triage
Read-Only Constraint
IMPORTANT: This skill performs READ-ONLY operations. Never use:
gh issue edit,gh issue close,gh pr mergegh api -X POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE- Any command that modifies issues, PRs, or labels
Report findings to the user; let them decide what actions to take.
Issue/PR Triage
Triage a GitHub issue or pull request by analyzing duplicates, documentation alignment, project fit, and recommending labels.
Usage
/triage <issue-or-pr-number>
Workflow
1. Fetch the Issue/PR
Use GitHub CLI to get full details:
# For issues
gh issue view <number> --json number,title,body,labels,state,author,createdAt
# For PRs
gh pr view <number> --json number,title,body,labels,state,author,createdAt,files,additions,deletions
Determine the type based on content: bug report, feature request, question, documentation issue, or pull request.
2. Duplicate and Prior Decision Search
Search for related closed issues and discussions:
# Search closed issues with relevant labels
gh issue list --state closed --label wontfix --search "<keywords>" --limit 10
gh issue list --state closed --label duplicate --search "<keywords>" --limit 10
gh issue list --state closed --label invalid --search "<keywords>" --limit 10
# General search across all issues
gh search issues "<keywords>" --repo peteonrails/voxtype --limit 15
# Search discussions for prior decisions
gh api repos/peteonrails/voxtype/discussions --jq '.[].title' 2>/dev/null || echo "No discussions API access"
Extract 3-5 keywords from the issue title and body for searching.
3. Related PR Search
Find open PRs that might address this issue:
gh pr list --state open --search "<keywords>" --limit 10
4. Documentation Check
Read relevant documentation to determine if user misunderstands setup or configuration:
README.md- Installation and quick startdocs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md- Common issues and solutionsdocs/CONFIGURATION.md- Config file optionsdocs/PARAKEET.md- Parakeet-specific setup (experimental)docs/MODEL_SELECTION_GUIDE.md- Model and engine selection
If the reported issue is actually documented expected behavior or a setup mistake, note this in the report.
5. Project Fit Assessment
Read CLAUDE.md sections on Project Principles and Non-Goals.
Project Principles (all work should align with these):
- Dead simple user experience
- Backwards compatibility
- Performance first
- Excellent CLI help
- Every option configurable everywhere
- Documentation in the right places
Non-Goals (requests for these should be declined):
- Windows/macOS support (Linux-first, Wayland-native)
- GUI configuration (CLI and config file are the interface)
Also check:
- Issues/discussions closed with decisions against similar features
- CLAUDE.md roadmap for what's planned vs out of scope
6. PR Quality Assessment (PRs only)
For pull requests, additionally assess:
- Linked issue: Does it reference an issue? Is that issue valid?
- Scope: Does it do exactly what the linked issue asks, or does it include scope creep?
- Code style: Does it follow conventions in CLAUDE.md?
- Tests: Are there tests for new functionality?
- Documentation: Are user-facing changes documented?
- Breaking changes: Does it break backwards compatibility?
7. Label Recommendation
Based on analysis, recommend appropriate labels from:
| Label | When to Apply |
|---|---|
bug |
Confirmed bug in existing functionality |
enhancement |
Feature request or improvement |
documentation |
Documentation issue or improvement |
question |
User asking for help, not reporting a bug |
duplicate |
Already reported in another issue |
invalid |
Not a valid issue (spam, off-topic, etc.) |
wontfix |
Valid but won't be addressed (non-goal, out of scope) |
good first issue |
Well-defined, isolated, good for newcomers |
help wanted |
Needs community contribution |
deb |
Related to Debian packaging |
rpm |
Related to RPM packaging |
aur |
Related to AUR source package |
aur-bin |
Related to AUR binary package |
nixos |
Related to NixOS packaging |
omarchy |
Related to Omarchy distribution |
Apply multiple labels when appropriate (e.g., bug + deb for a Debian-specific bug).
Output Format
Generate a triage report with this structure:
## Triage Report: #<number> "<title>"
**Type**: Bug / Enhancement / Question / PR
**Author**: @username
**Created**: YYYY-MM-DD
### Summary
Brief description of what the issue/PR is about.
### Duplicate Check
- [ ] No duplicates found
OR
- Similar: #XX "title" (closed, wontfix) - brief reason
- Related: #YY "title" (open) - how it relates
### Documentation Check
- [ ] Not a documentation/setup issue
OR
- This appears to be a setup issue. docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md section "XYZ" addresses this.
- User may be misunderstanding [specific feature/behavior].
### Project Fit
- [ ] Aligns with project goals
OR
- Conflicts with non-goal: [specific non-goal]
- Conflicts with principle: [specific principle]
### PR Quality (if applicable)
- Linked issue: #XX or "None"
- Scope: Appropriate / Contains scope creep
- Code style: Follows conventions / Issues noted
- Tests: Present / Missing
- Breaking changes: None / Yes - [description]
### Recommended Labels
`label1`, `label2`, `label3`
### Suggested Action
- Close as duplicate of #XX
- Close as wontfix (non-goal)
- Request more information from author
- Ready for review
- Needs documentation update before merge
- Add to backlog
- etc.
Commands Reference
# View issue details
gh issue view 123 --json number,title,body,labels,state,author,createdAt
# View PR with changed files
gh pr view 123 --json number,title,body,labels,state,author,files
# Search issues by keyword
gh search issues "audio pipewire" --repo peteonrails/voxtype
# List issues by label
gh issue list --label bug --state open
# List closed wontfix issues
gh issue list --state closed --label wontfix --limit 20
# Add labels (reference only - report to user, don't auto-apply)
gh issue edit 123 --add-label "bug,deb"
# Close with comment (reference only)
gh issue close 123 --comment "Closing as duplicate of #XX"