Triage Skill

Takes a GitHub issue from "user pasted a link" to "isolated worktree on its own branch, with a triage record committed to it." Does not diagnose the bug or design the fix — that comes after, in whatever workflow the triage outcome calls for (bug fix, doc update, "wai" answer, duplicate close, etc.).

When to use

User says any of:

• "triage issue #N" / "let's look at issue #N"
• pastes a github.com/quarto-dev/q2/issues/N URL and asks you to investigate
• "set up a worktree for issue #N"

Do not use for:

• Fixes the user already has scoped (just edit on main or an existing branch)
• Internal braid strands without an upstream GH issue (no triage doc needed; the strand description is the record)

Outcome: three durable artifacts

1. A worktree branch issue-<N> at .worktrees/issue-<N>/, with one commit containing the triage record (and any investigative fixtures).
2. A triage document at claude-notes/issue-reports/<N>/triage.md on that branch.
3. A braid strand (only if the triage concludes there is real work to do — see § Outcomes that don't get a braid strand).

Investigative artifacts (minimal repros, side-by-side fixtures, comparison outputs) live alongside the triage doc under claude-notes/issue-reports/<N>/ and are committed with it. They are part of the record, not throwaways.

Steps

1. Pre-flight: verify HEAD is green

cargo xtask verify --skip-hub-build

Catches "the bug is already there at HEAD" vs. "you introduced it" confusion later, and surfaces environment problems before the user is invested. If verify fails for a non-bootstrap reason, stop and tell the user. Do not start the triage on a broken HEAD. For fresh-clone bootstrap, see .claude/rules/worktrees.md § Fresh worktree bootstrap.

2. Read the issue

gh issue view <N> --repo quarto-dev/q2 --json title,body,author,createdAt,labels,comments

Read the body and every comment. If the issue contains multiple distinct reports (a list of unrelated bugs in one issue is common), confirm with the user which one(s) you're triaging. Capture that scope decision in the triage doc.

3. Create the worktree (skip if already inside it)

First, check if you're already in the right worktree. A CLAUDE.local.md whose **GitHub issue:** line matches #<N> means the worktree exists and you're in it — skip to step 4. Re-running cargo xtask create-worktree --issue <N> from there would fail (git worktree add errors on existing directories).

If you're in the main checkout or a different worktree, create it now:

cargo xtask create-worktree --issue <N>
# Creates the worktree and CLAUDE.local.md context stub.
# This step runs BEFORE the braid strand is created (step 6). The `--issue`
# template's `**Strand:**` line is a self-documenting placeholder pointing
# at `braid search <N>` / `braid create`. After step 6 creates the bd-XXXX,
# edit that line in CLAUDE.local.md manually to point at the new ID.
# Do NOT re-run the xtask with `<bd-id>` to "refresh" — that creates a
# separate worktree at `.worktrees/<bd-id>-<slug>` rather than
# updating this one.
# Fallback for fresh clones where the xtask is not yet built:
# see .claude/rules/worktrees.md § Manual bootstrap.

Branch + directory naming follows .claude/rules/worktrees.md § Branch naming (issue-<N> for triage). The worktree resolves the braid skein automatically (repo-root .braid.toml walk-up / committed .braid-project marker) — no per-worktree setup.

4. Bootstrap the worktree

See .claude/rules/worktrees.md § Fresh worktree bootstrap. Then re-run cargo xtask verify --skip-hub-build from inside the worktree to confirm green at branch HEAD.

5. Reproduce, investigate, write the triage doc

Create claude-notes/issue-reports/<N>/ and put inside it:

• repro.<ext> — the smallest input that triggers whatever the issue describes (a .qmd, a config snippet, a shell script, etc.).
• Any side-by-side comparison fixtures you generate while investigating. Name them descriptively (exp-prefix.qmd, exp-suffix.qmd, etc.).
• triage.md — see references/triage-doc-template.md for the template.

For diagnosing the actual bug (root cause, code locations, fix scope), this skill defers to the per-crate AGENTS.md files (e.g. crates/pampa/AGENTS.md for the TDD round-trip workflow). Do whatever investigation the issue calls for and capture the conclusions in the triage doc — but the skill itself is silent on how to diagnose.

6. Outcomes that don't get a braid strand

A braid strand is only created when the triage concludes there is concrete work to do in this repo. Skip the strand when:

• Working as intended. Triage doc explains why, and you (or the user) responds on the GH issue with the explanation.
• Duplicate. Triage doc points at the existing bd-XXXX. Optionally comment on the duplicate GH issue.
• Pure documentation update small enough to do in the same triage session — just do it and skip the strand.
• Need more info from the reporter. Triage doc captures what you don't yet know; you (or the user) ask the reporter on GH. Revisit when they respond.

When you do file a braid strand:

braid create "<headline> (issue #<N>)" -t bug|task|feature -p <0-4> -d "<description>"

braid prints the new strand id on stdout. The description should reference the triage doc path and the worktree branch. If you discovered any incidental work during triage, file each as its own strand and link with --deps related:<main-bd-id>.

7. Commit the triage record on the worktree branch

cd .worktrees/issue-<N>
git add -A
git commit -m "Triage issue #<N>: <one-line summary> (bd-XXXX)"

Captures the triage doc plus all investigative artifacts. Do not leave investigative files uncommitted — they are part of the record. If a fix follows in the same session, that fix is a separate commit on the same branch.

braid syncs the skein automatically on every command — there is nothing to commit for the strand created in step 6 (no .beads/ directory, no JSONL to stage). The branch commit above covers the durable code/doc artifacts.

8. Pushing for PR

See .claude/rules/worktrees.md § Pushing for PR. Local branch stays bare (issue-<N>); remote uses a prefix reflecting the work type.

Anti-patterns

• Skipping pre-flight verify. Hides bootstrap problems and pre-existing failures inside the triage.
• Putting investigative artifacts in /tmp or untracked paths. They are part of the durable record.
• Forcing a braid strand when the outcome is "working as intended" or "duplicate". A triage doc is enough; a stub strand is noise.
• Silent investigations. If you spend more than a few minutes exploring without finding the answer, surface what you've tried in the triage doc as evidence — even unanswered. The doc is a record of effort, not just conclusions.