Skill86 repo starsupdated 2mo ago
debug
The debug skill orchestrates systematic error resolution by deploying specialized agents for root cause analysis, investigation, and fix verification rather than manual troubleshooting. Use this when encountering errors, bugs, failing tests, stack traces, or unexpected application behavior to methodically identify underlying causes before attempting fixes.
Install in Claude Code
Copygit clone --depth 1 https://github.com/arpitnath/claude-capsule-kit /tmp/debug && cp -r /tmp/debug/skills/debug ~/.claude/skills/debugThen start a new Claude Code session; the skill loads automatically.
Definition
SKILL.md
# Debug Orchestrator
You are a **Debug Orchestrator** responsible for systematic error resolution using specialized debugging agents rather than manual trial-and-error.
## Purpose
**Problem**: Errors are often debugged reactively—reading code, guessing causes, trying fixes without understanding root cause.
**Solution**: RCA-first methodology using `error-detective` for root cause analysis, `debugger` for systematic investigation, and `code-reviewer` for fix verification.
## When to Use This Skill
**Auto-triggers on keywords**:
- "error", "bug", "broken", "failing", "exception"
- "stack trace", "test failure", "crash", "doesn't work"
- "why is this failing", "what's wrong", "fix this"
**Error indicators**:
- User reports error message
- Tests failing unexpectedly
- Application crash or hang
- Unexpected behavior
**Manual invocation**: `/debug`
---
## The 5-Phase Debug Workflow
### Phase 1: CAPTURE
**Goal**: Gather complete error context
**Collect**:
1. **Error message** (exact text)
2. **Stack trace** (full trace if available)
3. **Reproduction steps** (how to trigger)
4. **Environment** (local, CI, production)
5. **Recent changes** (git diff, capsule files)
**Commands**:
```bash
# Git diff (check recent changes)
git diff --stat
git log -5 --oneline
# Search for error message
grep -r "error message text" . --include="*.log"
```
**Deliverable**: Complete error report with all context
---
### Phase 2: RCA (Root Cause Analysis)
**Goal**: Understand WHY the error occurs (not just symptoms)
**Launch error-detective agent**:
```
Task(
subagent_type="error-detective",
description="Analyze error RCA",
prompt="""
Perform root cause analysis for this error:
**Error**: [exact error message]
**Stack Trace**:
[full stack trace]
**Context**:
- Environment: [local/CI/prod]
- Recent changes: [git diff summary]
- Reproduction: [steps to trigger]
Provide structured RCA with:
- What Failed
- Root Cause
- Evidence
- Chain of Events
- Suggested Fix
- Confidence Level
"""
)
```
**Wait for RCA results**
**Analyze RCA output**:
- **High Confidence (80%+)**: Proceed to fix
- **Medium Confidence (50-79%)**: Launch debugger for deeper investigation
- **Low Confidence (<50%)**: Need more context or parallel investigation
**Deliverable**: Structured RCA report with root cause and confidence
---
### Phase 3: INVESTIGATE (If Needed)
**Goal**: Deep investigation when RCA unclear
**When to launch debugger**:
- RCA confidence < 80%
- Multiple potential causes
- Complex code interactions
- Need systematic code tracing
**Launch debugger agent**:
```
Task(
subagent_type="debugger",
description="Debug systematic investigation",
prompt="""
RCA provided low-confidence diagnosis. Perform systematic debugging:
**Symptom**: [what's observed]
**RCA Hypothesis**: [error-detective's theory]
**Investigation Path**:
1. Trace execution flow from entry point
2. Check state at key points
3. Identify where behavior diverges from expected
4. Isolate root cause
Provide:
- Symptom summary
- Hypotheses tested
- Investigation path taken
- Root cause identified
- Recommended fix
"""
)
```
**Parallel Investigation** (for complex bugs):
```
# Spawn multiple agents in SINGLE message
Task(subagent_type="error-detective", prompt="Investigate hypothesis A: ...")
Task(subagent_type="debugger", prompt="Trace code path B: ...")
Task(subagent_type="architecture-explorer", prompt="Understand system interaction C: ...")
```
**Deliverable**: Confirmed root cause with investigation path
---
### Phase 4: FIX
**Goal**: Apply fix addressing root cause (not symptoms)
**Fix Strategy** (based on RCA):
**Code Bug**:
- Read affected file(s)
- Apply minimal fix addressing root cause
- Add comment explaining the fix
- Update tests if needed
**Configuration Error**:
- Update config file
- Validate syntax
- Document the change
**Dependency Issue**:
- Check dependency versions
- Update or pin version
- Test compatibility
**Architecture Problem**:
- May need refactoring
- Consider using `/refactor-safely` skill
- Impact analysis before changing
**Apply Fix**:
```
# Read file
Read(file_path="path/to/file.ext")
# Make targeted fix
Edit(
file_path="path/to/file.ext",
old_string="[exact problematic code]",
new_string="[corrected code]"
)
# Fix applied — Capsule hooks capture file operations automatically
```
**Deliverable**: Fix applied addressing root cause
---
### Phase 5: VERIFY
**Goal**: Ensure fix works and doesn't introduce regressions
**Verification Steps**:
1. **Reproduce Original Error**
```bash
# Run the failing case
[command that triggered error]
# Should now pass
```
2. **Run Tests**
```bash
# Unit tests
npm test
pytest tests/
go test ./...
# Integration tests if available
npm run test:integration
```
3. **Code Review**
```
Task(
subagent_type="code-reviewer",
description="Review debug fix",
prompt="""
Review this bug fix for:
- Correctness (does it address root cause?)
- Safety (no new bugs introduced?)
- Quality (follows patterns?)
Files changed:
[list files]
Provide verdict: APPROVE or REQUEST_CHANGES
"""
)
```
4. **Impact Analysis**
```bash
bash $HOME/.claude/cck/tools/impact-analysis/impact-analysis.sh <fixed-file>
```
**Deliverable**: Verified fix with no regressions
---
## Integration Points
### With Capsule Context
Context from previous sessions is automatically injected at session start by `session-start.js`. Check the injected context for past errors, recent file changes, and team activity. All file operations and sub-agent results are captured automatically by `post-tool-use.js`.
### With Other Skills
- **After /deep-context**: Debug with full codebase understanding
- **Before /code-review**: Review fix before committing
- **With /workflow**: Debug is Phase 4 of larger workflow
---
## Examples
### Example 1: TypeError in Production
**Phase 1: CAPTURE**
```
Error: TypeError: Cannot read prope