Systematic Debugging
A four-phase framework that forces you to find root causes before touching any code. The iron law is simple: no fixes without investigation first. It walks you through reading error messages completely, reproducing bugs consistently, tracing data flow through multi-component systems, and comparing against working examples before you're allowed to propose solutions. The real teeth are in Phase 4: if three fixes have failed, stop and question whether the architecture itself is wrong rather than attempting fix number four. Especially useful when you're under pressure and tempted to guess, or when each attempted fix reveals a new problem somewhere else in the system.
- skills.sh installs
- 457
- GitHub stars
- 248
- last updated
- Aug 21, 2026
Install
$ npx -y skills add secondsky/claude-skills --skill systematic-debugging --agent claude-codeInstalls into .claude/skills of the current project.
Files
Systematic Debugging
Overview
Random fixes waste time and create new bugs. Quick patches mask underlying issues.
Core principle: ALWAYS find root cause before attempting fixes. Symptom fixes are failure.
Violating the letter of this process is violating the spirit of debugging.
The Iron Law
NO FIXES WITHOUT ROOT CAUSE INVESTIGATION FIRST
If you haven't completed Phase 1, you cannot propose fixes.
When to Use
Use for ANY technical issue:
- Test failures
- Bugs in production
- Unexpected behavior
- Performance problems
- Build failures
- Integration issues
Use this ESPECIALLY when:
- Under time pressure (emergencies make guessing tempting)
- "Just one quick fix" seems obvious
- You've already tried multiple fixes
- Previous fix didn't work
- You don't fully understand the issue
Don't skip when:
- Issue seems simple (simple bugs have root causes too)
- You're in a hurry (rushing guarantees rework)
- Manager wants it fixed NOW (systematic is faster than thrashing)
The Four Phases
You MUST complete each phase before proceeding to the next.
Phase 1: Root Cause Investigation
BEFORE attempting ANY fix:
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- Repository
- github.com/secondsky/claude-skills
- Categories
- Testing & QA, Debugging
- First seen
- Jun 3, 2026
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