What problem does it solve? Random fixes and quick patches waste time, mask underlying issues, and introduce new bugs. This Skill enforces a disciplined debugging methodology that finds the actual root cause before any fix is attempted, even under time pressure or social pressure to apply a quick patch. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Four-Phase Process: Root cause investigation, pattern analysis, hypothesis testing, and implementation, with mandatory completion of each phase before proceeding. - Supporting Techniques: Includes root cause tracing through call stacks, defense-in-depth validation at multiple layers, and condition-based waiting to replace flaky arbitrary timeouts in tests. - Pressure Resistance: Explicit anti-patterns, red flags, and rationalization tables that stop shortcut fixes during emergencies, plus a rule to question the architecture after three failed fix attempts. - Use Case: When a test fails intermittently in CI, use this Skill to trace the failure back through the call chain, form a single hypothesis, create a failing test case, and fix the source rather than adding another sleep timeout. ## Quick Start Use the systematic-debugging skill to investigate this failing test and find its root cause before suggesting any fix.
