When should I use the Systematic Debugging skill?

Use it for any technical issue, including test failures, production bugs, or unexpected behavior—especially when under time pressure or dealing with complex integration issues.

What happens if Claude fails to fix a bug after multiple tries?

The skill includes an 'Iron Law' where it stops and prompts for an architectural review after three failed attempts, preventing the cycle of adding more bugs through repeated guesses.

How does this skill change Claude's behavior during debugging?

It forces Claude to follow a strict four-phase process (Investigation, Analysis, Hypothesis, Implementation) and prohibits proposing code changes until the root cause is proven through evidence.

Does this skill work with multi-component systems?

Yes, it includes specific procedures for 'diagnostic instrumentation' at component boundaries to identify exactly where data flow breaks in systems involving APIs, services, and databases.

Does this skill require writing tests?

Yes, Phase 4 of the process requires creating a failing test case before implementing a fix to ensure the solution is verified and prevents future regressions.

Systematic Debugging

Name: Systematic Debugging
Author: orbtyapp

byorbtyapp

Seguridad y Pruebas

Enforces a rigorous, four-phase root cause investigation process to eliminate guesswork and ensure robust, permanent bug fixes.

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The Systematic Debugging skill transforms Claude into a disciplined engineer that refuses to apply 'band-aid' fixes. By mandating a structured approach—encompassing root cause investigation, pattern analysis, minimal hypothesis testing, and test-driven implementation—it prevents the common pitfall of thrashing through multiple failed fix attempts. This skill is particularly valuable for complex, multi-layered systems where issues can hide behind component boundaries, ensuring that every fix addresses the source of the problem rather than just the symptoms. It includes built-in safeguards, such as requiring an architectural review if three consecutive fix attempts fail, ensuring high-quality software maintenance.

Características Principales

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Mandatory Root Cause Investigation (Phase 1) before any code changes are proposed.
Integrated Test-Driven Development (TDD) requirement for verifying all final implementations.
Scientific hypothesis testing to isolate variables and verify theories minimally.
Structured evidence gathering protocols for multi-component systems and CI/CD pipelines.
Automated 'Architectural Red Flag' alerts after three failed fix attempts to prevent thrashing.

Casos de Uso

Identifying the source of data corruption across multi-layer service and database architectures.
Resolving persistent or regressive bugs that have resisted previous 'quick fix' attempts.
Troubleshooting intermittent failures in complex CI/CD build and code-signing pipelines.

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Características Principales

0 GitHub stars
Mandatory Root Cause Investigation (Phase 1) before any code changes are proposed.
Integrated Test-Driven Development (TDD) requirement for verifying all final implementations.
Scientific hypothesis testing to isolate variables and verify theories minimally.
Structured evidence gathering protocols for multi-component systems and CI/CD pipelines.
Automated 'Architectural Red Flag' alerts after three failed fix attempts to prevent thrashing.

Casos de Uso

Identifying the source of data corruption across multi-layer service and database architectures.
Resolving persistent or regressive bugs that have resisted previous 'quick fix' attempts.
Troubleshooting intermittent failures in complex CI/CD build and code-signing pipelines.