Prepare Issue

prepare-issue Skill

Create a GitHub issue and immediately triage it with LLM classification.

When to Use

• User says "open an issue", "create an issue", "file an issue", or "file a bug"
• User says "make a new issue", "open a GitHub issue", or "create a GitHub issue"
• User says "I want to open up a GitHub issue" or any similar natural phrasing
• User describes a bug or feature and wants it recorded as a GitHub issue
• User provides /autoskillit:prepare-issue directly

Interface

/autoskillit:prepare-issue [--issue N] [--split] [--dry-run] [--repo owner/repo] [description...]

• description... — free-form text describing the problem or feature (becomes issue title + body)
• --issue N — adopt and triage an existing unlabeled issue instead of creating new
• --split — when mixed concerns detected, create sub-issues automatically
• --dry-run — show classification and labels without creating or editing anything
• --repo owner/repo — target repository (falls back to gh default repo context)

Workflow

Step 1: Parse Arguments

Parse ARGUMENTS for:

• --issue N → set issue_number = N, skip dedup
• --split → set split = true
• --dry-run → set dry_run = true
• --repo owner/repo → set repo = "owner/repo"
• Remaining tokens → description

Step 1b: Detect Validated Audit Report

After parsing arguments, check whether the description is a validated audit report:

1. If description is a file path (relative or absolute) pointing to an existing .md file, read the first non-blank line of that file. If the file cannot be read (e.g., permission error), skip to case 4 and set is_validated_report = false.
2. If that first non-blank line, after stripping trailing whitespace (including \r), is exactly validated: true, set is_validated_report = true and record report_path = description.
3. If description itself (not a file path) begins with validated: true (after stripping trailing whitespace) as its first non-blank line, set is_validated_report = true and treat description as the report content directly.
4. Otherwise set is_validated_report = false.

When is_validated_report = true:

• In Step 5, use the validated report body construction procedure below instead of the standard summarization.
• In Step 7a (is_validated_report = true): skip requirement generation entirely.
• Set requirements_generated: false in the final result block.

Step 2: Authenticate

gh auth status

Fail fast with a clear error if authentication is not available.

Step 3: Resolve Repo

If --repo owner/repo was provided, use it. Otherwise rely on gh's default repo context. Confirm access:

gh repo view --json owner,name

Step 4: Dedup Check (skip if --issue N provided)

Extract multiple keyword sets from the description — individual key terms and 2–3 phrase combinations that capture the core topic. For each keyword set, search all issues:

gh issue list --state all --search "{keyword-set}" \
    --json number,title,url,body,labels,state --limit 15

labels is returned as an array of objects [{"name": "..."}] by gh. Extract label names as a flat list when classifying eligibility.

Run searches for each keyword set and deduplicate results by issue number, tracking the match_count (number of keyword sets that matched) per candidate.

After deduplication, apply a relevance gate to closed issues: include a closed issue as a candidate only if it was matched by two or more keyword sets. Open issues are included regardless of match count (same threshold as before). Discard single-match closed results — they are likely false positives.

Classify each surviving candidate as extend-eligible or informational-only:

Assign sequential numbers [1], [2], … only to extend-eligible candidates. Informational-only candidates receive a [—] marker.

If candidates are found, display them with state annotations per candidate:

━━━ Possible Duplicates Found ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
  [1] #{number} — {title}           (open)
      {url}

  [—] #{number} — {title}           (in-progress)
      {url}

  [—] #{number} — {title}           (closed)
      {url}

Options:
  [1]–[{N}]  Add to / extend an existing issue   (only shown if extend-eligible candidates exist)
  C          Create a new issue anyway

Your choice [C]:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

If no extend-eligible candidates exist (all are informational-only), omit the [N] option entirely — only C appears.

If the user enters C (or presses Enter): Continue to Step 4a.

