root-cause-tracing

What problem does it solve?

Bugs often manifest deep in the call stack, leading developers to fix symptoms rather than the original trigger. This results in recurring issues or new bugs. This skill provides a systematic method to trace errors backward through the call chain, adding instrumentation when needed, to identify the true source of invalid data or incorrect behavior, making bugs structurally impossible.

Core Features & Use Cases

• Backward Tracing: Systematically traces errors up the call stack to find the original trigger.
• Instrumentation Guidance: Provides patterns for adding diagnostic logging and stack traces to gather evidence.
• Polluter Identification: Includes a bisection script to find which specific test or code introduces unwanted state.
• Use Case: When an error occurs deep in a complex system, use this skill to trace back through the execution flow, pinpointing where the bad data originated and fixing it at the source.

Quick Start

Use the root-cause-tracing skill to find the source of the 'file not found' error occurring in the 'data-processor' module.