sync-labels

name	sync-labels
description	Synchronizes issue and PR labels (kind, priority, status, changes) using repo rules and observes CI-managed size labels; use when triaging, implementing, or preparing review.

Sync Labels Skill

Owner/Contact

• Repo maintainers (e.g., @mrlunchbox777).

Purpose

Keep issue and PR labels aligned with repository conventions and current workflow state.

When to use

• After creating a new issue or PR.
• After meaningful scope changes (new files, refactor, added bug fix/security work).
• Before requesting review and before merge.

Prerequisites

• Tools: gh CLI authenticated for issues and pull requests.
• Label families exist in the repository (kind/*, priority/*, status/*, changes/*, size/*).

Inputs

• Target issue number, PR number, or linked issue+PR pair.
• Optional explicit status intent (status/triage, status/doing, status/review) when user is intentionally transitioning state.
• Optional priority override signal only when user explicitly declares security/CVE urgency.

Required context

• Semantic type definitions from .github/semantic.yml.
• File-to-label mapping rules from .github/labeler.yaml.
• Current labels and updatedAt values for target issue/PR to resolve status precedence.

Managed Label Families

• kind/*
• priority/*
• status/*
• changes/*
• size/* (PR observed-only; never mutate on PR, always remove from issues)

Source Rules

1) Changes labels

• If there is a linked PR: derive changes/* from files actually changed in the PR.
• If there is no PR yet: derive changes/* from files intended by the issue scope/body.
• Follow repository mapping in .github/labeler.yaml.

2) Kind labels

• PR kind is derived from semantic definitions in .github/semantic.yml types:
  • feature -> kind/feature
  • bug -> kind/bug
  • chore -> kind/chore
  • documentation -> kind/chore
  • attribution -> kind/attribution
• Issue kind is valid if it is one of:
  • kind/feature, kind/bug, kind/chore, kind/support, kind/attribution
• kind/support is issue-template-only and has no direct semantic PR type equivalent.
• If issue and PR kind differ, stop and raise to user for manual resolution.
• Never auto-convert kind/support to another kind.

3) Priority labels

• Apply based on impact importance:
  • CVE/security vulnerability work -> priority/1
  • Bug fix work -> priority/2
  • Feature work -> priority/3
  • Chore/documentation/support maintenance -> priority/4
  • Nice-to-have cleanup/refactor-only -> priority/5
• If both issue and PR exist, use highest priority implied by either scope.

4) Size labels

• Size labels are controlled by PR CI via the size-label job in .github/workflows/labeler.yaml.
• Never add, remove, or override size/* on PRs.
• Always remove size/* labels from issues when present.
• Never copy size/* from PR to issue.

5) Status labels

• New issue starts as status/triage.
• Active implementation is status/doing.
• Ready for review is status/review.
• When both issue and PR exist and statuses differ, use the most recently updated artifact as source-of-truth and sync the other.

6) Conflict examples

• Example conflict: issue kind/support + PR semantic feature -> stop and ask user which kind/workflow should be canonical.

Steps

1. Identify target artifact(s): issue only, PR only, or linked issue+PR.
2. Collect current labels on both artifacts.
3. Determine managed labels from rules above.
4. Remove stale labels within managed families, excluding any mutation of PR size/*; remove size/* from issues if present.
5. Apply computed labels to issue and PR (respecting family-specific rules).
6. If kind mismatch or ambiguous priority/status is detected, stop and ask user to resolve.
7. Post a short sync comment summarizing what changed and why.

Safety Rules

• Do not modify non-managed labels.
• Do not guess kind when semantic signal is conflicting; escalate to user.
• Do not add, remove, or change PR size/* labels.
• Always remove accidental size/* labels from issues.

Outputs

• Issue/PR labels synchronized across managed families.
• Short summary including:
  • labels added
  • labels removed
  • unresolved conflicts requiring user decision