If the user enters a number corresponding to an extend-eligible candidate (extend existing):

1. Fetch current body and append new context using a temp file to avoid shell injection:

   ts=$(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H%M%S)
   EDIT_BODY_FILE="{{AUTOSKILLIT_TEMP}}/prepare-issue/edit_body_${ts}.md"
   mkdir -p "{{AUTOSKILLIT_TEMP}}/prepare-issue"
   gh issue view {selected_number} --json body -q .body > "${EDIT_BODY_FILE}"
   printf '\n## Additional Context\n\n%s' "{description}" >> "${EDIT_BODY_FILE}"
   gh issue edit {selected_number} --body-file "${EDIT_BODY_FILE}"
   

2. Set issue_number = selected_number (no new issue will be created).
3. Fetch the updated issue for triage:

   gh issue view {selected_number} --json number,title,body,labels,url
   

4. Continue to Step 6 (LLM Classification) on this existing issue, then proceed through Steps 7, 7a, 8, and 9 to apply labels and requirements. Emit the result block with the existing issue's number and URL, then exit.

If no candidates found: Continue directly to Step 4a.

Step 4a: Show Draft and Confirm

Before creating any new issue, display the proposed title and body to the user and wait for explicit approval:

━━━ Draft Issue ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Title: {title}

Body:
{body}
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Create this issue? [Y/n/edit]

• Y (or Enter): Proceed to Step 5.
• n: Abort. Output a prepare-issue-result block with "aborted": true and exit.
• edit: Accept edited title and/or body from the user, redisplay, and re-prompt.

This gate fires for every new-issue creation path. Skip this step when --issue N is provided (adopting an existing issue) or when --dry-run is active.

Step 5: Create Issue or Adopt Existing

Creating new:

Validated audit report input (is_validated_report = true):

1. Derive the issue title from the validated report's H1 heading: strip the leading # and use the result verbatim.

2. Apply all strip transforms in a single deterministic shell pipeline:

   ts=$(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H%M%S)
   ISSUE_BODY_FILE="{{AUTOSKILLIT_TEMP}}/prepare-issue/issue_body_${ts}.md"
   mkdir -p "{{AUTOSKILLIT_TEMP}}/prepare-issue"
   
   grep -v 'validated: true' "$report_path" \
     | grep -v '\.autoskillit/' \
     | grep -v 'contested_findings_' \
     | grep -v '| CONTESTED |' \
     | grep -v '| VALID BUT EXCEPTION WARRANTED |' \
     | sed 's/ | \*\*Contested:\*\* [0-9][0-9]*//' \
     | sed 's/ | \*\*Exception warranted:\*\* [0-9][0-9]*//' \
   > "${ISSUE_BODY_FILE}" || { echo 'ERROR: failed to process report_path'; exit 1; }
   
   # Strip the ## Findings with Exceptions section entirely:
   awk '/^## Findings with Exceptions/{skip=1} skip && /^---/{skip=0; next} !skip' \
     "${ISSUE_BODY_FILE}" > "${ISSUE_BODY_FILE}.tmp" \
     && mv "${ISSUE_BODY_FILE}.tmp" "${ISSUE_BODY_FILE}"
   
   # Defensive strip: remove any finding detail section that contains an exception note
   # (guards against exception-warranted findings leaking inline into ## Validated Findings)
   awk '
     /^\*\*Exception note:\*\*/ { in_exception=1; next }
     in_exception && /^---$/ { in_exception=0; next }
     in_exception && /^## / { in_exception=0 }
     !in_exception
     END { in_exception=0 }
   ' "${ISSUE_BODY_FILE}" > "${ISSUE_BODY_FILE}.tmp" \
     && mv "${ISSUE_BODY_FILE}.tmp" "${ISSUE_BODY_FILE}"
   

   What each transform removes:

   • validated: true — YAML front-matter sentinel (not content)
   • .autoskillit/ lines — all artifact paths (**Original report:** and any future variants)
   • contested_findings_ lines — footer reference to the excluded-findings file
   • | CONTESTED | rows — CONTESTED verdict rows from ## Validation Status table
   • | VALID BUT EXCEPTION WARRANTED | rows — exception verdict rows from ## Validation Status
   • | **Contested:** N and | **Exception warranted:** N — count segments from the **Findings processed:** summary line; leaves **Findings processed:** {total} | **Valid:** {N}
   • ## Findings with Exceptions through next --- — the entire exception-findings section
   • **Exception note:** blocks — exception-warranted finding detail sections

3. Call gh issue create using the temp file:

   gh issue create \
     --title "{title}" \
     --body-file "${ISSUE_BODY_FILE}"
   

   Capture the returned issue URL and extract the issue number from it.

