Arness Infra Triage

Process incoming infrastructure request issues, invoke the arn-infra-request-analyzer agent to extract infrastructure implications from the referenced application artifacts, update issue labels, and produce a structured implications brief. This skill bridges application feature development and infrastructure provisioning.

Infrastructure request issues are typically created by Arness Core when a completed feature has infrastructure implications (new database, new endpoints, new env vars). They can also be created manually by users.

Prerequisites

Read ## Arness from the project's CLAUDE.md. If no ## Arness section exists or Arness Infra fields are missing, inform the user: "Arness Infra is not configured for this project yet. Run /arn-infra-wizard to get started — it will set everything up automatically." Do not proceed without it.

Check the Deferred field. If Deferred: yes, inform the user: "Infrastructure is currently in deferred mode. Triage is not available until infrastructure is un-deferred. Run /arn-infra-assess to un-defer and produce a full infrastructure assessment." Stop.

Extract Infra specs directory for use in Step 6 save path. If not configured, default to .arness/infra-specs.

Extract:

• Issue tracker -- where to read/update issues (github, jira, none)
• Project topology -- how to resolve the application project (monorepo, separate-repo, infra-only)
• Application path -- path to the application project root
• Experience level -- derived from user profile. Read ~/.arness/user-profile.yaml (or .claude/arness-profile.local.md if it exists — project override takes precedence). Apply the experience derivation mapping from ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/arn-infra-ensure-config/references/experience-derivation.md. If no profile exists, check for legacy Experience level in ## Arness as fallback.
• Jira site and Jira project -- if Issue tracker is jira

Workflow

Step 1: Accept Issue Input

The user provides an issue reference. Accept any of:

• Issue number: e.g., #42 or 42
• Issue URL: e.g., https://github.com/org/repo/issues/42
• Issue description pasted: For manual issues or when the tracker is unavailable

Read the issue:

• GitHub: gh issue view <number> --json title,body,labels,url
• Jira: Use the Atlassian MCP to read the issue by key
• None / pasted: Parse the content directly from the user's input

Step 2: Parse the Infrastructure Request

Extract structured fields from the issue body. If the issue follows the infra-request-template.md format (created by Arness Core), parsing is automatic:

Read ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/arn-infra-triage/references/infra-request-template.md for the expected format.

Structured parsing (template format):

• Feature: Name and issue/PR reference
• Spec: Path to the feature spec in the Core project
• Plan: Path to the implementation plan (if exists)
• Infrastructure implications: Summary of what the feature needs
• Key implementation files: Paths to source files affecting infrastructure
• Originating issue: Link to the Core issue/PR
• Priority: Blocking | Planned | Enhancement

Free-form parsing (manual issues): If the issue does not follow the template format:

1. Extract what you can from the issue body
2. Ask the user to fill gaps: "This issue wasn't created using the standard template. I need some additional information:"
   • What feature or application change drives this infrastructure need?
   • Where is the relevant application code? (file paths or description)
   • What is the priority? (Blocking / Planned / Enhancement)

Step 3: Invoke the Request Analyzer Agent

Invoke the arn-infra-request-analyzer agent via the Task tool, passing the model from .arness/agent-models/infra.md as the model parameter (see plugins/arn-infra/skills/arn-infra-ensure-config/references/ensure-config.md "Dispatch convention" for fallback). Context:

--- ISSUE CONTEXT ---
[parsed issue content from Step 2]
--- END ISSUE CONTEXT ---

--- INFRASTRUCTURE CONFIG ---
Project topology: [topology]
Application path: [path]
Providers: [from ## Arness]
Default IaC tool: [from ## Arness]
Experience level: [derived from user profile]
--- END INFRASTRUCTURE CONFIG ---

--- INSTRUCTIONS ---
Analyze the referenced application artifacts. Navigate to the application project
at [Application path]. Read the feature spec, plan, and implementation files
referenced in the issue. Extract infrastructure implications and produce an
implications brief following the template format.
--- END INSTRUCTIONS ---

Read ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/arn-infra-triage/references/implications-brief-template.md for the brief format.

Pass the implications brief template to the agent so it produces correctly structured output.

Topology-aware behavior:

• Monorepo: The Core artifacts are in the same repo. Direct file reads with relative paths.
• Separate repo: The agent reads from Application path. If the path is unreachable, fall back to the issue content only and inform the user: "Could not access the application project at [path]. Analysis is based on the issue content only. For a more thorough analysis, ensure the application path is accessible."
• Infra-only: No application project. Process the issue as a standalone infrastructure request without cross-project analysis.

Step 4: Update Issue Labels

After the analyzer produces its brief, update the issue labels.

First check if the arn-infra-request label is present on the issue. If present, remove it. Always add arn-infra-in-progress regardless.

GitHub:

gh issue edit <number> --remove-label "arn-infra-request" --add-label "arn-infra-in-progress"

Jira: Use the Atlassian MCP to update labels on the issue.

None: Skip label updates. Note in the output.

Step 5: Present the Implications Brief

Present the infrastructure implications brief to the user. Adapt detail level based on experience level:

• Expert: Concise presentation with technical details. Focus on resource specifications and cost impact.
• Intermediate: Balanced presentation with explanations of trade-offs and recommendations.
• Beginner: Detailed presentation with plain-language explanations of what each resource does and why it is needed.

Step 6: Offer Next Steps

Ask (using AskUserQuestion):

"Infrastructure implications have been analyzed. What would you like to do?"

Options:

1. Act on this now -- Proceed to implementation
2. Review and adjust -- Discuss the implications and make changes before proceeding
3. Save for later -- Save this brief for future reference

If Review and adjust: enter discussion mode -- present the implications brief for iterative refinement with the user before returning to this decision.

If Save for later: write the brief to <infra-specs-dir>/INFRA_<feature-name>.md using the feature name from the issue.

If Act on this now:

Ask (using AskUserQuestion):

"Which implementation path?"

Options:

1. Generate IaC directly -- Feed this brief into /arn-infra-define to generate IaC configurations
2. Full guided pipeline -- Feed this brief into /arn-infra-wizard for end-to-end infrastructure setup
3. Structured change pipeline -- Feed this brief into /arn-infra-change-spec for structured change management with review gates, cost tracking, and audit trails. Recommended for complex or multi-environment changes.

Error Handling

• ## Arness config missing: Suggest running /arn-infra-wizard to get started. Stop.
• Issue not found: If the issue number does not exist or the URL is invalid, inform the user and ask for a valid reference.
• Issue has no arn-infra-request label: Warn: "This issue does not have the arn-infra-request label. It may not be a stan