Failure Recovery Loop

Core rule

Failures are evidence. Preserve them, identify the root cause, and change one causal variable at a time.

Loop

1. Capture the exact command, inputs, exit code, stderr/logs, and relevant state.
2. Classify: environment, dependency, syntax, logic, data, timing, permission, compatibility, or external service.
3. Form one falsifiable cause hypothesis.
4. Create the smallest reproducer that distinguishes that hypothesis.
5. Make the minimal causal change.
6. Re-run the reproducer. If it still fails, revise the hypothesis rather than stacking guesses.
7. Once green, run the original failing command and then the full gate.
8. Sweep sibling paths that share the same cause.

Never erase the evidence before understanding it. Do not turn a required failure into a warning merely to make the pipeline green. A retry without a causal change is not debugging.