github-bug-report-triage

GitHub Bug Report Triage

Evaluate GitHub issues for bug reports only. Determine if they contain sufficient info to be actionable. If not, identify missing details and provide constructive feedback.

Workflow

1. Locate Issue Template

Check for existing templates:

• .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_report.md
• .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_report.yml
• .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/*.md
• .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE.md
• ISSUE_TEMPLATE.md

If no template exists, use references/ISSUE_TEMPLATE.md from this skill as the fallback template, then evaluate the issue against it.

2. Evaluate Issue Quality

Critical questions:

1. Is this a bug report?

   • If the issue is a feature request or a question, do not evaluate this issue

2. Is the description clear?

   • What's broken or wrong
   • Expected behavior vs. what actually happens
   • Impact or severity

3. Can we reproduce it?

   • Step-by-step reproduction
   • OR sandbox/StackBlitz/CodeSandbox link
   • OR minimal code example

Be reasonable:

• Don't require every template field to be filled
• Focus on minimum info needed to investigate
• Consider context (obvious bugs vs. edge cases)

3. Make Determination

Ready to be actionable:

• Has clear problem description
• Includes reproduction path OR enough context to debug
• Actually a bug (not feature/question)

Needs more info:

• Vague description ("it doesn't work")
• Missing reproduction steps AND no code example
• Unclear what the expected behavior should be
• Missing critical context (e.g., "crashes" but no error message)

4. Provide Feedback

If ready: Confirm issue is actionable.

If needs info: Specify what's missing. Be constructive and specific.

Examples

Example 1: Ready to Investigate

**Issue**: Dropdown menu doesn't close on mobile Safari

**Description**: 
When clicking a dropdown menu item on iOS Safari, the menu stays 
open instead of closing. Works fine on desktop Chrome/Firefox.

**Steps**:
1. Visit https://stackblitz.com/edit/my-repro
2. Open on iOS Safari
3. Click dropdown, select any item
4. Menu stays open (should close)

**Environment**: iOS 16.3, Safari

Evaluation: ✅ Ready

• Clear description
• Has reproduction link
• Specific environment details

Example 2: Needs More Info

**Issue**: Button is broken

**Description**: 
The submit button doesn't work properly.

Evaluation: ❌ Needs info Missing:

• What does "doesn't work" mean? (no click? error? wrong behavior?)
• Expected vs. actual behavior
• Steps to reproduce
• Any error messages

Example 3: Edge Case - Reasonable

**Issue**: Console error on form submit

**Description**:
Getting "Cannot read property 'value' of null" when submitting 
the contact form. Happens 100% of the time.

**Error**:

TypeError: Cannot read property 'value' of null at handleSubmit (ContactForm.tsx:45)

**Environment**: Chrome 120, Windows 11

Evaluation: ✅ Ready

• Clear error message with stack trace
• Specific file/line reference
• Reproducible (100% of time)
• Note: No explicit repro steps, but error is clear enough to investigate

Example 4: Bug Report with Insufficient Reproducibility

**Issue**: [glob-loader] Duplicate id warning on file update

**Description**:
I'm encountering an issue with the glob loader. Whenever I update 
the watched file, I get a warning message in the logs.


The warning message:

13:23:31 [WARN] [glob-loader] Duplicate id "russian-test" found in /Users/user/Code/project/content/posts/russian-test.md. Later items with the same id will overwrite earlier ones.

**Expected**: No warning message

**Link to Minimal Reproducible Example**: - N/A

Evaluation: ❌ Needs info

• Describes a real bug (warning message)
• Has error output and code reference
• BUT: No minimal reproduction provided
• Code link points to private repo (can't access to debug)

Missing:

• Minimal reproduction (example code or link to a working reproduction)