The resulting body contains only actionable, VALID findings: the H1 title, the ## Validation Status table (VALID rows only), and the ## Validated Findings section. No artifact paths, no contested content, no exception-warranted content.

Standard input (is_validated_report = false):

Derive a concise title (first sentence of description, max 80 chars) and a structured body from the full description:

gh issue create \
    --title "{title}" \
    --body "{body}"

Capture the returned issue URL and extract the issue number from it.

Adopting existing (--issue N):

gh issue view N --json number,title,body,labels,url

Use the fetched data as the issue context.

Step 6: LLM Classification

Shortcut — Validated audit report: When is_validated_report = true (set in Step 1b), immediately assign:

• route = implementation
• issue_type = enhancement
• confidence = high
• rationale = "Validated audit report — structural/quality improvement work, not broken behavior"

Skip the heuristic table below and proceed directly to Step 7.

Analyze the issue title + body using in-context reasoning for all other inputs:

Record: route (implementation|remediation), issue_type (bug|enhancement), confidence (high|low), rationale (one sentence).

Note: The audit-signal table row is a secondary defense for --issue N adoption of pre-existing validated audit issues where is_validated_report may not be set.

Step 7: Confidence Gate

If confidence == "low":

• Present classification + rationale to user
• Ask: "Classify as recipe:{route} ({issue_type})? [Y/n]"
• If user overrides: record their chosen route/type

Step 7a: Requirement Generation (recipe:implementation only)

Skip entirely when is_validated_report = true — the validated report IS the specification. No requirements section will be generated or appended. Set requirements_generated: false in the result block and proceed directly to Step 8.

Skip if route is recipe:remediation — proceed directly to Step 8.

If route is recipe:implementation:

1. Trace backward from the goal in the issue title and body:
   • Ask: "What must be true for this functionality to exist?"
   • Each answer is a requirement. Stop when you reach implementation choices.
2. Group requirements by co-implementation concern. Name each group with a short uppercase abbreviation (2–5 letters). Example groups: AUTH, API, DATA, UI, CLI.
3. Format each requirement as: **REQ-{GRP}-NNN:** {single-sentence condition}.
   • NNN is zero-padded, resets per group (001, 002, ...).
   • Requirements are conditions, not instructions: "The system must X" not "Do X".
4. Fetch the current issue body:

   gh issue view {N} --json body -q .body
   

5. If ## Requirements section already exists in the body: skip (idempotent).
6. If --dry-run is set: print the generated requirements to stdout but do NOT call gh issue edit. Set requirements_generated: true, requirements_appended: false.
7. Otherwise, append the Requirements section:

   ts=$(date +%Y-%m-%d_%H%M%S)
   EDIT_BODY_FILE="{{AUTOSKILLIT_TEMP}}/prepare-issue/edit_body_${ts}.md"
   REQUIREMENTS_FILE="{{AUTOSKILLIT_TEMP}}/prepare-issue/requirements_${ts}.md"
   mkdir -p "{{AUTOSKILLIT_TEMP}}/prepare-issue"
   
   # Fetch current issue body to temp file (avoids shell interpolation):
   gh issue view {N} --json body -q .body > "${EDIT_BODY_FILE}"
   
   # Populate ${REQUIREMENTS_FILE} with the generated requirements content, then:
   printf '\n\n## Requirements\n\n' >> "${EDIT_BODY_FILE}"
   cat "${REQUIREMENTS_FILE}" >> "${EDIT_BODY_FILE}"
   
   gh issue edit {N} --body-file "${EDIT_BODY_FILE}"
   

8. If the issue is too vague for clean requirement extraction (no clear goal, contradictory claims, or entirely implementation-prescriptive): do not force it. Instead: post a comment flagging the issue as needs more detail, suggest remediation routing if the goal is unclear. Set requirements_generated: false.
9. On success: set requirements_generated: true, requirements_appended: true.

