investigate

Root-cause debugging is a systematic workflow that enforces evidence gathering and hypothesis testing before applying fixes. It prevents symptom patching by requiring a documented root cause through a structured investigate, analyze, hypothesize, and implement process.

To investigate a software bug, describe the bug and reproduction steps. The workflow then guides you through gathering symptoms, reading code, checking changes, and reproducing scenarios to form a stepwise root-cause hypothesis before any implementation.

Yes, you can use this workflow for complex bugs across codebases. It includes scope lock, proactive flagging, telemetry, and audit-ready documentation to maintain governance and safety while investigating errors.

The best way to document root-cause hypotheses is through the formal investigation workflow, which mandates structured evidence collection and audit-ready documentation alongside stepwise hypothesis testing to validate the root cause.

You should lock scope during root-cause investigation when debugging complex bugs to prevent uncontrolled changes. Scope lock is a safety check that ensures fixes target only the validated root cause without introducing regressions.