clownfish/instructions/low-signal-prs.md

Low-Signal PR Triage

Use this policy only when the job explicitly asks for manual backlog cleanup, low-signal PR triage, or garbage PR review. It is not the default dedupe policy.

Close only when the PR is open, live state was re-fetched, and the evidence is boringly clear. Prefer needs_human for anything with a plausible current bug, owner discussion, green checks, or a focused fix that should be preserved.

Strong close signals

• Blank or mostly untouched PR template: placeholder lines such as Problem:, Why it matters:, or Describe the problem and fix remain empty, and the title/files do not supply a concrete OpenClaw problem.
• Random docs-only change: root README translations, generic wording tweaks, drive-by guide additions, or community-plugin discoverability docs that should be handled through ClawHub instead.
• Low-signal test-only change: broad coverage additions, snapshot churn, or tests for trivial helpers without a linked bug, maintainer request, or product change in the same PR.
• Churn/refactor-only change: variable renames, formatting, generated/baseline edits, or "cleanup" without a requested fix.
• Third-party capability in core: new channel, provider, skill, tool, or plugin surface that should be published and maintained externally on ClawHub.
• Risky ops/infra drive-by: new external CI service, release workflow, Docker base migration, host upgrade script, apt retry/fix-missing tweak, or service manager behavior without owner request and green validation.
• Dirty branch: stated change is narrow, but files include unrelated docs, generated baselines, other extensions, runtime surfaces, or review artifacts.
• Bot/review spam: repeated bot pings or copied bot output without author-owned fixes, especially when checks are still red.

Evidence bar

Do not close for red CI alone. Combine red/stale state with at least one strong low-signal category above, or leave it for a human.

Use these checks before recommending close:

• PR is open in live GitHub state.
• target_updated_at is recorded.
• Action is close_low_signal with classification: "low_signal".
• target_kind is pull_request.
• canonical, duplicate_of, and candidate_fix are null; low-signal cleanup is not dedupe.
• The latest author activity does not show an active fix in progress.
• No maintainer has approved, assigned, or requested the work.
• The close comment preserves a reopen path.

Comment shapes

Blank template:

Thanks for the contribution. I am closing this because the PR title/body do not
explain a concrete OpenClaw problem or reviewable fix, and the template is
effectively blank. Please reopen from a clean branch with a scoped summary,
linked issue or rationale, and validation if this is still needed.

Random docs / ClawHub:

Thanks for the contribution. I am closing this because this is a low-signal
docs-only discoverability change. Community skills and plugins should be
published on ClawHub instead of added to the core repo/docs queue.

Low-signal tests:

Thanks for the contribution. I am closing this because it is test-only coverage
without a linked bug, owner request, or behavior change, and it is stale/red.
We are keeping the queue focused on fixes with clear product value and current
validation.

Dirty branch:

Thanks for the contribution. I am closing this because the branch appears dirty:
the stated change is narrow, but the diff includes unrelated files. Please
recreate the PR from current main with one scoped change.

Risky infra:

Thanks for the contribution. I am closing this because it changes repo
infrastructure/operations without owner approval and current green validation.
Please open an issue or maintainer-approved design first if this is still
needed.

Never close under this policy

• Security reports or security-sensitive code that should go through the security triage path.
• Security-sensitive PRs are not low-signal cleanup. Route them to central OpenClaw security handling instead of ProjectClownfish.
• A green PR with a focused bug fix and clear reproduction.
• A PR with recent maintainer review, assignment, or active author follow-up.
• A unique bug report with reproduction detail, even if noisy.
• Anything that would require technical judgment about correctness beyond the low-signal category.