| name | bug-triage |
| description | Triage open GitHub bug issues for Apify MCP server. Fetches issues, analyzes root causes, drafts developer-to-developer responses, and posts after user approval. Use when handling user bug reports, responding to issues, or cleaning up stale bugs. |
| argument-hint | [issue numbers] [--label <label>] [--all] |
| allowed-tools | ["Read","Glob","Grep","Bash","WebFetch","Agent"] |
Bug Triage
Triage open bug issues on apify/apify-mcp-server. Analyze, draft responses, get approval, post.
Permissions
- Read-only by default: listing issues (
gh issue list), viewing details and comments (gh issue view) — do these automatically, no need to ask.
- Write requires approval: commenting (
gh issue comment), closing (gh issue close), editing (gh issue edit) — always present the draft and wait for explicit user approval before executing.
Step 0: Parse arguments
$ARGUMENTS controls scope:
| Input | Behavior |
|---|
623 641 639 | Triage specific issue numbers |
--label bug | Triage all open issues with label (default: bug) |
--all | Triage all open bug-labeled issues |
| (empty) | Same as --all |
Step 1: Fetch issues
Use the arguments parsed in Step 0 to determine what to fetch.
If specific issue numbers were provided, skip the list queries and fetch each issue directly:
gh issue view <number> --repo apify/apify-mcp-server --comments
Otherwise (label mode, --all, or empty), fetch open bug reports. Use the label from Step 0 (default: bug). Bug reports come in two forms — find both:
- By label: issues with the parsed label
- By title prefix: issues with
[Bug] in the title (the bug report template adds this, but the label isn't always applied)
gh issue list --repo apify/apify-mcp-server --label <label> --state open --json number,title,labels,createdAt,body --limit 30
gh issue list --repo apify/apify-mcp-server --state open --search "[Bug] in:title" --json number,title,labels,createdAt,body --limit 30
Merge both lists and deduplicate by issue number.
For each issue, fetch full details including all comments (comments often contain the real context):
gh issue view <number> --repo apify/apify-mcp-server --comments
Always read comments before drafting a response. Previous team members may have already replied, asked for details, or provided workarounds. Don't duplicate existing responses.
Step 2: Categorize each issue
Assign one of these categories:
| Category | Criteria | Typical action |
|---|
| Known fix | Root cause is clear, documented fix exists | Draft response with fix, optionally close |
| Not our bug | Server logs show it works; issue is in the MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cowork, etc.) | Explain findings, suggest workaround |
| Duplicate | Same root cause as another open issue | Comment with link, close as duplicate |
| Needs info | No logs, no config, vague description | Ask for specifics |
| Stale | We asked for info, no reply for 2+ weeks | Close with helpful pointer |
| Actionable bug | Real server-side bug we need to fix | Acknowledge, investigate further |
Common root causes (from past triage)
These patterns recur. Check for them first:
-
SSE endpoint removed (April 1, 2026): Users on /sse URLs get connection failures. Fix: switch to https://mcp.apify.com (streamable HTTP).
-
"Tools connected but Claude ignores them": MCP server logs show successful handshake and tools/list, but Claude doesn't use the tools in conversation. This is a Claude Desktop/Cowork behavior, not an Apify server bug. Users need to explicitly ask Claude to use Apify tools.
-
"Unable to connect to extension server": Claude Desktop extension install issues. Usually caused by corrupted npx cache, Claude silently downgrading the extension, or Node.js not on the GUI app's PATH. Fix: use the remote server https://mcp.apify.com as a custom connector.
-
npx cache corruption: Stale cache prevents stdio server from starting. Fix: rm -rf ~/.npm/_npx (macOS/Linux) or rmdir /s /q %LOCALAPPDATA%\npm-cache\_npx (Windows).
-
Claude Desktop connector downgrade: Claude Desktop silently downgrades connectors to older versions. Fix: remove and re-add the connector.
Step 3: Draft response
Style rules:
- Developer-to-developer, plain language
- Concise — 3-8 lines typical, no fluff
- Acknowledge the issue and apologize briefly if the user is stuck
- Reference documentation when a fix or troubleshooting guide exists
- If the server works correctly (logs prove it), say so clearly
- If closing, explain why and point to where to go next
Key documentation links:
- Setup guide:
https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp
- Claude Desktop troubleshooting:
https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/claude-desktop#troubleshooting
- Configurator:
https://mcp.apify.com
Use Apify MCP tools (search-apify-docs, fetch-apify-docs) to find the right doc link if the issue touches a topic not covered above.
The default recommendation for connection issues is the remote server:
Add a custom connector in Claude Desktop with URL https://mcp.apify.com and follow the OAuth flow.
Step 4: Present and get approval
Present each issue to the user with:
- Issue number + title + link (
https://github.com/apify/apify-mcp-server/issues/<number>)
- Category (from Step 2)
- Summary — one line on what's going on
- Proposed response — the draft comment in a blockquote
- Proposed action — comment only / comment + close / close as duplicate of #X / skip
MANDATORY: Wait for explicit user approval before posting anything. Never post, close, or modify an issue without the user saying yes.
Step 5: Post
After approval:
gh issue comment <number> --repo apify/apify-mcp-server --body "<response>"
gh issue comment <number> --repo apify/apify-mcp-server --body "<response>" && \
gh issue close <number> --repo apify/apify-mcp-server
gh issue comment <number> --repo apify/apify-mcp-server --body "Closing as a duplicate of #<other> — same root cause. We'll track and update there." && \
gh issue close <number> --repo apify/apify-mcp-server
Then move to the next issue. After the last one, print a summary table:
| Issue | Category | Action taken |
|---|
| #623 | Known fix | Commented, SSE migration |
| #639 | Duplicate | Closed as dup of #641 |
| ... | ... | ... |