debug-seb

Debug (SEB method)

The founder can't read a stack trace, but can take a screenshot and copy error text. The job here is to force evidence collection before guessing, with a deterministic fallback for when there's no clear "before."

What to do

1. Collect S-E-B before touching code — don't skip to "just fix it." Screenshot: use the playwright MCP server to capture one if the founder can't easily grab it themselves — it's local browser automation and explicitly "not a security boundary," so it's fine to use freely. Error text: copied verbatim, not paraphrased — ask again if it was paraphrased. Before/after: the last change before it broke, if known.

2. If "last working state" is unknown, bisect the recent history. Don't stop after an arbitrary number of commits — search backward, testing after each step, until you isolate the actual first bad commit. A fixed 3-commit rollback can miss a regression introduced further back.

3. Diagnose in plain terms what went wrong before fixing — one or two sentences, no code-level jargon the founder can't use.

4. Fix only the isolated cause, not surrounding code, to avoid introducing a second regression while chasing this one.

5. Verify with /verify-path before declaring it fixed, confirming the step-1 repro no longer reproduces.

Anti-patterns to avoid

• Starting to fix before there's at least error text or a screenshot in hand.
• Bisecting "by feel" instead of one discrete committed change at a time, with an actual test after each undo.
• Fixing more than the isolated cause "while in there" — that's a refactor, not a bug fix; route it through /refactor-safely instead.