Agent skill · operations · aiskillstore
systematic-debugging
Use when encountering any bug, test failure, or unexpected behavior, before proposing fixes
Why this skill is useful
Provides a structured approach to debugging that includes specific diagnostic commands and evidence-gathering techniques not commonly known.
What it needs
About 7k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 405 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Systematic Debugging Overview Random fixes waste time and create new bugs. Quick patches mask underlying issues. Core principle: Investigate before guessing and separate a verified repair from a temporary mitigation. During an incident, an authorized rollback or containment action may restore service while root-cause work continues. Violating the letter of this process is violating the spirit of debugging. The Iron Law Start with the observable failure and the smallest useful evidence check. Label any emergency mitigation explicitly and preserve evidence for the later root-cause investigation. When to Use Use for ANY technical issue: Test failures Bugs in production Unexpected behavior Performance problems Build failures Integration issues Use this ESPECIALLY when: Under time pressure (emergencies make guessing tempting) "Just one quick fix" seems obvious You've already tried multiple fixes Previous fix didn't work You don't fully understand the issue Don't skip when: Issue seems simple (simple bugs have root causes too) You're in a hurry (rushing guarantees rework) Manager wants it fixed NOW (systematic is faster than thrashing) The Four Phases You MUST complete each phase before proceeding to the next. Phase 1: Root Cause Investigation BEFORE attempting ANY fix: 1. Read Error Messages Carefully Don't skip past errors or warnings They often contain the exact solution Read stack traces completely Note line numbers, file paths, error codes 2. Reproduce Consistently Can you trigger it reliably? What are the exact steps? Does it happen every time? If not reproducible → gather more data, don't guess 3. Check Recent Changes What changed that could cause this? Git diff, recent commits New dependencies, config changes Environmental differences 4. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills aiskillstore/systematic-debugging--ba0722