Agent skill · software engineering · github
bug-reproduction-brief
Turn a vague, intermittent, or environment-specific bug report into a minimal evidence-backed reproduction before proposing a fix.
Why this skill is useful
Provides a structured approach to documenting and reproducing bugs that enhances the AI's ability to assist in debugging processes.
What it needs
About 2k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 37,534 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Bug Reproduction Brief Use this skill when a bug report is incomplete, intermittent, environment-specific, or mixed with an assumed cause. The goal is to prove the smallest observable failure before diagnosis or repair begins. 1. Record the observed failure Capture the exact error, incorrect output, timestamp, affected route or command, and the smallest known input. Preserve relevant logs without secrets or personal data. Label second-hand descriptions as unverified. 2. Identify the environment Record only facts you can inspect: repository and commit; runtime and package-manager versions; operating system or container; dependency lockfile; relevant feature flags; whether the target is local, test, staging, or production. Never guess credentials or production configuration. 3. Separate expected from actual behaviour Write two explicit observable statements: Do not put the suspected cause in either statement. 4. Reduce the reproduction Start from the reported path, then remove unrelated data, services, and steps one at a time. Keep the smallest fixture that still fails. If the failure stops, restore the last removed condition and record it. Prefer an isolated test, minimal script, or smallest safe request over reproducing against production. 5. Prove repeatability Run the minimal reproduction at least twice where safe. Record commands and outputs. If the failure is intermittent, report the observed frequency and duration instead of calling it deterministic. 6. Stop before repair A verified reproduction is the deliverable. Do not edit implementation code while building the brief because that can destroy the evidence or mix diagnosis with remediation. Output Safety boundaries Do not change production data merely to reproduce a bug. Do not publish secrets, customer records, or private source. Do not claim a root cause from correlation alone. Use read-only or reversible discovery first. Stop after a verified reproduction; diagnosis and repair are separate workflows. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills github/bug-reproduction-brief