Systematic Debugging

Slash-command Usage

Invoked via /superpowers:systematic-debugging "<symptom>" or auto-loaded by other skills when bug-fix language is detected.

When invoked as a slash command: capture $ARGUMENTS as the symptom statement and start at Phase 1 immediately. Do NOT write design documents or task files; the deliverable is the fix + a test that catches the regression, not a docs/plans/ folder.

Output discipline: Report findings inline as you complete each phase. End with: (a) root cause one-liner, (b) fix diff summary, (c) regression test path.

Recommended: run wrapped in /goal

Launch it under Claude Code's built-in /goal (v2.1.139+) so the multi-turn hypothesis → test → fix investigation continues until the regression is actually fixed:

/goal "Claude has narrated the three-part completion output (root-cause one-liner, fix diff summary, regression-test path) with the regression test passing" /superpowers:systematic-debugging "<symptom>"

/goal is a user-typed outer wrapper (a skill cannot enable it for itself mid-run), and its evaluator judges only what Claude narrates in the transcript — phrase the condition against narrated output (the printed test-run result, the three-part summary), never filesystem state. Full semantics and condition phrasing: ../../skills/references/goal-wrapper.md.