triage

This skill should be used when triaging and categorizing findings for the CLI todo system.

5 stars

Best use case

triage is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.

This skill should be used when triaging and categorizing findings for the CLI todo system.

Teams using triage should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.

When to use this skill

  • You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.

When not to use this skill

  • You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
  • You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.

Installation

Claude Code / Cursor / Codex

$curl -o ~/.claude/skills/triage/SKILL.md --create-dirs "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/marchatton/agent-skills/main/.agents/skills/03-plan/triage/SKILL.md"

Manual Installation

  1. Download SKILL.md from GitHub
  2. Place it in .claude/skills/triage/SKILL.md inside your project
  3. Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill

How triage Compares

Feature / AgenttriageStandard Approach
Platform SupportNot specifiedLimited / Varies
Context Awareness High Baseline
Installation ComplexityUnknownN/A

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this skill do?

This skill should be used when triaging and categorizing findings for the CLI todo system.

Where can I find the source code?

You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.

SKILL.md Source

# triage

- First set the /model to Haiku
- Then read all pending todos in the todos/ directory

Present all findings, decisions, or issues here one by one for triage. The goal is to go through each item and decide whether to add it to the CLI todo system.

**IMPORTANT: DO NOT CODE ANYTHING DURING TRIAGE!**

This command is for:

- Triaging code review findings
- Processing security audit results
- Reviewing performance analysis
- Handling any other categorized findings that need tracking

## Workflow

### Step 1: Present Each Finding

For each finding, present in this format:

```
---
Issue #X: [Brief Title]

Severity: 🔴 P1 (CRITICAL) / 🟡 P2 (IMPORTANT) / 🔵 P3 (NICE-TO-HAVE)

Category: [Security/Performance/Architecture/Bug/Feature/etc.]

Description:
[Detailed explanation of the issue or improvement]

Location: [file_path:line_number]

Problem Scenario:
[Step by step what's wrong or could happen]

Proposed Solution:
[How to fix it]

Estimated Effort: [Small (< 2 hours) / Medium (2-8 hours) / Large (> 8 hours)]

---
Do you want to add this to the todo list?
1. yes - create todo file
2. next - skip this item
3. custom - modify before creating
```

### Step 2: Handle User Decision

**When user says "yes":**

1. **Update existing todo file** (if it exists) or **Create new filename:**

   If todo already exists (from code review):

   - Rename file from `{id}-pending-{priority}-{desc}.md` → `{id}-ready-{priority}-{desc}.md`
   - Update YAML frontmatter: `status: pending` → `status: ready`
   - Keep issue_id, priority, and description unchanged

   If creating new todo:

   ```
   {next_id}-ready-{priority}-{brief-description}.md
   ```

   Priority mapping:

   - 🔴 P1 (CRITICAL) → `p1`
   - 🟡 P2 (IMPORTANT) → `p2`
   - 🔵 P3 (NICE-TO-HAVE) → `p3`

   Example: `042-ready-p1-transaction-boundaries.md`

2. **Update YAML frontmatter:**

   ```yaml
   ---
   status: ready # IMPORTANT: Change from "pending" to "ready"
   priority: p1 # or p2, p3 based on severity
   issue_id: "042"
   tags: [category, relevant-tags]
   dependencies: []
   ---
   ```

3. **Populate or update the file:**

   ```yaml
   # [Issue Title]

   ## Problem Statement
   [Description from finding]

   ## Findings
   - [Key discoveries]
   - Location: [file_path:line_number]
   - [Scenario details]

   ## Proposed Solutions

   ### Option 1: [Primary solution]
   - **Pros**: [Benefits]
   - **Cons**: [Drawbacks if any]
   - **Effort**: [Small/Medium/Large]
   - **Risk**: [Low/Medium/High]

   ## Recommended Action
   [Filled during triage - specific action plan]

   ## Technical Details
   - **Affected Files**: [List files]
   - **Related Components**: [Components affected]
   - **Database Changes**: [Yes/No - describe if yes]

   ## Resources
   - Original finding: [Source of this issue]
   - Related issues: [If any]

   ## Acceptance Criteria
   - [ ] [Specific success criteria]
   - [ ] Tests pass
   - [ ] Code reviewed

   ## Work Log

   ### {date} - Approved for Work
   **By:** Claude Triage System
   **Actions:**
   - Issue approved during triage session
   - Status changed from pending → ready
   - Ready to be picked up and worked on

   **Learnings:**
   - [Context and insights]

   ## Notes
   Source: Triage session on {date}
   ```

