF downloads behind Substack

.github/prompts/release-content.prompt.md

@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ refresh, first run `.github/prompts/update-book.prompt.md`.
 ## After the human merges
 
 `validate-book.yml` builds and gates the exact artifacts consumed by both publishing
-workflows. `deploy-pages.yml` publishes that site/PDF without rebuilding;
+workflows. `deploy-pages.yml` publishes the online site without the gated PDF;
 `release-content.yml` creates `content-v<edition>` with the matching
 `gh-aw-book-v<edition>.pdf` and changelog notes. Verify both workflow outcomes, the release
 asset, and the live version-history page before calling the edition published.

.github/workflows/deploy-pages.yml

@@ -39,13 +39,16 @@ jobs:
     permissions:
       contents: write
     steps:
-      - name: Download the validated site, analytics beacon, and PDF
+      - name: Download the validated site and analytics beacon
         uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
         with:
           name: validated-pages
           path: artifact
 
-      - name: Publish the exact validated site to gh-pages
+      - name: Remove the gated PDF from the public site
+        run: rm -f artifact/site/gh-aw-book.pdf
+
+      - name: Publish the validated site to gh-pages
         run: |
           cd artifact/site
           touch .nojekyll

.gitignore

@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ __pycache__/
 dist/
 build/
 
-# Downloadable book PDF — a binary build artifact rendered from site/book.html by
-# scripts/build_pdf.py (in CI on every deploy, and locally on demand). It is
-# published to gh-pages but not committed to main.
+# Book PDF — a binary build artifact rendered from site/book.html by
+# scripts/build_pdf.py for release assets and local use. It is not committed to main
+# or published on the public website.
 site/gh-aw-book.pdf
 
 # Playwright browser-download marker (browsers install to a shared cache, not here)

README.md

@@ -256,13 +256,14 @@ python scripts\verify_examples.py --compiler <absolute-gh-aw-executable>
 
 ---
 
-## Download the book as a PDF
+## Get the book as a PDF
 
-The whole book is also available as a **single downloadable PDF**, linked from the site (home page
-"Download PDF", the reader nav, and every chapter). It is rendered from a **single-page edition**
-(`site/book.html`, which `site/generate.py` produces alongside the chapter pages) using headless
-Chromium via [Playwright](https://playwright.dev/python/), so code blocks keep their syntax
-highlighting and the PDF carries page numbers and a chapter outline.
+The whole book is available as a **single downloadable PDF** through the
+[Substack download page](https://isainative.substack.com/p/free-agentic-workflows-book). The
+website links to that gated page rather than publishing the PDF directly. The PDF is rendered from
+a **single-page edition** (`site/book.html`, which `site/generate.py` produces alongside the chapter
+pages) using headless Chromium via [Playwright](https://playwright.dev/python/), so code blocks keep
+their syntax highlighting and the PDF carries page numbers and a chapter outline.
 
 ```powershell
 # 1. (re)generate the site, including site/book.html (the PDF's source)
@@ -275,10 +276,10 @@ python scripts/build_pdf.py
 ```
 
 The PDF (`site/gh-aw-book.pdf`) is a **binary build artifact**: it is gitignored, not committed to
-`main`. On every push that changes the book, the deploy workflow
-([`.github/workflows/deploy-pages.yml`](.github/workflows/deploy-pages.yml)) regenerates it right
-after `generate.py` and publishes it to the live site — so the downloadable PDF always matches the
-current book.
+`main`, and removed before the site is published. The deploy workflow
+([`.github/workflows/deploy-pages.yml`](.github/workflows/deploy-pages.yml)) still validates the
+single-page source and release tooling, while the public site sends readers to the gated Substack
+page.
 
 ---
 

scripts/README.md

@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ not committed sources.
 helpers, release/evidence contract, pinned whole-corpus compilation, and HTML/PDF generation.
 The PR still needs human review/merge; these workflows do not configure branch protection.
 
-After merge, `deploy-pages.yml` publishes the current online/PDF edition and
+After merge, `deploy-pages.yml` publishes the current online edition and
 `release-content.yml` publishes its matching tag, changelog notes, and versioned PDF.
 Both consume the exact artifacts produced by validation instead of rebuilding afterward.
 The release workflow also evaluates content/example/tooling pushes; a complete existing

