# Triage

Source: https://www.potatoannotator.com/docs/annotation-types/triage

The triage annotation schema provides a Prodigy-style binary accept/reject/skip interface for rapid data curation. Use it to filter large datasets, run data quality checks, or handle any task that needs quick binary decisions.

## Overview

The triage schema presents three large, visually distinct buttons:
- **Keep** (green) - Accept the item for inclusion
- **Discard** (red) - Reject the item
- **Unsure** (gray) - Skip when uncertain

With auto-advance enabled (default), annotators can process hundreds of items per hour using just keyboard shortcuts.

## Quick Start

```yaml
annotation_schemes:
  - annotation_type: triage
    name: data_quality
    description: Is this data sample suitable for training?
    auto_advance: true
    show_progress: true
```

## Configuration Options

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|-------|------|---------|-------------|
| `annotation_type` | string | Required | Must be `"triage"` |
| `name` | string | Required | Unique identifier for this schema |
| `description` | string | Required | Instructions displayed to annotators |
| `accept_label` | string | `"Keep"` | Text label for the accept button |
| `reject_label` | string | `"Discard"` | Text label for the reject button |
| `skip_label` | string | `"Unsure"` | Text label for the skip button |
| `auto_advance` | boolean | `true` | Automatically move to next item after selection |
| `show_progress` | boolean | `true` | Display progress bar in the triage widget |
| `accept_key` | string | `"1"` | Keyboard shortcut for accept |
| `reject_key` | string | `"2"` | Keyboard shortcut for reject |
| `skip_key` | string | `"3"` | Keyboard shortcut for skip |

## Examples

### Data Quality Filtering

```yaml
annotation_schemes:
  - annotation_type: triage
    name: quality_filter
    description: Is this text high quality and suitable for training?
    auto_advance: true
```

### Content Moderation

```yaml
annotation_schemes:
  - annotation_type: triage
    name: content_moderation
    description: Does this content violate community guidelines?
    accept_label: "Safe"
    reject_label: "Violates"
    skip_label: "Review Later"
    auto_advance: true
```

### Relevance Filtering

```yaml
annotation_schemes:
  - annotation_type: triage
    name: relevance
    description: Is this document relevant to the query?
    accept_label: "Relevant"
    reject_label: "Not Relevant"
    skip_label: "Partially Relevant"
```

### Combined with Other Schemas

Triage can be combined with other annotation types for both filtering and detailed annotation:

```yaml
annotation_schemes:
  - annotation_type: triage
    name: include_item
    description: Should this item be included in the dataset?
    auto_advance: false  # Don't auto-advance when combined

  - annotation_type: radio
    name: category
    description: What category does this belong to?
    labels: ["News", "Opinion", "Review", "Other"]
```

## Keyboard Shortcuts

| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| `1` | Keep (Accept) |
| `2` | Discard (Reject) |
| `3` | Unsure (Skip) |

The keys 1, 2, 3 are adjacent on the keyboard, allowing fast annotation without looking at the keyboard.

## Output Format

```json
{
  "data_quality": {
    "labels": {
      "decision": "accept"
    }
  }
}
```

Possible values: `"accept"`, `"reject"`, `"skip"`.

## Best Practices

1. **Use auto-advance for high-throughput tasks** - significantly improves throughput for simple decisions
2. **Disable auto-advance for complex decisions** - when annotators need time to think or make additional annotations
3. **Provide clear descriptions** - make triage criteria unambiguous for consistent annotations
4. **Use meaningful labels** - customize labels to match your specific use case
5. **Combine with attention checks** - for crowdsourcing, insert known items to verify quality

## Further Reading

- [AI Support](/docs/features/ai-support) - AI-assisted annotation hints
- [Quality Control](/docs/features/quality-control) - Attention checks and gold standards
- [Productivity Features](/docs/features/productivity) - Keyboard shortcuts

For implementation details, see the [source documentation](https://github.com/davidjurgens/potato/blob/main/docs/triage.md).