# Diagnose Software Failures Systematically

Software failures can hide behind incomplete logs and unclear reproduction steps. This skill structures investigation, isolates root causes, proposes minimal fixes, and defines verification.

## Install

```bash
npx skillstore add sickn33/debugger
```

## Metadata

- Status: approved
- Slug: sickn33-debugger
- Skillstore revision: r2
- Version status: missing
- Tree hash: e5e6c94a4122ed2dfa56c841a103a229729a35180a83c475dfc9ede94711d111
- Author: sickn33
- GitHub username: sickn33
- License: MIT
- Repository: https://github.com/sickn33/antigravity-awesome-skills/tree/main/skills/debugger
- Ref: f9e2c34b4f19c7f3e6b0a1e93227b5f77cc12526
- Supported tools: Claude, Codex, Claude Code
- Audit status: complete
- Agent install advisory: allowed
- Manual install advisory: allowed
- Artifact signature: available
- Audit attestation: unavailable
- Human verification: not\_verified
- Risk factors: external\_commands
- Quality score: 79
- Quality tier: bronze
- Public page: https://skillstore.pages.dev/skills/sickn33-debugger
- Manifest: https://skillstore.pages.dev/api/skills/sickn33-debugger/manifest

## Capabilities

- Captures error messages, stack traces, constraints, and reproduction steps.
- Isolates likely failure locations from logs, recent changes, and variable states.
- Forms testable hypotheses and identifies evidence needed to confirm each one.
- Recommends strategic logging and focused experiments for difficult failures.
- Proposes minimal fixes with verification tests and prevention recommendations.

## Use Cases

- Resolve Application Errors: Trace an exception from its stack trace and recent changes, then define a focused fix and regression test.
- Investigate Failing Tests: Separate test defects from product defects by reproducing failures and checking assumptions, fixtures, and environment differences.
- Diagnose Production Incidents: Use logs and observed symptoms to rank hypotheses, isolate affected components, and plan safe verification.

## Prompt Templates

### Triage an Error

```
Analyze this error message: [error]. Ask for missing context, identify likely failure areas, and give the first three checks.
```

### Diagnose a Failing Test

```
Investigate this failing test using [test output] and [recent changes]. Define reproduction steps, rank hypotheses, and suggest evidence for each.
```

### Isolate an Intermittent Defect

```
Create an isolation plan for this intermittent failure: [symptoms]. Include targeted logging, variable states, controlled experiments, and success criteria.
```

### Complete a Root Cause Analysis

```
Analyze [stack trace], [logs], [reproduction], and [diff]. Explain the root cause, propose the smallest fix, and define verification and prevention measures.
```

## Limitations

- Diagnosis quality depends on accurate errors, logs, changes, and reproduction details.
- The skill does not replace testing in the affected environment.
- It cannot inspect repositories, services, or runtime state without access.
- It requires clarification when permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.

## Best Practices

- Provide the complete error, stack trace, reproduction steps, and recent relevant changes.
- Test one hypothesis at a time and record evidence that confirms or rejects it.
- Verify the fix with a targeted regression test and related test coverage.

## Anti Patterns

- Do not change several components before identifying the failure location.
- Do not suppress errors or symptoms without explaining the underlying cause.
- Do not accept a fix until the original failure is reproducible and verified.

## Security Audit

- Audited at: 2026-07-23T23:00:37.113\+00:00
- Summary: The only static finding is a false positive caused by an inline Markdown path at SKILL.md line 28. The prompt-only skill contains no executable command or harmful intent.

## Stats

- Views: 88
- Downloads: 25
- Favorites: 0
- Popularity score: 0