Triage

---
name: triage
license: MIT
description: >-
  GitHub issue and PR investigator. Pulls open issues/PRs, classifies them, searches
  the codebase for root cause or reviews contributed code, proposes fixes with file:line
  references, and optionally implements fixes. Use for investigating GitHub issues and
  reviewing PRs; do NOT use for general code review unrelated to GitHub issues.
user-invocable: true
auto-trigger: false
trigger_keywords:
  - triage
  - open issues
  - unlabeled issues
  - review pr
  - review prs
  - investigate issue
effort: high
last-updated: 2026-03-24
---

# Triage — GitHub Issue & PR Investigator

## When to Use

**Don't use when:** fixing a specific already-diagnosed issue (use /marshal); monitoring a single PR's CI (use /pr-watch); reviewing code quality outside of GitHub issues (use /review).

- `/triage` — triage all open, unlabeled issues
- `/triage 10` — investigate issue #10 specifically
- `/triage pr 13` — review PR #13
- `/triage prs` — review all open PRs
- `/triage --batch` — pull all open issues, classify, investigate, report
- `/triage --stale` — find issues older than 14 days with no activity
- After the `issue-monitor` SessionStart hook reports new issues

## Codex PR review integration

For Codex-visible PRs, decide whether to use native `@codex review`, local Citadel triage, or both:

```bash
node scripts/codex-pr-review.js plan --repo <owner/repo> --pr <number> --risk <low|medium|high|local-only> --write
```

Use native `@codex review` when the diff is GitHub-visible and the main need is a focused P0/P1 review. Use local Citadel triage when the answer depends on unpushed files, local generated artifacts, or hands-on edits. Use both for large or risky PRs.

After Codex posts a GitHub review, fetch and ingest the review comments before deciding merge readiness:

```bash
node scripts/codex-review-fetch.js --repo <owner/repo> --pr <number> --write
```

Use `--file <review-comments.json>` with the same script when working from exported/offline review data.

Treat ingested P0/P1 findings as blockers until local verification confirms they are fixed or not applicable.

## Inputs

| Input | Source | Required |
|-------|--------|----------|
| Issue/PR number | Argument (e.g., `/triage 10`, `/triage pr 13`) | No — omit to triage all open |
| Mode | `pr` prefix for PRs | No — defaults to issues |
| Repo | Auto-detected from git remote | Yes (auto) |
| gh CLI | `"/c/Program Files/GitHub CLI/gh.exe"` on Windows, `gh` elsewhere | Yes (auto) |

## Execution Protocol

### Phase 0 — Environment Setup

1. Detect repo from `git remote get-url origin`, extract `owner/repo`
2. Verify `gh` auth status
3. Set `$GH`: Windows → `"/c/Program Files/GitHub CLI/gh.exe"`, other → `gh`

### Phase 1 — Issue Intake

**Single issue** (`/triage 10`):
```
$GH issue view <number> --repo <owner/repo> --json number,title,body,labels,state,comments,createdAt,updatedAt,author,assignees
```

**Batch** (`/triage` or `--batch`):
```
$GH issue list --repo <owner/repo> --state open --json number,title,labels,createdAt,updatedAt --limit 50
```
Filter to untriaged: issues with no labels, or missing priority/type label.

**Stale** (`--stale`):
```
$GH issue list --repo <owner/repo> --state open --json number,title,labels,createdAt,updatedAt --limit 100
```
Filter to issues with no activity in 14+ days.

**Single PR** (`/triage pr 13`):
```
$GH pr view <number> --repo <owner/repo> --json number,title,body,author,state,files,commits,comments,createdAt,headRefName,baseRefName,mergeable,reviewDecision
$GH pr diff <number> --repo <owner/repo>
```

**All PRs** (`/triage prs`):
```
$GH pr list --repo <owner/repo> --state open --json number,title,author,createdAt,labels --limit 50
```

### Phase 1b — PR Review Protocol

#### PR Classification

| Type | Signal |
|------|--------|
| `bugfix` | Fixes a reported issue, closes #N |
| `feature` | Adds new functionality |
| `refactor` | Restructures without changing behavior |
| `docs` | Documentation only |
| `infra` | CI/CD, build, packaging, installer |

#### PR Review Checklist

1. Read the full diff — not just the PR description.
2. Check for regressions against closed issues and recent commits.
3. Check for conflicts with in-flight work (same files as open PRs).
4. Verify the approach: correct solution, not overly complex.
5. Check cross-platform: Unix assumptions, Windows path handling.
6. Check conventions against existing project patterns.
7. Check for scope creep beyond the PR title.

#### PR Resolution

Write a per-PR resolution block (full template: docs/TRIAGE.md#pr-resolution-template) with:
- Author, type, files changed count, mergeable status
- What it does (1-3 sentences)
- Review findings, each with a file:line reference
- Issues found, split into **Critical** (blocks merge) and **Non-critical** (nice to fix, not blocking)
- Recommendation checkbox: Approve / Request changes (with the specific changes needed) / Close (with reason)

#### PR Actions

**IMPORTANT:** All PR actions are external. Show the user the exact comment text and get approval before posting.

### Phase 2 — Classification

**Type** (exactly one):
| Type | Signal |
|------|--------|
| `bug` | Error messages, "doesn't work", stack traces, regression |
| `feature` | "Would be nice", "add support for" |
| `question` | "How do I", "is it possible" |
| `docs` | README/documentation issues |
| `infra` | CI/CD, build, packaging, dependencies |

**Severity** (bugs only):
| Severity | Criteria |
|----------|----------|
| `critical` | Blocks installation or core functionality for all users |
| `high` | Breaks a major feature or affects many users |
| `medium` | Breaks a minor feature or has a workaround |
| `low` | Cosmetic, edge case, or easy workaround |

**Affected Component:**
- Citadel hooks / skills / agents
- `.claude/harness.json` — project configuration
- `.planning/` — planning/campaign system
- `docs/` — documentation
- Root files — project setup

### Phase 3 — Investigation

#### 3a. Parse the Report

Extract: error messages, environment, reproduction steps, expected vs actual behavior, workarounds.

