tomevault-io EOA Label Taxonomy
Overview
This skill defines the complete label taxonomy for the emasoft multi-agent orchestration system. Labels serve two purposes: issue classification (type, priority, component) and agent coordination (assignment, status tracking). All labels follow the <category>:<value> format with strict cardinality rules to prevent conflicts and enable precise filtering.
Prerequisites
- Read AGENT_OPERATIONS.md for orchestrator workflow context
- Access to GitHub CLI (
gh) configured for the repository - Understanding of the emasoft agent roles (EOA, ECOS, EIA, EAMA)
- Read eoa-messaging-templates for message formats using labels
- Read eoa-task-distribution for assignment workflow
Instructions
- Determine the operation type (create, query, update)
- Identify the label category (
assign:*,status:*,priority:*, etc.) - Check cardinality rules for the category (section 3.1)
- If updating, remove conflicting labels first (especially
assign:*andstatus:*) - Apply the new label using
ghCLI - Verify the label was applied correctly
- Log the label change if tracking is required
See sections below for detailed category definitions and CLI commands.
Checklist
Copy this checklist and track your progress:
Label Operation Workflow:
- Determine operation type (create, query, update)
- Identify the label category (
assign:*,status:*,priority:*, etc.) - Check cardinality rules for the category (section 3.1)
- If updating, remove conflicting labels first (especially
assign:*andstatus:*) - Apply the new label using
ghCLI - Verify the label was applied correctly
- Log the label change if tracking is required
Label Lifecycle Checks:
- Issue created: Set
type:*,status:backlog, optionalcomponent:* - Issue triaged: Set
priority:*,effort:*,platform:*/toolchain:*if relevant - Issue assigned: Add
assign:<agent>, changestatus:todo→status:in-progress - Issue in AI review: Change
status:in-progress→status:ai-review - Issue in human review: Change
status:ai-review→status:human-review(BIG tasks only) - Issue ready to merge: Change review status →
status:merge-release - Issue completed: Remove
assign:*, changestatus:merge-release→status:done
1. Label System Overview
What Labels Are For
Labels in the emasoft multi-agent system serve TWO purposes:
- Issue Classification - Categorize what the issue IS (type, priority, component)
- Agent Coordination - Track who is WORKING on the issue (assignment, status)
Label Anatomy
All labels follow this format:
<category>:<value>
Examples:
status:in-progress- Category isstatus, value isin-progressassign:implementer-1- Category isassign, value isimplementer-1
Why Prefixes Matter
Prefixes enable:
- Filtering:
gh issue list --label "assign:implementer-1" - Grouping: All
status:*labels show workflow state - Clarity: Instantly know what a label represents
2. Label Categories Summary
Full category details: label-categories-detailed.md
- Assignment labels (
assign:*) - Agent assignment tracking - Status labels (
status:*) - Workflow state - Priority labels (
priority:*) - Urgency level - Type labels (
type:*) - Kind of work - Component labels (
component:*) - Affected code areas - Effort labels (
effort:*) - Size estimate - Platform labels (
platform:*) - Target platforms - Toolchain labels (
toolchain:*) - Required tools - Review labels (
review:*) - PR review status
Key Categories Quick Reference
| Prefix | Purpose | Cardinality | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
assign: |
Who is working on it | 0-1 | assign:implementer-1 |
status: |
Current workflow state | 1 | status:in-progress |
priority: |
Urgency level | 1 | priority:high |
type: |
Kind of work | 1 | type:bug |
component: |
Affected code areas | 1+ | component:api |
effort: |
Size estimate | 1 | effort:m |
platform: |
Target platforms | 0+ | platform:linux |
toolchain: |
Required tools | 0+ | toolchain:python |
review: |
PR review status | 0-1 | review:approved |
Kanban Columns (Canonical 8-Column System)
The full workflow uses these 8 status columns:
| # | Column Code | Display Name | Label | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | backlog |
Backlog | status:backlog |
Entry point for new tasks |
| 2 | todo |
Todo | status:todo |
Ready to start |
| 3 | in-progress |
In Progress | status:in-progress |
Active work |
| 4 | ai-review |
AI Review | status:ai-review |
Integrator agent reviews ALL tasks |
| 5 | human-review |
Human Review | status:human-review |
User reviews BIG tasks only (via EAMA) |
| 6 | merge-release |
Merge/Release | status:merge-release |
Ready to merge |
| 7 | done |
Done | status:done |
Completed |
| 8 | blocked |
Blocked | status:blocked |
Blocked at any stage |
Task Routing Rules:
- Small tasks: In Progress -> AI Review -> Merge/Release -> Done
- Big tasks: In Progress -> AI Review -> Human Review -> Merge/Release -> Done
