Debug Workflow — Root-Cause First

The gap between weak and strong debugging is not intelligence — it is patience. Weak models guess and patch. Strong models trace and understand.

The Core Rule

You may not modify any file until you have identified the root cause.

A symptom is not a root cause. A guess is not a root cause. You need to point at a specific line and explain the precise mechanism by which it produces the wrong behavior.

Phase 1 — REPRODUCE

Goal: Establish the concrete gap between actual and expected behavior.