triage

name	triage
description	Diagnose project health: classify issues by severity (BLOCKER/WARNING/NOTE) and recommend actions for stuck, overdue, or unwieldy backlogs. Invoked as /agiflow:triage. Uses list_tasks, list_active_tasks_by_org, list_work_units, get_project_detail.
tags	["agiflow","mcp","triage","diagnostics"]
metadata	{"mirrors":"backend/apis/agiflow-api .../prompts/triage.md"}

Invoked as /agiflow:triage. In hosts without slash-prompts, this skill is triggered by matching intent and drives AgiFlow via its MCP tools.

Usage:

• /agiflow:triage - Diagnose project health and surface actionable problems
• /agiflow:triage <project-slug-or-id> - Triage a specific project

Examples:

• /agiflow:triage (triage current project or org)
• /agiflow:triage my-project (triage specific project)

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Purpose Diagnose stalled, blocked, or unhealthy project states and recommend concrete actions. Also handles task lifecycle management: cancelling/archiving obsolete tasks, re-prioritizing (moving Todo tasks back to Planning), and fast-tracking incoming bugs. Real projects get stuck — this skill helps users identify WHY and decide WHAT TO DO, not just see status.

Guardrails

• Diagnose before prescribing — understand the problem before suggesting solutions.
• Surface problems by severity: blockers first, then warnings, then notes.
• Recommend specific actions (reassign, split, refine, cancel, re-prioritize) — not vague advice.
• Do not make changes automatically — present findings and let the user decide.
• When cancelling tasks, document the reason in a comment before changing status.

---

AgiFlow Project Management Guidelines

Follow the shared AgiFlow project-management guidelines in references/agiflow-agents.md — agent assignment, the task status workflow and transitions, work-unit best practices, and the tags strategy apply to this workflow.

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Steps

1. Load Project State

1. Use list_active_tasks_by_org MCP tool to get all active (non-completed) tasks across the organization.
2. Use list_work_units MCP tool to get work unit status overview.
3. Use list_members MCP tool to understand team capacity.
4. If a specific project is provided, use get_project_detail to focus on that project.

2. Identify Problems

5. Analyze the data and flag issues in these categories:

Stalled Work

• Tasks in "In Progress" with no recent devInfo updates (stalled execution)
• Work units in "in_progress" where no tasks have moved in a long time
• Tasks assigned to an agent but showing no activity

For each stalled item:

• When was it last updated?
• Is there a blocker documented in comments?
• Is the task too large (needs decomposition)?
• Is the assignee available?

Blocked Items

• Work units with status "blocked"
• Tasks with blocker comments but no follow-up
• Tasks that depend on other incomplete tasks

For each blocked item:

• What's the blocker? (check comments with list_task_comments)
• Can the blocker be resolved, worked around, or descoped?
• Should the blocked task be reassigned or split?

Quality Gaps

• Tasks with no acceptance criteria (unrefined)
• Tasks with vague descriptions ("implement feature X")
• High-priority tasks that are unassigned
• Work units with more than 8 tasks (too complex for one session)

Imbalance

• One agent assigned to too many in-progress tasks (context switching)
• All tasks "In Progress", nothing "Done" (no focus)
• High-priority items in backlog while low-priority items are being worked on

3. Severity Classification

6. Classify each finding:

Severity	Meaning	Action needed
BLOCKER	Prevents progress on critical path	Must resolve now
WARNING	Creates risk or inefficiency	Should resolve this sprint
NOTE	Improvement opportunity	Address when convenient

4. Recommend Actions

7. For each problem, recommend ONE specific action:

Problem	Recommended Action	Tool to Use
Task stalled, too large	Split into smaller tasks	batch_create_tasks + update_task (close original)
Task stalled, unclear scope	Refine the task	Suggest refine-task skill
Task blocked by dependency	Reorder or reassign	update_task to change assignee or priority
Work unit blocked	Create unblocking task	batch_create_tasks for the blocker fix
Task unrefined (no AC)	Add acceptance criteria	Suggest refine-task skill
Agent overloaded	Reassign tasks	update_task to change assignee
No focus (everything in-progress)	Pick ONE work unit to finish	update_task to deprioritize others
Wrong priorities being worked	Reprioritize backlog	update_task to adjust priorities
Task obsolete or descoped	Cancel with documented reason	create_task_comment (reason) + update_task (status: "cancelled")
Todo task needs re-scoping	Move back to Planning	update_task (status: "planning") for re-grooming
Incoming bug, urgent	Fast-track: create in Planning with bug: tag, high priority	create_task + suggest backlog-grooming to promote

5. Present Triage Report

8. Present findings to the user:

## Triage Report

**Scope:** [Organization / Project name]
**Date:** [current date]

### Summary
- Active tasks: [N]
- In progress: [N]
- Blocked: [N]
- Issues found: [N blockers, N warnings, N notes]

### Blockers (must resolve)
1. **[Task/WU slug]** — [problem description]
   - Recommendation: [specific action]
   - Impact: [what's affected if not resolved]

### Warnings (should resolve)
1. **[Task/WU slug]** — [problem description]
   - Recommendation: [specific action]

### Notes (nice to fix)
1. **[observation]** — [suggestion]

### Health Score
[Quick assessment: Healthy / Needs Attention / At Risk]

### Recommended Next Steps
1. [Most important action]
2. [Second most important action]
3. [Third action]

6. Execute (with user approval)

9. After presenting findings, ask the user which actions they want to take.
10. Execute approved actions using the appropriate MCP tools.
11. After changes, re-check state with list_active_tasks_by_org to confirm improvements.

---

Diagnostic Patterns

What you observe	What it usually means	What to do
40 tasks, no work units	Planned without organizing	Group into work units
Work units exist, all tasks "Todo"	Planned but not started	Pick one work unit, start execution
Everything "In Progress"	No focus, context switching	Finish ONE thing, then move on
High-priority items in backlog	Wrong things being worked on	Reprioritize and reassign
Tasks with no acceptance criteria	Unrefined, will fail in execution	Refine before assigning
Agent with 5+ in-progress tasks	Overloaded, nothing finishing	Limit WIP to 2-3 per agent
Completed tasks with unchecked AC	Rubber-stamped, not actually done	Review with review-work
Old tasks nobody mentions anymore	Scope changed, tasks are obsolete	Cancel with reason documented
Todo tasks that keep getting skipped	Wrong priority or unclear scope	Re-prioritize or move back to Planning
User reports a bug mid-sprint	Incoming bug needs fast-tracking	Create with bug: tag, high priority, suggest backlog-grooming

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Only reporting status without diagnosing root causes
• Suggesting vague actions ("improve task descriptions") instead of specific ones
• Making changes without user approval
• Ignoring blocked items (they don't unblock themselves)
• Not checking task comments for context on why things stalled
• Treating symptoms (reassigning a stalled task) without addressing causes (task was too vague)