Triage Issue

Triage Issue

Keywords

triage bug, check duplicate, is this a duplicate, search for similar issues, create bug ticket, file a bug, report this error, triage this error, bug report, error message, similar issues, duplicate bug, who fixed this, has this been reported, search bugs, find similar bugs, create issue, file issue

Overview

Automatically triage bug reports and error messages by searching Jira for duplicates, identifying similar past issues, and helping create well-structured bug tickets or add context to existing issues. This skill eliminates manual duplicate checking and ensures bugs are properly documented with relevant historical context.

Use this skill when: Users need to triage error messages, bug reports, or issues to determine if they're duplicates and take appropriate action.

Workflow

Follow this 6-step process to effectively triage issues:

Step 1: Extract Key Information

Analyze the bug report or error message to identify search terms.

Extract These Elements:

Error signature:

• Error type or exception name (e.g., "NullPointerException", "TimeoutError")
• Error code or status (e.g., "500", "404", "ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED")
• Specific error message text (key phrases, not full stack trace)

Context:

• Component or system affected (e.g., "authentication", "payment gateway", "API")
• Environment (e.g., "production", "staging", "mobile app")
• User actions leading to error (e.g., "during login", "when uploading file")

Symptoms:

• Observable behavior (e.g., "page blank", "infinite loading", "data not saving")
• Impact (e.g., "users can't login", "payments failing")

Example Extractions:

Input: "Users getting 'Connection timeout' error when trying to login on mobile app" Extracted:

• Error: "Connection timeout"
• Component: "login", "mobile app"
• Symptom: "can't login"

Input: "NullPointerException in PaymentProcessor.processRefund() line 245" Extracted:

• Error: "NullPointerException"
• Component: "PaymentProcessor", "refund"
• Location: "processRefund line 245"

Step 2: Search for Duplicates

Search Jira using extracted keywords to find similar or duplicate issues.

Search Strategy:

Execute multiple targeted searches to catch duplicates that may use different wording:

Search 1: Error-focused

searchJiraIssuesUsingJql(
  cloudId="...",
  jql='project = "PROJ" AND (text ~ "error signature" OR summary ~ "error signature") AND type = Bug ORDER BY created DESC',
  fields=["summary", "description", "status", "resolution", "created", "updated", "assignee"],
  maxResults=20
)

Search 2: Component-focused

searchJiraIssuesUsingJql(
  cloudId="...",
  jql='project = "PROJ" AND text ~ "component keywords" AND type = Bug ORDER BY updated DESC',
  fields=["summary", "description", "status", "resolution", "created", "updated", "assignee"],
  maxResults=20
)

Search 3: Symptom-focused

searchJiraIssuesUsingJql(
  cloudId="...",
  jql='project = "PROJ" AND summary ~ "symptom keywords" AND type = Bug ORDER BY priority DESC, updated DESC',
  fields=["summary", "description", "status", "resolution", "created", "updated", "assignee"],
  maxResults=20
)

Search Tips:

Use key terms only:

• ✅ "timeout login mobile"
• ✅ "NullPointerException PaymentProcessor refund"
• ❌ "Users are getting a connection timeout error when..." (too verbose)

Search recent first:

• Order by created DESC or updated DESC to find recent similar issues
• Recent bugs are more likely to be relevant duplicates

Don't over-filter:

• Include resolved issues (might have been reopened or regression)
• Search across all bug statuses to find fix history

Step 3: Analyze Search Results

Evaluate the search results to determine if this is a duplicate or a new issue.

Duplicate Detection:

High confidence duplicate (>90%):

• Exact same error message in summary or description
• Same component + same error type
• Recent issue (< 30 days) with identical symptoms
• Action: Strongly recommend adding comment to existing issue

Likely duplicate (70-90%):

• Similar error with slight variations
• Same component but different context
• Resolved issue with same root cause
• Action: Present as possible duplicate, let user decide

Possibly related (40-70%):

• Similar symptoms but different error
• Same component area but different specific error
• Old issue (> 6 months) that might be unrelated
• Action: Mention as potentially related

Likely new issue (<40%):

• No similar issues found
• Different error signature and component
• Unique symptom or context
• Action: Recommend creating new issue

Check Fix History:

If similar resolved issues are found:

Extract relevant information:

• Who fixed it? (assignee on resolved issues)
• How was it fixed? (resolution comment or linked PRs)
• When was it fixed? (resolution date)
• Has it regressed? (any reopened issues)

Present this context to help with triage decision.

Step 4: Present Findings to User

CRITICAL: Always present findings and wait for user decision before taking any action.

Format for Likely Duplicate:

🔍 **Triage Results: Likely Duplicate**

I found a very similar issue already reported:

**PROJ-456** - Connection timeout during mobile login
Status: Open | Priority: High | Created: 3 days ago
Assignee: @john.doe
https://yoursite.atlassian.net/browse/PROJ-456

**Similarity:**
- Same error: "Connection timeout"
- Same component: Mobile app login
- Same symptoms: Users unable to login

**Difference:**
- Original report mentioned iOS specifically, this report doesn't specify platform

**Recommendation:** Add your details as a comment to PROJ-456

Would you like me to:
1. Add a comment to PROJ-456 with your error details
2. Create a new issue anyway (if you think this is different)
3. Show me more details about PROJ-456 first

Format for Possibly Related:

🔍 **Triage Results: Possibly Related Issues Found**

I found 2 potentially related issues:

**1. PROJ-789** - Mobile app authentication failures
Status: Resolved | Fixed: 2 weeks ago | Fixed by: @jane.smith
https://yoursite.atlassian.net/browse/PROJ-789

**2. PROJ-234** - Login timeout on slow connections
Status: Open | Priority: Medium | Created: 1 month ago
https://yoursite.atlassian.net/browse/PROJ-234

**Assessment:** Your error seems related but has unique aspects

**Recommendation:** Create a new issue, but reference these related tickets

Would you like me to create a new bug ticket?

Format for No Duplicates:

🔍 **Triage Results: No Duplicates Found**

I searched Jira for:
- "Connection timeout" errors
- Mobile login issues
- Authentication failures

No similar open or recent issues found.

**Recommendation:** Create a new bug ticket

**Note:** I found 1 old resolved issue (PROJ-123 from 8 months ago) about login timeouts, but it was for web, not mobile, and was resolved as "configuration error."

Would you like me to create a new bug ticket for this issue?

Step 5: Execute User Decision

Based on user's choice, either add a comment or create a new issue.

Option A: Add Comment to Existing Issue

If user wants to add to existing issue:

Fetch the full issue first to understand context:

getJiraIssue(
  cloudId="...",
  issueIdOrKey="PROJ-456"
)

Then add the comment:

addOrEditJiraIssueComment(
  cloudId="...",
  issueIdOrKey="PROJ-456",
  commentBody="[formatted comment - see below]"
)

Comment Structure:

## Additional Instance Reported

**Reporter:** [User's name or context]
**Date:** [Current date]

**Error Details:**
[Paste relevant error message or stack trace]

**Context:**
- Environment: [e.g., Production, iOS 16.5]
- User Impact: [e.g., 50+ users affected in last hour]
- Steps to Reproduce: [if provided]

**Additional Notes:**
[Any unique aspects of this instance]

---