issue-triage

name	issue-triage
description	Use when a bug report, error message, alert, or issue needs classification, deduplication, severity, ownership, refinement, and reusable triage learning before implementation.

Issue Triage

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• A new bug report or error arrives without clear categorization.
• The user asks whether an issue is known or where it belongs.
• An unlabeled backlog needs sorting.
• A crash report or alert needs classification.

Do not use when the issue is already labeled, assigned, deduplicated, and actionable. Do not use to fix the bug.

Rule

Triage is classification, not solution. Answer: Is this real? Is this known? Who should fix it?

Workflow

1. Read the issue and capture symptom, environment, version, frequency, and component.
2. Search for duplicates in the tracker and recent fixes when available.
3. Classify severity by user/data impact.
4. Apply labels/tags and ownership.
5. Request missing reproduction or environment details with a focused ask.
6. Document the triage decision and next action.
7. Capture reusable triage learning when classification revealed a recurring trap or rule.

Triage Template

Duplicate: <none | issue link>
Severity: <P0 | P1 | P2 | P3> because <impact>
Component: <area>
Owner: <team/person | unknown>
Missing Info: <none | requested detail>
Next Action: <diagnose | close | wait for info | route>

Learning Capture

Use canonical/learning-template.md when triage reveals a reusable classification rule, ownership rule, severity trap, or routing pattern.

Raw triage learnings go to specs/memory/sessions/learning-YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>.md. Durable promotion requires memory-promotion approval.

Constraints

• Do not debug during triage unless the fix is an obvious one-liner and user asked for it.
• Do not close without a reason.
• Do not leave issues ownerless; use a queue when ownership is unknown.
• Do not guess severity; justify it by impact.

Verification Checklist

• Duplicate search performed or marked unavailable.
• Severity justified by impact.
• Component and owner recorded.
• Missing info requested if needed.
• Triage decision documented.
• Reusable learning captured or intentionally skipped.

Related Skills

• diagnose — debug after triage.
• task-to-issues — create issues from unstructured text.
• memory-promotion — promote reusable triage knowledge.