/common-debugging

Troubleshoot systematically using the Scientific Method. Use when debugging crashes, tracing errors, diagnosing unexpected behavior, or investigating exceptions.

hoangnguyen0403@hoangnguyen0403

GitHub

From plugin

agent-skills-standard

538200 skills1 MCP

Install

$ npx -y skills add hoangnguyen0403/agent-skills-standard --skill common-debugging --agent claude-code

How it fires

How this skill gets triggered: by you, by Claude, or both.

Fires itselfAuto-invocation. Claude auto-loads it when your prompt matches the work.
You can call itInvoke it directly when you want it.
Slash command/common-debugging

Context preview

The summary Claude sees to decide when to auto-load this skill.

Troubleshoot systematically using the Scientific Method. Use when debugging crashes, tracing errors, diagnosing unexpected behavior, or investigating exceptions.

SKILL.md

common-debugging.SKILL.md

name: common-debugging
description: Troubleshoot systematically using the Scientific Method. Use when debugging crashes, tracing errors, diagnosing unexpected behavior, or investigating exceptions.
metadata:
  triggers:
    keywords:
    - debug
    - fix bug
    - crash
    - error
    - exception
    - troubleshooting

Debugging Expert

Priority: P1 (HIGH)

Root-Cause Protocol

1. **OBSERVE**: Gather error, logs, repro steps, recent diffs. 2. **REPRODUCE**: Make the failure happen on demand or gather more evidence. 3. **HYPOTHESIZE**: State one hypothesis in plain language. 4. **EXPERIMENT**: Change one variable to prove or kill the theory. 5. **FIX**: Touch code only after root cause proven. 6. **VERIFY**: Re-run the failing case and regression checks.

Red Flags

**Stop if you are changing code before repro**: You are guessing.
**Stop if fix #2 starts before understanding fix #1**: Re-open root cause.
**Stop if "quick patch for now" appears**: Symptom masking starts there.

Rationalization Prevention

**"The bug is obvious"**: Obvious bugs still need evidence.
**"I already tried a few things"**: That means you need structure.
**"It only fails in prod"**: Gather prod evidence, do not invent local myths.
**Minimal repro first**: A minimal reproduction beats more random fixes.

Anti-Patterns

**No shotgun debugging**: Prove root cause before changing code.
**No debug prints in production**: Remove all print/console.log before commit.
**No symptom masking**: Fix root cause; never swallow errors without handling.

References

[Bug Report Template](references/bug-report-template.md)

Incident pressure checklist

For production incidents, reproduce with a production-like replay and state one hypothesis before changing code; stop symptom patches until the root cause is proven.