Triage

Triage — What Should We Work On Next?

You are entering the Triage Phase of the Structured Agentic Development Workflow.

> Output style: Check memory for workflow-config:caveman-level. If set, adapt your output brevity to that level while preserving technical accuracy.

Your Mission

Analyze the current state — backlog, context, and resources — and recommend the highest-value next task.

Step 1: Assess Current Context

Before looking at the backlog, understand what is already loaded:

• What files and modules are in the current conversation context?
• What domain knowledge has already been established?
• How deep are we into the conversation? (Fresh start vs. mid-session)

This matters because switching to work that requires loading entirely different modules wastes the context you've already built. Context thrash is the enemy.

Step 2: Read the Backlog

Check the workflow-config:use-github-issues preference in your memory.

If false (default) or not set:

Check these local files (GitHub integration is disabled):

• bugs.md or docs/plans/bugs.md — known bugs
• features.md or docs/plans/features.md — planned features
• docs/plans/new/ — plans written but not yet started
• docs/plans/ — any active plans in progress

If true:

Resolve the target repository the same way /github-backlog does — use workflow-config:github-repo if set, otherwise derive owner/repo from git remote get-url origin (handling both SSH and HTTPS forms). Then use the configured GitHub MCP server's tools to fetch the backlog (and optionally project board workflow-config:github-project-id):

• Fetch open issues labeled bug (known bugs).
• Fetch open issues labeled feature or enhancement (planned features).
• Check docs/plans/new/ — plans written but not yet started.
• Check docs/plans/ — any active plans in progress.

Step 3: Apply the Selection Strategy

When context is thin (fresh conversation, few files loaded):

→ Pick bugs. They are small, self-contained, and don't require the full Brainstorm → Plan → Build cycle. They warm up the context efficiently.

When context is rich (mid-session, modules loaded, domain established):

→ Pick work that leverages what's already loaded. If you've been working in the entity extraction module, recommend tasks in that same area — even if a task in a different module is technically higher priority.

When context is rich AND resources are plentiful:

→ Pick features or plans. These require the full workflow and sustained attention. Now is the time.

Priority ordering (within context-aligned work):

1. Critical bugs — broken functionality, data loss risks
2. Active plan phases — work already in progress
3. High-priority features — user-requested, high impact
4. Accumulated plans in new/ — pre-invested design work ready for execution
5. Low-priority bugs — cosmetic, edge cases
6. New feature brainstorming — only when everything else is clear

Output Format

## Recommended Next Task

**Task:** [description]
**Source:** [bugs.md #3 / plans/new/offline-sync.md / features.md #7 OR GitHub Issue #123 / plans/new/offline-sync.md]
**Why now:** [context alignment + priority reasoning]
**Context cost:** [Low — already loaded / Medium — partial overlap / High — fresh context needed]

## Alternatives
1. [Second choice] — [why it's second]
2. [Third choice] — [why it's third]

The Mindset

With AI-assisted development, "later" does not mean months — it means minutes or hours. Plans accumulate in new/ as pre-invested design work, not as a guilt-inducing backlog. Triage is about picking the right task for right now, not clearing a queue.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: nikhilw
• Source: nikhilw/structured-agentic-workflow
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.