---
topic: label-inference
source_keys:
  - context7-websites-gitea
  - gitea-mcp-repo
---

# Label inference guide

Maps context-pattern signals from conversation content (an issue being drafted, a bug report, a PR
description) to this repo's `Kind/*` / `Priority/*` / `Status/*` label taxonomy. Used by
`gitea-issues` and `gitea-prs` before creating or updating an issue/PR, and directly when the user
asks to label something without naming exact labels.

## Branching on exclusivity

`references/labels.md` owns the exclusivity rule and the read-versus-write asymmetry behind it. Read
it there rather than assuming a scope's behaviour from its name. Inference needs only the branch:
carry each candidate label's own `exclusive` value forward from the resolution call and act on it.

- **`exclusive: true`** — the server drops the sibling on write. Add the label and let it; do not
  pre-remove the label already there, and do not compute a replacement set client-side. Inferring
  `Priority/High` onto an issue carrying `Priority/Medium` needs no special handling.
- **`exclusive: false`** — **add alongside, never replace.** Stripping a co-existing label in the
  same scope destroys a valid one: an issue can legitimately carry `Kind/Bug` and `Kind/Security`
  at once.

This skill enforces no client-side exclusivity convention of its own.

## Signal → label mapping

**`Kind/*`** (what kind of work this is):

| Signal in context | Label |
|---|---|
| Bug report, error, crash, unexpected behavior, "broken", "doesn't work" | `Kind/Bug` |
| New capability, "add support for", net-new functionality | `Kind/Feature` |
| Improvement to existing behavior, "make X better", refactor with behavior change | `Kind/Enhancement` |
| Docs-only change, README/comment/guide updates | `Kind/Documentation` |
| Vulnerability, credential exposure, injection risk, auth bypass | `Kind/Security` |
| Test coverage, "add tests for X", a missing or flaky test, a test-only change | `Kind/Testing` |

**`Priority/*`** (urgency):

| Signal in context | Label |
|---|---|
| "blocking", "critical", "urgent", production-down | `Priority/Critical` |
| "soon", "high priority", "should do this sprint" | `Priority/High` |
| "low priority", "nice to have", "whenever", explicitly deferred | `Priority/Low` |
| No urgency signal present | `Priority/Medium` (default) |

**`Status/*`** (workflow state):

| Signal in context | Label |
|---|---|
| Explicit statement that the work is blocked on something else | `Status/Blocked` |

The label names in all three tables are the taxonomy this guide was written against; none of them is
guaranteed to exist on the target repo. Step 2 below resolves every inferred name against the live
label set, and a name that does not resolve is reported rather than substituted.

## Procedure

1. Read the conversation context (issue/PR title, body, or the triggering discussion) for the
   signals above.
2. Call `label_read method: "list_repo_labels"` (see `references/labels.md`) to get the current
   label set with IDs and each label's `exclusive` value — inference must never guess an ID, only a
   name, then resolve it. Both pools can apply to one issue, so for any inferred name absent from
   the repo pool, also call `label_read method: "list_org_labels"` with `org` set to the repo's
   `owner` before treating it as unresolved. Read that call's failure text: a
   `required=[read:organization]` scope error means the org pool was never queried — report the
   missing token scope rather than reporting the label unresolved. Only a not-found response means
   there is no org pool and the name is genuinely absent.
3. Match inferred label names against the resolved list (case-insensitive) and carry each match's
   `exclusive` value forward: `true` means the server replaces the sibling on write, `false` means
   the label is added alongside whatever is already applied (see above).
4. **Low-confidence inference omits the label.** If no signal confidently maps to a `Kind/*` value,
   do not guess — omit `Kind/*` entirely rather than default to one. `Priority/Medium` is the one
   exception: it's the explicit default when no urgency signal is present, not a guess.
5. Hand the resolved IDs, each with its `exclusive` value, to the caller's `issue_write`/
   `pull_request_write` call — this skill does not apply labels to an issue or PR itself.