Systematic Debugging
skill · v1.0.0
Five-phase debugging protocol: reproduce → isolate → root cause → fix with regression test → verify. Use when encountering any bug, test failure, or unexpected behavior. Never proposes a fix before root cause is confirmed. Enforces the 3-cycle local cap and 5-cycle total cap to prevent thrashing.
Tags: debugroot-causetddregression
Invocation contract
Inputs
bug_report(string, required) — Description of the observed failure, error message, or unexpected behavior.reproduction_steps(string) — Known steps to trigger the bug, if available.codebase_context(string) — Relevant code snippets, file paths, or architectural context.
Outputs
reproduction(string) — Confirmed reproduction case.root_cause(string) — Named root cause with evidence.fix(string) — Minimal fix addressing the root cause.regression_test(string) — Test that would have caught this bug.gap_analysis(string) — Why this was not caught and what closes the gap.
Side effects
may write files (regression test and fix)