#### 3b. Search the Codebase

1. Grep for exact error messages / error codes
2. Read files named in the issue
3. Find functions named in stack traces
4. Search for the bug class or anti-pattern
5. `git log --oneline -20 -- <affected-files>` for recent changes
6. Cross-reference similar issues

#### 3c. Root Cause Analysis

For bugs:
1. What breaks — the specific code path
2. Why it breaks — root cause, not symptom
3. When introduced — git blame / log
4. Who is affected — scope
5. The fix — file:line references

For features/questions:
1. Already possible? Search existing functionality.
2. Where would it go? Which component/layer.
3. Effort: trivial / small / medium / large
4. Blockers: dependencies, architecture constraints

#### 3d. Reproduce (when possible)

Set up conditions, run the failing command, confirm error matches, verify proposed fix resolves it.

### Phase 4 — Resolution Plan

Write a per-issue resolution plan (full template: docs/TRIAGE.md#issue-resolution-plan-template) with:
- Type, severity, component, reproducible (yes / no / not-attempted)
- Root cause: 1-3 sentences explaining WHY
- Affected code: `<file>:<line>` entries with what is wrong at each
- Proposed fix: specific code changes with file:line references
- Impact: who is affected, whether a workaround exists, whether it is a breaking change
- Recommended action checkbox: Fix in next release / Needs more info from reporter / Won't fix (with reason) / Duplicate of #N

### Phase 5 — Action

**Auto-fix** when: root cause clear and verified, fix contained to 1-3 files, no breaking changes, no architectural decisions needed.

Steps:
1. Branch: `fix/issue-<number>-<slug>`
2. Implement fix
3. Run typecheck/build
4. Commit: `fix: <description> (closes #<number>)`
5. Push and open PR linking the issue
6. Comment on the issue with the PR link

**Comment with findings** when fix needs discussion or user input: post root cause analysis, proposed fix, and questions.

**Label only** for questions/docs/features: add type + priority labels, optionally point to existing docs.

### Phase 6 — Report

Output a Triage Summary table with columns `# | Title | Type | Severity | Action | Status`, one row per triaged item (example: docs/TRIAGE.md#triage-summary-example).

## Label Taxonomy

Apply via `$GH issue edit <number> --add-label "<label>"`:

**Type:** `bug`, `feature`, `question`, `docs`, `infra`
**Severity (bugs):** `critical`, `high`, `medium`, `low`
**Status:** `needs-info`, `confirmed`, `wont-fix`, `duplicate`

## Auto-fix Handoff

```
---PR READY---
PR #<N>: <url>

To watch this PR automatically:
  Local  →  /pr-watch <N>
  Cloud  →  open in Claude Code web or mobile, toggle "Auto fix" ON
---
```

## Contextual Gates

**Disclosure:** "Triaging GitHub issues and PRs. Read-only — no changes made without showing you first."
**Reversibility:** green — investigation is read-only; any GitHub actions (labels, comments, PRs) shown to user for approval before posting
**Trust gates:**
- Any: view triage report; all external actions require explicit approval

## Quality Gates

- [ ] Every issue has a classification (type + severity for bugs)
- [ ] Every bug has root cause with file:line references
- [ ] Every auto-fix passes typecheck and build
- [ ] Every PR links to the issue it fixes
- [ ] Every issue has at least a label or comment
- [ ] No issue comment is generic or substanceless

## Fringe Cases

**gh not available or not authenticated:** Stop and instruct: "Run `gh auth login` before using /triage."

**No open issues or PRs:** Report "No open issues found." and exit cleanly.

**Empty/unparseable issue body:** Classify as `needs-info`, comment requesting reproduction steps.

**`.planning/` missing:** /triage reads from GitHub, not local state. Skip .planning/ writes if missing.

## Anti-Patterns — Do NOT

- Post generic comments without substance
- Propose fixes without reading the actual code
- Label without investigating
- Auto-fix when root cause is unclear
- Close issues without explanation
- Guess at fixes — verify by reading code and running checks

## gh CLI Notes

- Windows: `"/c/Program Files/GitHub CLI/gh.exe"` — always pass `--repo <owner/repo>`
- Comments: `$GH issue comment <number> --repo <owner/repo> --body "..."`
- Labels: `$GH issue edit <number> --repo <owner/repo> --add-label "bug,high"`

## Exit Protocol

```
---HANDOFF---
- Triaged N issues: X bugs, Y features, Z questions
- Auto-fixed: <list of issue numbers with PR links>
- Needs attention: <list of issues requiring human decision>
- New labels applied: <count>
- Reversibility: green — investigation read-only; auto-fix PRs can be closed/reverted if unwanted
---
```