no-workarounds

To eliminate workarounds and technical debt during debugging, enforce root-cause fixes over symptom patches by applying a standardized gate workflow that detects and rejects common patterns like type assertions, lint suppressions, and error swallowing.

The most common workaround patterns to look for when refactoring code are TYPE, LINT, SWALLOW, TIMING, PATCH, SCATTER, and CLONE. Detecting these patterns prevents signal silencing and promotes long-term code health.

Yes, you can apply a temporary patch during a code review if a root-cause fix is not immediately possible by using an Escape Valve protocol, which requires meeting explicit criteria, providing documentation, and undergoing review.

You should avoid using a root-cause analysis workflow for trivial formatting changes or documentation-only edits, as these tasks do not involve the workaround patterns or architectural decisions that necessitate deep debugging gates.

The best way to audit an existing codebase for hidden technical debt and monkey patches is to scan for specific workaround patterns like TIMING and PATCH, then replace them with standardized root-cause fixes using a gate workflow.