triage

Move GitHub issues and external PRs through a triage state machine with agent-ready briefs.

1|Updated Oct 29, 2025
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/jwh3times/holland-vip --skill triage-jwh3times
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: triage
Source: https://github.com/jwh3times/holland-vip/tree/main/.agents/skills/triage
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/jwh3times/holland-vip --skill triage-jwh3times

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Maintainers lose time manually evaluating incoming issues and PRs, deciding what is actionable, and writing specifications detailed enough for autonomous agents to execute. This Skill standardizes that workflow with a defined state machine, verification steps, and durable agent briefs. ## Core Features & Use Cases - State machine triage: Categorize issues and external PRs as bug or enhancement, then move them through needs-triage, needs-info, ready-for-agent, ready-for-human, or wontfix states. - Verification and grilling: Reproduce reported bugs, check out PR diffs to confirm claims, and run structured questioning rounds to flesh out vague requests before assignment. - Agent brief generation: Write durable, behavior-focused agent briefs with acceptance criteria and scope boundaries that survive codebase changes. - Out-of-scope knowledge base: Record rejected feature requests in .out-of-scope/ files and surface prior rejections when similar requests reappear. - Use Case: A maintainer runs triage on a backlog of 20 unlabeled issues; the Skill buckets them by attention needed, verifies each claim against the codebase, and produces ready-for-agent briefs an AFK agent can execute without further clarification. ## Quick Start Ask the assistant to show everything on the issue tracker that needs triage attention, or name a specific issue number to evaluate and move through the triage states.

Frequently Asked Questions about triage

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I triage GitHub issues with an AI assistant?▼

Invoke the triage workflow in natural language, such as asking what needs attention or naming a specific issue number. The assistant gathers context, verifies claims against the codebase, recommends a category and state, and applies labels with your confirmation.

What is an agent brief for GitHub issues?▼

An agent brief is a structured comment posted when an issue reaches ready-for-agent state, serving as the authoritative specification for an autonomous agent. It describes desired behavior, key interfaces, acceptance criteria, and explicit out-of-scope boundaries without referencing fragile file paths or line numbers.

Can triage handle pull requests as well as issues?▼

Yes, external pull requests are treated as issues with attached code and move through the same states. The Skill checks out the diff, runs relevant tests to confirm the PR does what it claims, and writes briefs describing what remains to finish the change.

How does the out-of-scope knowledge base prevent duplicate feature requests?▼

Rejected enhancement requests are recorded as concept files in a .out-of-scope/ directory with the decision, reasoning, and links to prior requests. During triage, new issues are matched against these files by concept similarity so prior rejections surface before re-litigating.

When should an issue go to ready-for-human instead of ready-for-agent?▼

Issues requiring judgment calls, external access, design decisions, or manual testing go to ready-for-human. The brief uses the same structure as an agent brief but notes why the work cannot be delegated to an autonomous agent.