What problem does it solve? Random fixes and quick patches waste time, mask underlying issues, and introduce new bugs. This Skill enforces a disciplined debugging methodology that finds the actual root cause before any fix is attempted, even under time pressure or social pressure to apply a quick patch. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Four-Phase Process: Root cause investigation, pattern analysis, hypothesis testing, and implementation, with mandatory completion of each phase before proceeding. - Supporting Techniques: Includes root-cause tracing through call stacks, defense-in-depth validation at multiple layers, and condition-based waiting to replace flaky arbitrary timeouts in tests. - Pressure Resistance: Explicit anti-patterns, red flags, and rationalization tables that stop shortcut fixes during emergencies, plus a rule to question the architecture after three failed fixes. - Use Case: When a test fails intermittently or production throws an error, load this Skill to systematically reproduce the issue, gather evidence across component boundaries, form a single hypothesis, and verify the fix with a failing test case. ## Quick Start Ask the AI to debug your failing test or bug using the systematic-debugging skill and require it to complete root cause investigation before proposing any fix.