site/book.html

@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@
 </head>
 <body class="book">
   <div class="book-toolbar" role="toolbar" aria-label="Book actions">
-    <a class="book-btn book-btn--primary" href="gh-aw-book.pdf">↓ Download PDF</a>
+    <a class="book-btn book-btn--primary" href="https://isainative.substack.com/p/free-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get the free PDF</a>
     <button class="book-btn" type="button" onclick="window.print()">Print / Save as PDF</button>
     <a class="book-btn" href="index.html">← Back to the web edition</a>
   </div>
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@
     <h1 class="book-cover-title">GitHub Agentic Workflows</h1>
     <p class="book-cover-sub">A progressive guide that starts with agentic-workflow concepts and builds toward GitHub Agentic Workflows authoring, compilation, MCP tools, safe outputs, and CI hosting.</p>
     <p class="book-cover-author">By <strong>Maxim Salnikov</strong> · Microsoft</p>
-    <p class="book-cover-meta"><a href="https://aw.isainative.dev/versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> · 14 chapters · Single-page edition · Generated 2026-09-16</p>
+    <p class="book-cover-meta"><a href="https://aw.isainative.dev/versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> · 14 chapters · Single-page edition · Generated 2026-09-20</p>
     <p class="book-cover-meta"><a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></p>
   </header>
 

site/chapters/anatomy-and-compile-model.html

@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@
 
     <div class="content-shell">
       <header class="chapter-header">
-        <nav class="breadcrumb" aria-label="Breadcrumb"><a href="../index.html">Home</a> / Chapter 3 <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="../gh-aw-book.pdf">Download PDF</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></nav>
+        <nav class="breadcrumb" aria-label="Breadcrumb"><a href="../index.html">Home</a> / Chapter 3 <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="https://isainative.substack.com/p/free-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get the free PDF</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></nav>
         <p class="fm"><span class="fm-k">chapter:</span> <span class="fm-v">03</span><span class="fm-sep">·</span><span class="fm-k">part:</span> <span class="fm-v">The Individual (one workflow)</span></p>
         <h1>Anatomy &amp; the Compile Model</h1>
         <p class="lead">Read any workflow&#x27;s frontmatter + Markdown, run the compile-and-iterate loop, and understand what the generated .lock.yml contains.</p>
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ <h2 id="recap-and-what-s-next"><a class="anchor-link" href="#recap-and-what-s-ne
       </main>
 
       <footer class="site-footer chapter-footer">
-        <p>By <strong>Maxim Salnikov</strong> · Microsoft · <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/webmax/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a> · <a href="https://github.com/webmaxru/github-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Book repository on GitHub ↗</a> · <a href="../gh-aw-book.pdf">Download the PDF</a> · <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> · <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></p>
+        <p>By <strong>Maxim Salnikov</strong> · Microsoft · <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/webmax/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a> · <a href="https://github.com/webmaxru/github-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Book repository on GitHub ↗</a> · <a href="https://isainative.substack.com/p/free-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get the free PDF</a> · <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> · <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></p>
       </footer>
     </div>
   </div>

site/chapters/continuous-review-and-testing.html

@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@
 
     <div class="content-shell">
       <header class="chapter-header">
-        <nav class="breadcrumb" aria-label="Breadcrumb"><a href="../index.html">Home</a> / Chapter 10 <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="../gh-aw-book.pdf">Download PDF</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></nav>
+        <nav class="breadcrumb" aria-label="Breadcrumb"><a href="../index.html">Home</a> / Chapter 10 <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="https://isainative.substack.com/p/free-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get the free PDF</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></nav>
         <p class="fm"><span class="fm-k">chapter:</span> <span class="fm-v">10</span><span class="fm-sep">·</span><span class="fm-k">part:</span> <span class="fm-v">The Team (safe, reviewed, patterned)</span></p>
         <h1>Continuous Review, Testing &amp; CI-Doctor</h1>
         <p class="lead">Close the quality loop with Review, Testing, CI-Doctor, and Refactoring patterns while keeping humans on the merge decision.</p>
@@ -383,7 +383,7 @@ <h2 id="recap-and-what-s-next"><a class="anchor-link" href="#recap-and-what-s-ne
       </main>
 
       <footer class="site-footer chapter-footer">
-        <p>By <strong>Maxim Salnikov</strong> · Microsoft · <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/webmax/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a> · <a href="https://github.com/webmaxru/github-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Book repository on GitHub ↗</a> · <a href="../gh-aw-book.pdf">Download the PDF</a> · <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> · <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></p>
+        <p>By <strong>Maxim Salnikov</strong> · Microsoft · <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/webmax/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a> · <a href="https://github.com/webmaxru/github-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Book repository on GitHub ↗</a> · <a href="https://isainative.substack.com/p/free-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get the free PDF</a> · <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> · <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></p>
       </footer>
     </div>
   </div>

site/chapters/continuous-triage-and-docs.html

@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@
 
     <div class="content-shell">
       <header class="chapter-header">
-        <nav class="breadcrumb" aria-label="Breadcrumb"><a href="../index.html">Home</a> / Chapter 9 <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="../gh-aw-book.pdf">Download PDF</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></nav>
+        <nav class="breadcrumb" aria-label="Breadcrumb"><a href="../index.html">Home</a> / Chapter 9 <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="https://isainative.substack.com/p/free-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get the free PDF</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></nav>
         <p class="fm"><span class="fm-k">chapter:</span> <span class="fm-v">09</span><span class="fm-sep">·</span><span class="fm-k">part:</span> <span class="fm-v">The Team (safe, reviewed, patterned)</span></p>
         <h1>Continuous Triage &amp; Docs: Reading the Room</h1>
         <p class="lead">Ship two production-shaped patterns — Continuous Triage and Continuous Docs — as mini-products the Repo Assistant runs on its own.</p>
@@ -418,7 +418,7 @@ <h2 id="recap-and-what-s-next"><a class="anchor-link" href="#recap-and-what-s-ne
       </main>
 