Step 8: Mixed-Concern Detection

Examine whether the issue blends distinct concern categories (e.g., bug fix + new feature, investigation + implementation work). Criteria: the issue describes two separate, independently-completable outcomes.

If mixed concerns detected:

• Notify user: "This issue mixes {concern_a} and {concern_b}. Consider splitting."
• If --split is set: create a sub-issue for each concern via gh issue create, link them back to the parent with a comment, and track all sub-issue numbers.

Step 9: Label Application

If --dry-run: skip this step, print a preview of what would be applied, emit result block, exit.

Otherwise:

# Ensure labels exist (idempotent)
gh label create "recipe:implementation" --force \
    --description "Route: proceed directly to implementation" \
    --color "0E8A16"
sleep 1  # Rate-limit discipline: 1s between mutating calls
gh label create "recipe:remediation" --force \
    --description "Route: investigate/decompose before implementation" \
    --color "D93F0B"
sleep 1  # Rate-limit discipline: 1s between mutating calls
gh label create "bug" --force \
    --description "Existing behavior is broken" \
    --color "d73a4a"
sleep 1  # Rate-limit discipline: 1s between mutating calls
gh label create "enhancement" --force \
    --description "New feature or request" \
    --color "a2eeef"
sleep 1  # Rate-limit discipline: 1s between mutating calls

# Apply triage labels (use the route determined in Step 6)
gh issue edit {issue_number} --add-label "recipe:implementation"
sleep 1  # Rate-limit discipline: 1s between mutating calls
# or, for remediation route:
gh issue edit {issue_number} --add-label "recipe:remediation"
sleep 1  # Rate-limit discipline: 1s between mutating calls
gh issue edit {issue_number} --add-label "{issue_type}"

Critical Constraints

NEVER:

• Create or modify GitHub issues without explicit user intent
• Apply labels not in the defined set (recipe:implementation, recipe:remediation, bug, enhancement)
• Skip the dedup check when creating a new issue (unless --issue N is provided)
• Proceed past Step 2 (Auth) if gh auth status fails
• Create a GitHub issue without displaying the draft and receiving explicit Y confirmation (unless --issue N or --dry-run is active)
• Use --body inline for the validated-report gh issue create — always write the stripped body to {{AUTOSKILLIT_TEMP}}/prepare-issue/issue_body_{timestamp}.md and pass --body-file (prevents LLM paraphrase, shell truncation, and special-character injection)
• Use --body shell substitution (--body "$(...)) for gh issue edit — always write to {{AUTOSKILLIT_TEMP}}/prepare-issue/req_body_{timestamp}.md and use --body-file

ALWAYS:

• Confirm repo access with gh repo view before any issue operations
• Use --force on all gh label create calls for idempotency
• Emit the result block (---prepare-issue-result---) even on dry-run
• Respect --dry-run: never create or edit anything when this flag is set

Output

Emit to stdout for recipe capture:

---prepare-issue-result---
{
  "issue_url": "https://github.com/owner/repo/issues/N",
  "issue_number": N,
  "route": "recipe:implementation",
  "issue_type": "enhancement",
  "confidence": "high",
  "rationale": "...",
  "labels_applied": ["recipe:implementation", "enhancement"],
  "dry_run": false,
  "sub_issues": [],
  "requirements_generated": true,
  "requirements_appended": true
}
---/prepare-issue-result---

Also emit the issue URL as a standalone structured token for recipe capture:

issue_url = https://github.com/owner/repo/issues/N