investigate

Root-cause analysis without assumptions requires tracing the full execution chain from entry to failure, consulting real documentation, and presenting evidence-based findings with citations before proposing any fixes. This approach enforces a strict evidence-only methodology to prevent premature conclusions.

Tracing an execution chain to find a root cause involves systematically collecting precise evidence at each step from initial entry to the point of failure. The process requires reading actual documentation and verifying the complete trace before identifying the underlying fault.

Enforcing approval gates during debugging requires a structured workflow that pauses for user confirmation at two critical stages: after presenting the root cause and before proposing any code changes. This ensures no modifications occur without explicit sign-off.

Evidence-based debugging workflows apply to bugs of all sizes, from minor unexpected behaviors to major system failures. The methodology scales by requiring full execution-chain tracing and precise evidence collection regardless of the issue's complexity.

A structured investigation workflow with hard gates is needed when you must guarantee that root-cause findings are fully confirmed with proof before any planning or code changes begin. It prevents unauthorized fixes by requiring explicit user sign-off.

After root cause confirmation in a gated debugging process, the workflow hands off to the configured planning skill to design and execute the implementation. The fix only proceeds once the second approval gate is explicitly passed.