       <footer class="site-footer chapter-footer">
-        <p>By <strong>Maxim Salnikov</strong> · Microsoft · <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/webmax/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a> · <a href="https://github.com/webmaxru/github-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Book repository on GitHub ↗</a> · <a href="../gh-aw-book.pdf">Download the PDF</a> · <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> · <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></p>
+        <p>By <strong>Maxim Salnikov</strong> · Microsoft · <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/webmax/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a> · <a href="https://github.com/webmaxru/github-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Book repository on GitHub ↗</a> · <a href="https://isainative.substack.com/p/free-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get the free PDF</a> · <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> · <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></p>
       </footer>
     </div>
   </div>

site/chapters/defense-in-depth.html

@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@
 
     <div class="content-shell">
       <header class="chapter-header">
-        <nav class="breadcrumb" aria-label="Breadcrumb"><a href="../index.html">Home</a> / Chapter 7 <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="../gh-aw-book.pdf">Download PDF</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></nav>
+        <nav class="breadcrumb" aria-label="Breadcrumb"><a href="../index.html">Home</a> / Chapter 7 <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="https://isainative.substack.com/p/free-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get the free PDF</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></nav>
         <p class="fm"><span class="fm-k">chapter:</span> <span class="fm-v">07</span><span class="fm-sep">·</span><span class="fm-k">part:</span> <span class="fm-v">The Team (safe, reviewed, patterned)</span></p>
         <h1>Defense in Depth: Permissions, Firewall &amp; Strict Mode</h1>
         <p class="lead">Reduce a workflow&#x27;s authority and exposure with least-privilege permissions, runtime isolation, egress controls, and strict mode while explaining the remaining risks.</p>
@@ -376,7 +376,7 @@ <h2 id="recap-and-what-s-next"><a class="anchor-link" href="#recap-and-what-s-ne
       </main>
 
       <footer class="site-footer chapter-footer">
-        <p>By <strong>Maxim Salnikov</strong> · Microsoft · <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/webmax/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a> · <a href="https://github.com/webmaxru/github-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Book repository on GitHub ↗</a> · <a href="../gh-aw-book.pdf">Download the PDF</a> · <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> · <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></p>
+        <p>By <strong>Maxim Salnikov</strong> · Microsoft · <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/webmax/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a> · <a href="https://github.com/webmaxru/github-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Book repository on GitHub ↗</a> · <a href="https://isainative.substack.com/p/free-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get the free PDF</a> · <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> · <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></p>
       </footer>
     </div>
   </div>

site/chapters/engines.html

@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@
 
     <div class="content-shell">
       <header class="chapter-header">
-        <nav class="breadcrumb" aria-label="Breadcrumb"><a href="../index.html">Home</a> / Chapter 5 <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="../gh-aw-book.pdf">Download PDF</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></nav>
+        <nav class="breadcrumb" aria-label="Breadcrumb"><a href="../index.html">Home</a> / Chapter 5 <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="https://isainative.substack.com/p/free-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get the free PDF</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> <span class="fm-sep">·</span> <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></nav>
         <p class="fm"><span class="fm-k">chapter:</span> <span class="fm-v">05</span><span class="fm-sep">·</span><span class="fm-k">part:</span> <span class="fm-v">The Individual (one workflow)</span></p>
         <h1>Engines: Choosing the Agent&#x27;s Brain</h1>
         <p class="lead">Select and configure Copilot, Claude, Codex, Gemini, or Pi, control CLI/model selection, and distinguish portable intent from engine-specific runtime requirements.</p>
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ <h2 id="recap-and-what-s-next"><a class="anchor-link" href="#recap-and-what-s-ne
       </main>
 
       <footer class="site-footer chapter-footer">
-        <p>By <strong>Maxim Salnikov</strong> · Microsoft · <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/webmax/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a> · <a href="https://github.com/webmaxru/github-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Book repository on GitHub ↗</a> · <a href="../gh-aw-book.pdf">Download the PDF</a> · <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> · <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></p>
+        <p>By <strong>Maxim Salnikov</strong> · Microsoft · <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/webmax/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a> · <a href="https://github.com/webmaxru/github-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Book repository on GitHub ↗</a> · <a href="https://isainative.substack.com/p/free-agentic-workflows-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get the free PDF</a> · <a href="../versions.html">Content edition v1.2</a> · <a href="https://github.com/github/gh-aw/releases/tag/v0.88.7">Verified with gh-aw v0.88.7</a></p>
       </footer>
     </div>
   </div>