4. **Confirm approval:** "✅ Approved: `{new_filename}` (Issue #{issue_id}) - Status: **ready** → Ready to work on"

**When user says "next":**

- **Delete the todo file** - Remove it from todos/ directory since it's not relevant
- Skip to the next item
- Track skipped items for summary

**When user says "custom":**

- Ask what to modify (priority, description, details)
- Update the information
- Present revised version
- Ask again: yes/next/custom

### Step 3: Continue Until All Processed

- Process all items one by one
- Track using TodoWrite for visibility
- Don't wait for approval between items - keep moving

### Step 4: Final Summary

After all items processed:

````markdown
## Triage Complete

**Total Items:** [X] **Todos Approved (ready):** [Y] **Skipped:** [Z]

### Approved Todos (Ready for Work):

- `042-ready-p1-transaction-boundaries.md` - Transaction boundary issue
- `043-ready-p2-cache-optimization.md` - Cache performance improvement ...

### Skipped Items (Deleted):

- Item #5: [reason] - Removed from todos/
- Item #12: [reason] - Removed from todos/

### Summary of Changes Made:

During triage, the following status updates occurred:

- **Pending → Ready:** Filenames and frontmatter updated to reflect approved status
- **Deleted:** Todo files for skipped findings removed from todos/ directory
- Each approved file now has `status: ready` in YAML frontmatter

### Next Steps:

1. View approved todos ready for work:
   ```bash
   ls todos/*-ready-*.md
   ```
````

2. Start work on approved items with `wf-develop`.

3. Or pick individual items to work on

4. As you work, update todo status:
   - Ready → In Progress (in your local context as you work)
   - In Progress → Complete (rename file: ready → complete, update frontmatter)

```

## Example Response Format

```

---

Issue #5: Missing Transaction Boundaries for Multi-Step Operations

Severity: 🔴 P1 (CRITICAL)

Category: Data Integrity / Security

Description: The google_oauth2_connected callback in GoogleOauthCallbacks concern performs multiple database operations without transaction protection. If any step fails midway, the database is left in an inconsistent state.

Location: app/controllers/concerns/google_oauth_callbacks.rb:13-50

Problem Scenario:

1. User.update succeeds (email changed)
2. Account.save! fails (validation error)
3. Result: User has changed email but no associated Account
4. Next login attempt fails completely

Operations Without Transaction:

- User confirmation (line 13)
- Waitlist removal (line 14)
- User profile update (line 21-23)
- Account creation (line 28-37)
- Avatar attachment (line 39-45)
- Journey creation (line 47)

Proposed Solution: Wrap all operations in ApplicationRecord.transaction do ... end block

Estimated Effort: Small (30 minutes)

---

Do you want to add this to the todo list?

1. yes - create todo file
2. next - skip this item
3. custom - modify before creating

```

## Important Implementation Details

### Status Transitions During Triage

**When "yes" is selected:**
1. Rename file: `{id}-pending-{priority}-{desc}.md` → `{id}-ready-{priority}-{desc}.md`
2. Update YAML frontmatter: `status: pending` → `status: ready`
3. Update Work Log with triage approval entry
4. Confirm: "✅ Approved: `{filename}` (Issue #{issue_id}) - Status: **ready**"

**When "next" is selected:**
1. Delete the todo file from todos/ directory
2. Skip to next item
3. No file remains in the system

### Progress Tracking

Every time you present a todo as a header, include:
- **Progress:** X/Y completed (e.g., "3/10 completed")
- **Estimated time remaining:** Based on how quickly you're progressing
- **Pacing:** Monitor time per finding and adjust estimate accordingly

Example:
```

Progress: 3/10 completed | Estimated time: ~2 minutes remaining

```

### Do Not Code During Triage

- ✅ Present findings
- ✅ Make yes/next/custom decisions
- ✅ Update todo files (rename, frontmatter, work log)
- ❌ Do NOT implement fixes or write code
- ❌ Do NOT add detailed implementation details
- ❌ That's for the implementation phase (`wf-develop`)
```

When done give these options

```markdown
What would you like to do next?

1. run `wf-develop` to resolve the todos
2. commit the todos
3. nothing, go chill
```

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