Backlog Management

Backlog Management

Use this skill for batch backlog work, not for deep triage of a single new issue.

Scope

• Open-source repositories only.
• Use public, contributor-friendly language.
• Do not reference internal plans or private project context.

Default Mode

• Work in batches of 25-100 issues.
• Start in read-only mode and propose actions first.
• Apply edits only after approval unless explicitly asked to execute immediately.

Workflow

1. Build a candidate batch.
2. Assign one primary action per issue.
3. Deep-dive only close candidates.
4. Draft concise comments where needed.
5. Apply approved edits.
6. Report outcomes with counts and issue links.

Two-Pass Review Depth

Use two passes by default:

• Pass 1 (sweep): classify quickly across the full batch.
• Pass 2 (dig-in): re-review only close-not-planned and close-duplicate candidates.

Do not finalize close actions from Pass 1 alone.

For Pass 2, require explicit evidence:

• architecture/status check against current Prefect behavior
• concrete links (issue comments, PRs, release notes, docs, code)
• counterevidence (why issue might still be valid)
• confidence (low, medium, high)

If evidence is weak or mixed, downgrade close to:

• needs:details
• needs:mre
• status:stale
• keep-open

UI replatform exception:

• Prefect currently has both legacy UI code (ui/) and the React replatform (ui-v2/).
• For UI issues that appear tied to legacy UI behavior, do not close based only on age/architecture drift until ui-v2 is GA.
• Before proposing close, check whether the reported behavior is represented in ui/, ui-v2/, or both.
• Default action before GA is keep-open (or status:stale only if explicitly desired by maintainers).

Candidate Queries (PrefectHQ/prefect)

Use focused searches:

gh issue list --repo PrefectHQ/prefect --search "is:open is:issue no:assignee sort:updated-asc" --limit 100
gh issue list --repo PrefectHQ/prefect --search "is:open is:issue label:status:stale sort:updated-asc" --limit 100
gh issue list --repo PrefectHQ/prefect --search "is:open is:issue label:bug -label:needs:mre sort:updated-asc" --limit 100
gh issue list --repo PrefectHQ/prefect --search "is:open is:issue label:needs:details sort:updated-asc" --limit 100

Action Set

Choose exactly one primary action per issue:

• keep-open: still actionable, no immediate label change needed
• needs:details: missing context blocks progress
• needs:mre: bug report lacks minimal reproducible example
• status:stale: inactive and low-signal, not exempt
• close-duplicate: close with canonical issue link
• close-not-planned: close with concise reason when clearly out of scope or no longer actionable

Deep-Dive Output Format

For every close candidate, produce this mini-record before execution:

• issue: number + title
• claim_to_verify: why it appears closable
• current_state_check: does claim still hold today?
• evidence_links: specific references
• counterevidence: any signal to keep open
• recommended_action: final action after deep-dive
• confidence: low/medium/high

Real Labels (PrefectHQ/prefect)

Only use labels that exist in this repo. Key labels for backlog work include:

• needs:details
• needs:mre
• status:stale
• needs:triage
• question
• bug
• enhancement
• good first issue
• blocked
• status:exempt

Verify labels before applying changes:

gh label list --repo PrefectHQ/prefect --limit 30

Comment Templates

Missing details:

Thanks for opening this. We need a bit more detail before we can move this forward:
- expected behavior
- actual behavior
- exact steps to reproduce

Missing MRE:

Thanks for the report. Please share:
1) a minimal reproducible code sample,
2) full traceback/error text,
3) output of `prefect version`.

Duplicate close:

Closing as a duplicate of #<issue-number> so discussion stays in one place.
If this is materially different, tag me and comment with details; we can reopen.

Guardrails

• Do not close issues only because they are old.
• Do not mark as stale when clear maintainer/reporter activity is recent.
• Do not apply conflicting labels.
• Do not over-explain; keep comments short and specific.
• Do not close legacy-UI issues before ui-v2 GA unless there is a strong non-UI reason (for example, duplicate with active canonical issue).