The triage module (src/core/triage.ts) classifies each scanned file into one of two tiers -- skip or evaluate -- before it reaches the LLM axis evaluators. Files assigned to the skip tier receive a synthetic CLEAN review with zero API calls, reducing both cost and runtime.

Classification Tiers#

Tier	Effect
`skip`	File is auto-reviewed as CLEAN. No LLM calls are made.
`evaluate`	File enters the full 7-axis evaluation pipeline.

There is no "fast" vs "deep" distinction within the evaluate tier. All non-skip files go through the same axis evaluator pipeline.

Skip Rules#

A file is classified as skip when any of the following conditions are met, checked in order:

1. Barrel Export#

The file has zero symbols extracted by the scanner AND every non-empty line matches ^\s*export\s. This catches index files that only re-export from other modules:

export { Scanner } from './scanner.js';
export { Estimator } from './estimator.js';
export * from './types.js';

2. Trivial File#

The file has fewer than 10 lines AND contains 0 or 1 symbol. These are typically stub files, single-constant modules, or minimal type re-exports.

3. Type-Only File#

Every symbol in the file has kind type or enum. Files that contain only type definitions and enums have no runtime behavior to review for correctness, utility, or overengineering.

4. Constants-Only File#

Every symbol in the file has kind constant. Pure configuration objects and constant tables are unlikely to contain actionable findings.

Evaluate Sub-reasons#

Files that pass through all skip rules are classified as evaluate with a descriptive reason:

Reason	Condition
`internal`	Has symbols, but none are exported
`simple`	Fewer than 3 symbols
`complex`	3 or more symbols

These sub-reasons are informational only and do not affect how the file is processed. All evaluate-tier files enter the same axis pipeline.

Synthetic Skip Reviews#

When a file is skipped, generateSkipReview() produces a valid ReviewFile with:

version: 2
is_generated: true
skip_reason: the triage reason (e.g. barrel-export, trivial, type-only, constants-only)
verdict: 'CLEAN'
All symbols set to safe defaults: correction: 'OK', overengineering: 'LEAN', utility: 'USED', duplication: 'UNIQUE', tests: 'NONE', confidence: 100
Empty actions list and blank file-level notes

These synthetic reviews are written to disk and included in the final report, ensuring full coverage accounting even for trivially clean files.

Impact on Pipeline Cost#

Triage directly reduces costs by preventing LLM calls on files that would almost certainly return CLEAN verdicts. In a typical TypeScript project:

Barrel/index files: 5-15% of all files
Type-only and constants-only files: 10-25% of all files
Trivial stubs: 2-5% of all files

The report's "Performance & Triage" section shows the exact skip/evaluate split and estimated time saved.

Key Source Paths#

Triage module: src/core/triage.ts
Task schema (SymbolInfo, SymbolKind): src/schemas/task.ts
Review schema (ReviewFile): src/schemas/review.ts