Triage

Move issues on the project issue tracker through a small state machine of triage roles.

Every comment or issue posted to the issue tracker during triage must start with this disclaimer:

> *This was generated by AI during triage.*

Roles

Two category roles:

• bug — something is broken
• enhancement — new feature or improvement

Five state roles:

• needs-triage — maintainer needs to evaluate
• needs-info — waiting on reporter for more information
• ready-for-agent — fully specified, ready for an AFK agent
• ready-for-human — needs human implementation
• wontfix — will not be actioned

Every triaged issue should carry exactly one category role and one state role. If state roles conflict, flag it and ask Andy before doing anything else.

These are canonical role names — the actual label strings in the issue tracker may differ. Map them on first use and remember the mapping in the project README or .github/triage-labels.md.

State transitions

Unlabeled → needs-triage. From needs-triage it moves to needs-info, ready-for-agent, ready-for-human, or wontfix. needs-info returns to needs-triage once the reporter replies. Andy can override at any time — flag unusual transitions and ask.

Invocation

Andy invokes triage and describes what he wants in natural language. Examples:

• "Show me anything that needs my attention"
• "Let's look at #42"
• "Move #42 to ready-for-agent"
• "What's ready for agents to pick up?"

Show what needs attention

Query the issue tracker and present three buckets, oldest first:

1. Unlabeled — never triaged
2. needs-triage — evaluation in progress
3. needs-info with reporter activity since the last triage notes — needs re-evaluation

Show counts and a one-line summary per issue. Let Andy pick.

Triage a specific issue

1. Gather context. Read the full issue (body, comments, labels, reporter, dates). Parse any prior triage notes so you don't re-ask resolved questions. Explore the codebase using the project's domain glossary, respecting ADRs. If there's an .out-of-scope/ directory, read it and surface any prior rejection that resembles this issue.
2. Recommend. Tell Andy your category and state recommendation with reasoning, plus a brief codebase summary relevant to the issue. Wait for direction.
3. Reproduce (bugs only). Before any grilling, attempt reproduction. Report what happened — successful repro with code path, failed repro, or insufficient detail (a strong needs-info signal).
4. Grill (if needed). If the issue needs fleshing out, run a grilling conversation à la grill-with-docs.
5. Apply the outcome:
   • ready-for-agent → post an agent brief comment (template below)
   • ready-for-human → same structure as agent brief, note why it can't be delegated
   • needs-info → post triage notes (template below)
   • wontfix (bug) → polite explanation, then close
   • wontfix (enhancement) → write to .out-of-scope/<slug>.md, link from the closing comment
   • needs-triage → apply the role. Optional comment if there's partial progress.

Quick state override

If Andy says "move #42 to ready-for-agent", trust him and apply directly. Confirm what you're about to do (role changes, comment, close), then act. Skip grilling. If moving to ready-for-agent without a grilling session, ask whether he wants to write an agent brief.

Needs-info template

> *This was generated by AI during triage.*

## Triage Notes

**What we've established so far:**
- point 1
- point 2

**What we still need from you (@reporter):**
- question 1
- question 2

Capture everything resolved during grilling under "established so far". Questions must be specific and actionable, not "please provide more info".

Agent brief template

> *This was generated by AI during triage.*

## Agent Brief

**Context.** <1–3 sentences situating the change in the codebase.>

**What to build.** <End-to-end behaviour, not layer-by-layer.>

**Touch points.** <Files / modules the change will likely involve.>

**Tests.** <What good tests look like for this change.>

**Out of scope.** <Anything explicitly excluded.>

Resuming a previous session

If prior triage notes exist on the issue, read them, check whether the reporter has answered any outstanding questions, and present an updated picture before continuing. Don't re-ask resolved questions.

Source

Imported from mattpocock/skills — 05-21-26. Helper files (AGENT-BRIEF.md, OUT-OF-SCOPE.md) summarised inline as templates and behaviour.

Integrates with

• 03 - Skills & Rules/Specialists/inbox-sweeper.md — companion for vault-side inbox (not issue-tracker)
• 03 - Skills & Rules/Skills/to-prd.md — when an enhancement needs a full PRD before slicing
• 03 - Skills & Rules/Skills/to-issues.md — when a triaged enhancement needs vertical-slicing