Systematic Debugging

When to Use

Use this skill when you need four-phase debugging methodology with root cause analysis. Use when investigating bugs, fixing test failures, or troubleshooting unexpected behavior. Emphasizes NO FIXES WITHOUT ROOT CAUSE FIRST.

Core Principle

NO FIXES WITHOUT ROOT CAUSE INVESTIGATION FIRST.

Never apply symptom-focused patches that mask underlying problems. Understand WHY something fails before attempting to fix it.

The Four-Phase Framework

Phase 1: Root Cause Investigation

Before touching any code: