# Systematic Debugging — 4-Phase Root Cause Protocol

A disciplined 4-phase protocol for debugging technical issues: understand bugs before fixing. No random fixes, no symptom patching — only root cause investigation.

## Why Install This Skill

When your agent loads this skill, it becomes a **disciplined debugger** who follows a proven protocol. That means:

- **Phase 1: Understand the bug** — reproduce, characterize, and scope before touching any code
- **Phase 2: Find root cause** — trace symptom to source with evidence, not guesses
- **Phase 3: Fix root cause** — one fix per root cause, validated before committing
- **Phase 4: Verify and learn** — test the fix, check for similar issues, document the lesson
- **Specialized patterns** — schema/environment divergence, exception chain analysis, dependency source detection, API failure characterization

## What You Get

| Directory | Purpose |
|-----------|---------|
| `SKILL.md` | The Iron Law, phase-by-phase protocol, specialized debugging patterns |
| `references/` | Deep dives into each phase, specialized pattern guides, diagnostics |

## Triggers

Load this for ANY technical issue — test failures, production bugs, unexpected behavior, performance problems, build failures, integration issues. ESPECIALLY when under time pressure.

## Requirements

Platform-agnostic. Some sections cover macOS-specific sandbox debugging patterns. Requires access to source code and testing tools.


## Quick Start

Start with the setup and first workflow in SKILL.md, then use the linked resources for the specific task you need to complete.