diff --git a/docs/src/content/docs/guides/ai-issue-triage.md b/docs/src/content/docs/guides/ai-issue-triage.md
index 3dec783ec20..177c2708015 100644
--- a/docs/src/content/docs/guides/ai-issue-triage.md
+++ b/docs/src/content/docs/guides/ai-issue-triage.md
@@ -46,6 +46,8 @@ Use `duplicate` only when the match is strong and include the issue number in th
 
 `add-labels` and `add-comment` matter for security because the agent does not receive direct write access to issues. gh-aw validates label names and comment output before posting, which reduces the risk of prompt injection turning repository analysis into unrestricted writes.
 
+Every label listed under `allowed` must already exist in the target repository. `bug`, `feature`, and `question` ship as GitHub defaults, but labels such as `needs-info`, `priority/p0`, `priority/p1`, and `priority/p2` do not, and applying a missing label fails at runtime. Create them before the first run with `gh label create needs-info` (repeat per label) or from the repository's Settings > Labels page.
+
 ## Related pages
 
 - [Run Claude Code in GitHub Actions with gh-aw](/gh-aw/engines/claude/)