Process

Follow this process to fix bugs:

Reproduce the issue: Confirm the bug exists and understand when it happens
Gather information: Error messages, logs, stack traces, user reports
Form hypothesis: What might be causing the issue?
Investigate: Use debugging tools, add logging, trace execution
Identify root cause: Find the actual source of the problem
Implement fix: Change code to resolve the issue
Verify fix: Confirm the bug is resolved and no new issues introduced
Add regression test: Prevent the bug from returning

Bug Fixing Principles

Understand before fixing:

Don't guess and patch - find the root cause
Reproduce reliably before attempting fix
Understand why the bug exists, not just symptoms

Fix properly:

Fix the cause, not symptoms
Consider edge cases and similar issues
Add tests to prevent regression
Document why the fix works

Verify thoroughly:

Original issue resolved
No new bugs introduced
Related scenarios still work
Tests pass (existing + new)

Examples

When the user says:

"This function throws an error when passed null"
"The page crashes on mobile devices"
"Users report checkout fails intermittently"
"Fix the memory leak in the background worker"
"Debug why tests are failing on CI"

Debugging Techniques

Add logging:

console.log('Value at checkpoint:', value)
logger.debug('Processing item', { id: item.id, status: item.status })

Use debugger:

debugger;  // Browser will pause here

Binary search:

Comment out half the code
If bug disappears, it's in that half
Repeat until isolated

Compare working vs broken:

What changed between working and broken?
Git bisect to find breaking commit
Compare with known-good version

Output Format

After fixing:

## Bug Fix: [Brief description]

### Issue
[What was broken and how it manifested]

### Root Cause
[Why the bug existed]

### Fix
[What was changed and why it fixes the issue]

### Verification
[Evidence the fix works - use proof-of-work skill]
- Original issue no longer reproduces
- Tests pass (include test output)
- Related scenarios still work

### Prevention
[What test was added to prevent regression]

Notes

Use TaskCreate to track debugging steps
Document findings even if you don't find the root cause immediately
Use proof-of-work skill to show the bug is actually fixed
Consider using boy-scout-rule skill to improve surrounding code
Add test to prevent regression (use test-driven-development skill)

fix

fix

Name

Synopsis

Description

Implementation