Debugging

Systematic approach to root cause analysis and debugging.

When to Use

• Encountering errors or exceptions
• Test failures that need investigation
• Unexpected behavior in code
• Stack traces or error messages
• Code behaving differently than expected
• Performance issues or bugs

Core Principles

• Evidence-based: Base diagnosis on error messages, logs, and reproducible steps
• Systematic: Follow structured debugging process
• Minimal fixes: Implement smallest change that resolves issue
• Verify solutions: Confirm fix works and doesn't introduce regressions