investigate

Investigate failures through a four-phase workflow with evidence confirmation before fixes.

1|Updated Mar 27, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/yibeichan/schist --skill investigate-yibeichan
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: investigate
Source: https://github.com/yibeichan/schist/tree/main/.claude/skills/investigate
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/yibeichan/schist --skill investigate-yibeichan

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

It helps you debug failures systematically by locating the underlying root cause before making any changes, so you stop whack-a-mole fixes that break again later.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Root-cause first debugging: Turns symptoms (errors, logs, and behavior) into a specific, testable hypothesis about what’s actually wrong.
  • Evidence-driven verification: Confirms or rejects hypotheses by adding targeted checks and re-running the reproduction path.
  • Controlled implementation: Applies a minimal change once the root cause is confirmed, then verifies it and documents the outcome.
  • Uses when you want to debug this/fix this bug/figure out why it’s broken, including troubleshooting regressions, intermittent issues, or configuration drift.

Quick Start

Use investigate when you paste the error and reproduce steps, then ask: Investigate this failure and tell me the most likely root cause and the smallest verified fix.

Frequently Asked Questions about investigate

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I find the root cause of a bug instead of just fixing symptoms?▼

Root cause investigation isolates the true source of a bug from its symptoms by forming testable hypotheses from errors and logs. It requires evidence confirmation before applying any fix, preventing recurring whack-a-mole patches.

What's the best way to debug an intermittent system failure or regression?▼

Debugging intermittent failures and regressions requires deterministic reproduction to confirm or reject hypotheses. By applying targeted checks and re-running the reproduction path, you verify the exact failure source before changing code.

How do I verify a fix without introducing new regressions?▼

Fix verification uses controlled implementation by applying a minimal change once the root cause is confirmed. It then re-runs the reproduction path with a regression-verification mindset to ensure behavior is fixed without new issues.

Does error triage work for troubleshooting configuration drift and unexpected errors?▼

Error triage handles troubleshooting configuration drift and unexpected errors by systematically isolating the underlying root cause. It transforms broken behavior into a specific, testable hypothesis about what is actually wrong.

What are the limits of hypothesis testing when debugging broken behavior?▼

Hypothesis testing for broken behavior requires deterministic reproduction and evidence confirmation before implementing fixes. Without controlled scope and a regression-verification mindset, changes may lack the evidence needed to truly resolve the issue.