Systematic Debugging

Core Principle: "NO FIXES WITHOUT ROOT CAUSE INVESTIGATION FIRST."

Random fixes create new bugs and waste time. Understand before you fix.

When to Apply

Use for ANY technical issue:

• Test failures
• Production bugs
• Unexpected behavior
• Performance problems
• Build failures
• Integration issues

Especially critical when:

• Under time pressure
• "Obvious quick fix" tempts you
• Multiple fix attempts have failed

The Four Mandatory Phases

Phase 1: Root Cause Investigation

BEFORE attempting ANY fix:

1. Analyze error messages carefully

   • Don't skip warnings
   • Note line numbers, error codes
   • Error often contains the solution

2. Reproduce consistently

   • Document exact steps
   • Confirm it fails reliably

3. Review recent changes

   git log --oneline -10
   git diff HEAD~5
   

4. Trace data flow backward

   • Follow bad values upstream
   • Find the SOURCE, not the symptom

Phase 2: Pattern Analysis

1. Find similar working code in codebase
2. Compare working vs broken versions
3. List every difference
4. Understand all dependencies

Phase 3: Hypothesis Testing

1. Form ONE specific hypothesis:

   "I believe X causes this because Y"

2. Test with smallest possible change

3. Verify result before proceeding

4. If unsuccessful → new hypothesis (don't compound fixes!)

Phase 4: Implementation

1. Create failing test that reproduces bug
2. Implement ONE fix addressing root cause
3. Verify solution completely
4. CRITICAL: If 3+ fixes failed → question the architecture

Red Flags (Restart from Phase 1)

Stop immediately if you're thinking:

• "Quick fix for now, investigate later"
• "Let me try this AND this AND this"
• "One more attempt..."
• Planning to skip test creation

Partner signals to heed:

• "Stop guessing"
• "We're stuck?"
• "What's the root cause?"

Output Format

**Debugging Report:**

**Symptom:** [What's failing]

**Root Cause Investigation:**
- Error message: [exact error]
- Recent changes: [relevant commits]
- Data trace: [where bad value originates]

**Hypothesis:** [specific theory]

**Test:** [minimal change to verify]

**Result:** [confirmed/rejected]

**Fix:** [single targeted change]

**Verification:** [test output proving fix]

Impact

Approach	Time	Success Rate
Systematic investigation	15-30 min	95%
Random guessing	2-3 hours	40%

Investigation beats guessing. Every time.