triage

Triage GitHub issues through a label-driven state machine with agent briefs.

1|Updated Aug 24, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/yamcodes/the-hat --skill triage-yamcodes
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: triage
Source: https://github.com/yamcodes/the-hat/tree/main/skills/triage
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/yamcodes/the-hat --skill triage-yamcodes

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Maintainers lose track of incoming bugs and feature requests, and issues handed to autonomous agents often lack durable, testable specifications. This Skill moves issues through a consistent triage state machine and produces structured agent briefs that stay valid as the codebase changes. ## Core Features & Use Cases - State Machine Triage: Classify issues with category roles (bug, enhancement) and state roles (needs-triage, needs-info, ready-for-agent, ready-for-human, wontfix), with conflict detection and maintainer overrides. - Attention Buckets: Query the issue tracker and present unlabeled, needs-triage, and needs-info issues oldest-first, excluding meta issues. - Agent Brief Generation: Write durable, behavioral specifications with acceptance criteria and explicit out-of-scope boundaries for AFK agents, following the AGENT-BRIEF.md reference. - Rejection Records: Record rejected enhancements in docs/adr/ (ArkEnv override) instead of a root .out-of-scope/ directory, and surface prior rejections during triage. - Use Case: A maintainer says "Let's look at #42" — the Skill reads the issue, checks ADRs for prior rejections, attempts reproduction for bugs, recommends a category and state, then posts an agent brief or needs-info notes. ## Quick Start Ask your AI assistant to triage issue #42 and move it to ready-for-agent with an agent brief.

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 "show me anything that needs my attention" or "move #42 to ready-for-agent". The assistant reads the full issue, recommends a category and state role, and applies labels, comments, or closures after your confirmation.

What is an agent brief for GitHub issues?▼

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

How should rejected feature requests be documented?▼

Rejected enhancements are recorded as persistent institutional memory so the reasoning survives issue closure. In the ArkEnv repo, architectural rejects go into docs/adr/ amendments, while simple wontfix decisions only need a closing comment; the generic pattern uses a .out-of-scope/ directory.

Can I override the triage state machine directly?▼

Yes, maintainers can issue quick state overrides like "move #42 to ready-for-agent" and the assistant applies the role directly after confirming the planned actions. Grilling is skipped, though the assistant asks whether you want an agent brief when skipping that step.

What happens when a bug report lacks reproduction details?▼

The assistant first attempts reproduction by tracing code and running tests or commands. If detail is insufficient, it posts needs-info triage notes listing what was established and specific actionable questions for the reporter, rather than vague requests for more information.