GitHub Triage

Pack: engineering Source: engineering/github-triage/SKILL.md Use this skill when the task is to sort, qualify, or prepare GitHub work.

Scope

• reviewing new issues
• categorizing bugs vs enhancements
• identifying missing information
• deciding whether an issue is ready for implementation
• summarizing next action for maintainers or agents

Default path

1. Read the issue body, labels, and recent comments.
2. Restate the problem in one line.
3. Decide whether it is:
   • bug
   • enhancement
   • question
   • duplicate or out of scope
4. Check the codebase only enough to understand the relevant domain and likely boundary.
5. Recommend one next state:
   • needs info
   • ready to implement
   • needs design
   • not actionable
6. If actionable, note the likely testable behavior and affected boundary.

When to deviate

• Investigate deeper only if the issue already looks actionable and the missing confidence is technical rather than descriptive.
• Escalate to design instead of implementation when the issue is really a product or UX decision.
• Close as duplicate or out of scope only when that state is defensible from the issue history or codebase context.

Guardrails

• Do not start implementing during triage.
• Do not over-investigate before deciding whether the issue is even valid.
• Keep the issue durable: describe behavior, not file paths.
• Separate “not enough information” from “not a real bug.”

Avoid

• jumping into code changes during triage
• over-reading the codebase before deciding whether the issue is valid
• confusing missing information with invalid reports
• writing triage notes that only make sense if the file layout never changes

Verification checklist

• the issue is restated in one clear sentence
• the category is explicit
• missing information, if any, is concrete
• the next state is chosen intentionally
• if actionable, the likely boundary and testable behavior are identified

Output Shape

When answering with this skill, prefer:

• issue summary
• category
• confidence level
• missing information, if any
• recommended next action

Good Triggers

• triage this issue, review incoming issues, classify this bug, is this ready to implement, GitHub triage