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systematic-debugging

Diagnose bugs through a four-phase root cause investigation workflow before proposing fixes.

1|Updated Jun 1, 2026
Search Tags:#debugging#troubleshooting#root cause analysis#bug fixing#hypothesis testing#test failure
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/D1ssolve/craft-agents --skill systematic-debugging-d1ssolve
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: systematic-debugging
Source: https://github.com/D1ssolve/craft-agents/tree/main/skills/systematic-debugging
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/D1ssolve/craft-agents --skill systematic-debugging-d1ssolve

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Random fixes and quick patches waste time, mask underlying issues, and create new bugs. This Skill enforces a disciplined debugging process that finds the root cause before any fix is attempted. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Four-Phase Process: Root cause investigation, pattern analysis, hypothesis testing, and verified implementation, each completed before moving to the next. - Red Flag Detection: Identifies rationalizations like "quick fix for now" or "one more fix attempt" and forces a return to proper investigation. - Architecture Escalation: After three failed fix attempts, stops and questions the architecture instead of continuing to thrash. - Use Case: When a test fails or unexpected behavior appears, the Skill guides you to reproduce the issue, trace data flow to the source, form a single hypothesis, and verify a minimal fix with a failing test case. ## Quick Start Use the systematic-debugging skill to investigate why my login test fails intermittently before suggesting any code changes.

Frequently Asked Questions about systematic-debugging

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I debug a bug systematically instead of guessing?▼

Follow a four-phase process: investigate the root cause by reading errors and reproducing the issue, analyze patterns against working examples, form and test a single hypothesis, then implement one verified fix. Never propose fixes before completing the investigation phase.

What should I do before attempting to fix a test failure?▼

Read error messages and stack traces completely, reproduce the failure consistently, check recent changes via git diff, and trace the data flow to find where the bad value originates. Fix at the source, not at the symptom.

When should I stop trying fixes and question the architecture?▼

Stop after three failed fix attempts. Each failed fix that reveals new shared state or coupling indicates an architectural problem, and you should discuss the design with your team before attempting more changes.

Why do quick fixes make debugging harder?▼

Quick patches mask underlying issues and create new bugs because they address symptoms rather than root causes. Multiple simultaneous changes also make it impossible to isolate which change actually worked.

How do I debug issues in multi-component systems?▼

Add diagnostic instrumentation at each component boundary and run the system once to gather evidence showing exactly where the flow breaks. This avoids guessing which component is at fault.

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