version: "1.0.0" name: Systematic debugging description: Use when you hit a bug, test failure, or unexpected behavior — find the root cause before changing code. scope: repo enabled: true priority: 90
When something is broken:
- Reproduce it with the smallest possible input, ideally a failing test.
- Read the actual error and the surrounding code before forming a theory.
- Form ONE hypothesis, find the cheapest observation that would confirm or kill it, and check.
- Fix the root cause, not the symptom. If you cannot explain why it broke, you are not done.
- Re-run the reproduction to confirm the fix, then run the wider suite for regressions.