Convert unstructured user thoughts, reflections, and learnings into structured, actionable GitHub issue content that enhances existing issues rather than creating noise.
When to Use
- User shares random thoughts/workflow reflections and wants them "captured"
- User says "put this into issues" or "filter this to repos"
- Post-session learnings that should compound in the repo
- User wants their reflections to "straighten the twisted brain"
Pattern
Phase 1: Distill Themes
Parse the unstructured thoughts and extract core themes. Look for:
- Problems/gaps identified
- Insights about what works (secret sauce)
- Proposed improvements or next steps
- Metrics or evidence of problems
- Connections to existing work
Phase 2: Map to Existing Issues
CRITICAL: Before creating any new issues, search the existing landscape:
cd /mnt/local-analysis/workspace-hub
# Search by label categories
gh issue list --label cat:harness --state open --limit 10
gh issue list --label cat:platform --state open --limit 10
gh issue list --label domain:knowledge --state open --limit 10
# Search by keywords
gh issue search "keyword1 OR keyword2" --state open --limit 10
# View key issues
gh issue view $NUM 2>/dev/null
Map each distilled theme to the most relevant existing issue.
Phase 3: Route as Comments (NOT New Issues)
Write a body file and add as a comment to the existing issue:
cat > /tmp/comment_$NUM.md << 'EOF'
## Context Update (date)
[Distilled insight from user's reflection]
[Specific additions to acceptance criteria]
[Related issues to link]
[Quotes from user for context]
EOF
gh issue comment $NUM --body-file /tmp/comment_$NUM.md
If no existing issue covers a theme, create a focused new issue with clear acceptance criteria and references.
Phase 4: Close Any Unnecessary Issues
If you created issues before realizing they're duplicates:
gh issue comment $NUM --body "Closing as duplicate of #EXISTING - see context added there."
gh issue close $NUM
Key Principles
- ROUTE over CREATE: Always prefer enhancing existing issues
- Quote the user: Preserve their exact words for context
- Be specific: Add actionable acceptance criteria, not just commentary
- Cross-link: Connect related issues explicitly
- Minimize noise: The goal is signal, not issue proliferation