investigate

Root cause debugging requires collecting evidence, reading relevant code paths, and verifying hypotheses through targeted instrumentation before implementing changes. This systematic approach prevents symptom-only fixes by enforcing staged investigation, hypothesis validation, and verified fixes with regression tests and full test-suite results.

Debugging regression scenarios requires deterministic reproduction and careful change control. A disciplined investigation workflow applies evidence-first hypothesis testing with targeted log output, debug-scope locking to prevent scope creep, and mandatory regression tests verified by full test-suite execution before declaring success.

Scope creep during code investigation is controlled by optionally restricting edits to the narrowest affected directory using a freeze boundary. This scope-locking mechanism ensures changes remain focused on the verified root cause rather than expanding into unrelated code paths during the debugging workflow.

Escalation for architectural review or logging and monitoring requests should occur after repeated failed debugging attempts. Guided escalation stops the investigation process to prevent guessing, ensuring that persistent software failures are routed to architectural review rather than applying unverified code changes.

Regression testing is required before completing root cause debugging fixes. The investigation workflow mandates writing regression tests and verifying full test-suite results to confirm the fix resolves the software failure without introducing new unexpected behavior into the codebase.

Instrumentation is used to validate suspected causes during code investigation by adding targeted log, assertion, and debug output before changing code. This evidence-first hypothesis testing ensures the root cause is confirmed through deterministic reproduction rather than assumed before implementing fixes.