/issue-triage

name: issue-triage
description: Triage and categorize GitHub issues with priority labels. Use when user says "triage issues", "check issues", "review open issues", or during regular maintenance of GitHub issue backlog.

Issue Triage Skill

Efficiently triage GitHub issues for Java projects with categorization and prioritization.

When to Use

• User says "triage issues" / "check recent issues"
• Regular maintenance workflow
• After vacation/break (backlog processing)
• Weekly/monthly issue review

Prerequisites

**Recommended**: GitHub MCP server configured for optimal token usage

claude mcp add github --transport http \
  https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/

**Alternative**: Use `gh` CLI (less token-efficient)

Workflow

1. Fetch Issues

**With GitHub MCP** (recommended):

Tool: list_issues
Parameters: {
  "state": "open",
  "sort": "updated", 
  "per_page": 10
}

**With gh CLI**:

gh issue list --state open --limit 10 --json number,title,labels,body,url

2. Categorize Each Issue

Analyze issue content and assign category:

Bug Report ✅

**Indicators**:

• Has stack trace or error message
• Steps to reproduce provided
• Expected vs actual behavior described
• Mentions specific version numbers

**Actions**:

• Label: `bug`
• Verify reproducibility from description
• Check for duplicate bugs
• Add to milestone if critical

**Example**:

Issue #234: "NPE when loading plugin from directory"
- Stack trace: ✅
- Reproduction steps: ✅
- Version info: ✅
→ Label: bug, high-priority

Feature Request 💡

**Indicators**:

• Asks for new functionality
• Use case described
• "It would be nice if..." / "Could you add..."
• Rationale provided

**Actions**:

• Label: `enhancement`
• Assess alignment with project goals
• Mark for discussion if non-trivial
• Ask for community feedback

Question/Support ❓

**Indicators**:

• "How do I..." / "Can someone help..."
• Configuration/usage questions
• Not a bug or feature request

**Actions**:

• Label: `question`
• Provide answer or link to docs
• Suggest StackOverflow for complex help
• Close after answer if resolved

Duplicate 🔄

**Search for similar issues**:

• Use GitHub search: `is:issue <keywords>`
• Check recently closed issues
• Look for same error messages

**Actions**:

• Link to original: "Duplicate of #123"
• Close with polite comment
• Ask reporter to comment on original if they have additional info

Invalid/Unclear ⚠️

**Indicators**:

• Missing critical information
• Off-topic or spam
• Not enough context to proceed

**Actions**:

• Request clarification with template
• Set "needs-more-info" label
• Auto-close if no response after 14 days

3. Priority Assessment

Critical (P0) 🔴

**Criteria**:

• Security vulnerability
• Data loss/corruption risk
• Complete functionality breakdown
• Affects production systems

**Actions**:

• Label: `critical`
• Notify maintainers immediately
• Add to current milestone
• Consider hotfix release

**Examples**:

- "SQL injection vulnerability in plugin loader"
- "All plugins fail to load after upgrade"
- "ClassLoader leak causes OutOfMemoryError"

High (P1) 🟠

**Criteria**:

• Core feature broken
• Affects many users
• Workaround exists but painful
• Regression from previous version

**Actions**:

• Label: `high-priority`
• Add to next milestone
• Include in release notes

**Examples**:

- "Plugin dependencies not resolved correctly"
- "Hot reload crashes application"

Medium (P2) 🟡

**Criteria**:

• Edge case bug
• Enhancement with clear value
• Documentation gap
• Affects some users occasionally

**Actions**:

• Label: `medium-priority`
• Consider for future milestone
• Good for contributors

**Examples**:

- "Improve error message for invalid plugin"
- "Add plugin lifecycle listener"

Low (P3) 🟢

**Criteria**:

• Nice-to-have feature
• Cosmetic issues
• Very rare edge case
• Documentation improvements

**Actions**:

• Label: `low-priority`
• "Contributions welcome" tag
• Backlog for future

**Examples**:

- "Add more examples to README"
- "Typo in JavaDoc"

4. Response Templates

Need More Information

Thanks for reporting this issue! 

To investigate further, could you provide:
- Java version (java -version)
- Library version
- Minimal reproducible example
- Full stack trace (if applicable)
- Configuration files (if relevant)

This will help us diagnose and fix the issue faster.

Duplicate

Thanks for reporting! This is being tracked in #123.

Closing as duplicate. Feel free to add any additional context 
or information to the original issue.

Won't Fix (with rationale)

Thank you for the suggestion. After consideration, this doesn't 
align with the project's current direction because [reason].

Consider [alternative approach] instead, which might better 
serve your use case.

If you feel strongly about this, please open a discussion in 
our [forum/discussions] to gather community feedback.

Acknowledged Bug

Confirmed! This is a valid bug. 

I've added it to milestone X.Y and labeled it as [priority].
Contributions welcome if anyone wants to tackle it!

Reproduction verified with:
- Java 17
- Version 3.10.0
- Ubuntu 22.04

Feature Request - Under Consideration

Interesting idea! This aligns with our goal of [project goal].

I've labeled this as 'enhancement' for further discussion.
Community feedback welcome - upvote with 👍 if you'd find 
this useful.

Some questions to consider:
- [question 1]
- [question 2]

Question Answered

To achieve this, you can [solution].

Example:
\`\`\`java
[code example]
\`\`\`

Also check our documentation: [link]

Let me know if this solves your issue!

Token Optimization Strategies

Batch Processing

# Process multiple issues in one prompt
"Triage issues #234-243, categorize and prioritize"

**Savings**: ~60% fewer tokens