- Human Review is requested via EAMA (Assistant Manager asks user to test/review)
- Not all tasks go through Human Review -- only significant changes requiring human judgment
3. Usage Rules
3.1 Label Cardinality
| Category | Cardinality | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
assign:* |
0 or 1 | At most one assignment |
status:* |
1 | Exactly one status |
priority:* |
1 | Exactly one priority |
type:* |
1 | Exactly one type |
component:* |
1+ | One or more components |
effort:* |
1 | Exactly one effort |
platform:* |
0+ | Zero or more platforms |
toolchain:* |
0+ | Zero or more toolchains |
review:* |
0 or 1 | At most one review status |
3.2 Label Lifecycle
When Issue Created:
- Set
type:*based on issue content - Set
status:backlog - Optionally set
component:*if known
When Issue Triaged:
- Set
priority:* - Set
effort:* - Set
platform:*andtoolchain:*if relevant - Change
status:backlog→status:todo(or keep in backlog)
When Issue Assigned:
- Add
assign:<agent-name> - Change
status:todo→status:in-progress
When Work Done, AI Reviews:
- Change
status:in-progress→status:ai-review - Integrator (EIA) reviews ALL tasks
When Human Review Needed (BIG tasks only):
- Change
status:ai-review→status:human-review - User reviews the task
When Ready to Merge:
- Change review status →
status:merge-release - Ready to merge and release
When Issue Completed:
- Remove
assign:*label - Change
status:merge-release→status:done
3.3 Common Mistakes to Avoid
| Mistake | Correct Approach |
|---|---|
Multiple assign:* labels |
Remove old before adding new |
Missing status:* label |
Every issue needs exactly one |
Changing type:* mid-work |
Create new issue instead |
Using agent:* prefix |
Use assign:* for assignments |
| Forgetting to update status | Update status at each workflow transition |
4. Quick Reference
Minimum Required Labels
Every issue MUST have:
status:*- One status labelpriority:*- One priority labeltype:*- One type label
Colors Reference
| Category | Suggested Color |
|---|---|
assign: |
Various blues/purples |
status: |
Workflow colors (green=ready, yellow=progress, red=blocked) |
priority: |
Urgency colors (red=critical, orange=high, yellow=normal, green=low) |
type: |
Category colors |
component: |
Light pastels |
effort: |
Size-based (green=small, red=large) |
platform: |
Neutral grays |
toolchain: |
Language brand colors |
review: |
Review state colors |
5. CLI Commands
Full command reference: cli-commands.md
- Create labels for all categories
- Query labels (list issues by label)
- Update labels (reassign, change status)
- Validate label cardinality
Quick commands:
# Assign task to agent
gh issue edit 42 --add-label "assign:implementer-1"
# Update status
gh issue edit 42 --remove-label "status:todo" --add-label "status:in-progress"
# Query assigned issues
gh issue list --label "assign:implementer-1"
Output
| Output Type | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Label list | JSON from gh issue view |
{"labels": [{"name": "assign:implementer-1"}]} |
| Label query results | Table/list from gh issue list |
Issues matching filter criteria |
| Label creation | CLI confirmation | ✓ Label "assign:implementer-1" created |
| Label update | CLI confirmation | ✓ Updated labels for #42 |
| Validation result | Boolean/message | "Valid: issue has exactly 1 status label" |
Error Handling
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
Multiple assign:* labels on one issue |
Concurrent updates or incorrect removal | Remove all assign:* labels, then add the correct one |
Missing status:* label |
Label removed accidentally or never set | Set the appropriate status label based on current workflow state |
Multiple status:* labels |
Concurrent updates | Remove all status:* labels, then add the correct one |
gh command fails |
No auth or repo not found | Run gh auth login and verify repo access |
| Label conflict during reassignment | Old label not removed first | Use gh issue edit --remove-label "old" --add-label "new" in single command |
| Invalid label name | Typo or wrong format | Check label format: <category>:<value> (no spaces) |
Examples
Full examples: examples.md
- Example 1: Assign task to agent
- Example 2: Update status during workflow
- Example 3: Query issues by multiple labels
- Example 4: Validate label cardinality
Quick example - Reassign task:
# Remove old assignment and add new in single command
gh issue edit 42 --remove-label "assign:implementer-1" --add-label "assign:implementer-2"
Resources
- label-categories-detailed.md - Full category definitions
- cli-commands.md - Complete CLI reference
- examples.md - Usage examples
- AGENT_OPERATIONS.md - Core orchestrator workflow context
- eoa-messaging-templates - Message templates using labels
- eoa-task-distribution - Assignment workflow
- eoa-progress-monitoring - Status tracking
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