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IgorGanapolsky
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principle-fix-root-causes

Guides debugging by tracing symptoms to root causes instead of applying symptom-level fixes.

1|Updated Aug 27, 2025
Search Tags:#software engineering#debugging#root cause analysis#logging#bug fixing#crash investigation
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/IgorGanapolsky/Random-Timer --skill principle-fix-root-causes-igorganapolsky
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: principle-fix-root-causes
Source: https://github.com/IgorGanapolsky/Random-Timer/tree/main/.cursor/skills/principle-fix-root-causes
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/IgorGanapolsky/Random-Timer --skill principle-fix-root-causes-igorganapolsky

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Debugging often produces quick symptom fixes like nil-check guards that silence crashes while leaving the real bug in place. This Skill enforces a disciplined root-cause methodology so defects are fixed where they originate instead of accumulating workarounds. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Root-Cause Tracing: Reproduce the failure first, then ask "why" repeatedly until the actual cause is found. - Anti-Pattern Detection: Flags symptom fixes such as nil-check guards and paragraph-long justification comments, and greps for repeated instances of the same pattern. - Restart-Bug Heuristic: When failures appear after restart, prioritizes inspecting stale persistent state like config files, caches, and lock files before suspecting code. - Use Case: A crash keeps recurring after deploys; instead of adding another guard, you reproduce it, instrument with logging, trace it to a corrupted cache file, and add state validation as the real fix. ## Quick Start Apply the root-cause debugging principle to this bug and trace the symptom back to its actual cause before proposing any fix.

Frequently Asked Questions about principle-fix-root-causes

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 fixing symptoms?▼

Reproduce the failure first, then ask "why" repeatedly until you reach the underlying cause. Avoid adding guards that silence errors, and when stuck, add logging to observe actual behavior rather than guessing.

Why is adding a nil check to stop a crash considered a bad fix?▼

A nil check that silences a crash is a symptom fix: it hides the defect while the real bug remains. Symptom fixes accumulate, making the system harder to reason about and increasing total debugging time.

Why does a bug only appear after restarting the application?▼

Restart bugs usually come from stale persistent state such as config files, caches, lock files, or serialized state. If clearing a state file restores behavior, prioritize state validation as the fix rather than changing code.

What should I do when I am stuck debugging a problem?▼

Instrument the code instead of guessing: add logging and read the actual error output. Also grep for the same pattern elsewhere in the codebase and fix all instances, not just the one that surfaced.

When is a workaround acceptable instead of a root-cause fix?▼

If a workaround needs a paragraph-long comment to justify it, the code itself is wrong and should be fixed. Workarounds that require extensive justification are a signal that the underlying design or logic needs correction.

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