When should I use this skill?

Use this skill for vague or hard-to-spot bugs, especially when you're frustrated or simply say 'it's not working.' It is particularly effective for regression bugs where a feature that previously worked has broken.

What does the Systematic Debugger skill do?

It enhances Claude with a structured process for identifying and resolving complex software bugs. It traces issues from symptoms to their root cause using an iterative approach, version control analysis, and specialized AI agents.

What key capabilities does it provide?

It offers an iterative debugging framework, leverages `git`/`jj` history (blame, bisect, diff) to diagnose regressions, orchestrates subagents for strategic planning, and traces bugs backward through the call stack to pinpoint the original trigger.

How does this skill improve my workflow?

It automates the tedious parts of debugging by providing a structured plan. It intelligently uses tools like `git bisect` to find breaking changes and consults reasoning agents (`outbox`) for strategies, saving you time and mental energy.

Systematic Debugger

Name: Systematic Debugger
Author: towry

bytowry

•

Security & Testing

Systematically identifies and resolves complex software bugs by tracing issues from symptoms to their root cause.

About

This skill provides a structured, iterative methodology for debugging complex software issues, especially when the cause is not obvious. It excels at tackling vague problems or regressions by systematically tracing symptoms back to their origin. Leveraging a suite of tools for code analysis, version control history investigation (like git blame and bisect), and strategic planning with specialized subagents, it helps diagnose and fix bugs that resist initial attempts, turning user frustration into a clear resolution path.

Key Features

Uses prompt templates for systematically querying reasoning agents to generate debugging strategies.
Leverages version control history (git/jj) to diagnose regressions using blame, bisect, and diff.
11 GitHub stars
Orchestrates specialized subagents and skills (outbox, fast-repo-context) for strategic planning and context gathering.
Follows a structured, iterative debugging process with explicit steps.
Traces bugs backward through the call stack to find the original trigger.

Use Cases

Finding the root cause of a vague issue described simply as 'it's not working'.
Debugging a complex problem where initial, straightforward fixes have failed.
Diagnosing a regression where functionality that previously worked is now broken.

About

Key Features

Uses prompt templates for systematically querying reasoning agents to generate debugging strategies.
Leverages version control history (git/jj) to diagnose regressions using blame, bisect, and diff.
11 GitHub stars
Orchestrates specialized subagents and skills (outbox, fast-repo-context) for strategic planning and context gathering.
Follows a structured, iterative debugging process with explicit steps.
Traces bugs backward through the call stack to find the original trigger.

Use Cases

Finding the root cause of a vague issue described simply as 'it's not working'.
Debugging a complex problem where initial, straightforward fixes have failed.
Diagnosing a regression where functionality that previously worked is now broken.