systematic-debugging SKILL.md skillA
systematic-debugging from obra/superpowers is an agent skill: a SKILL.md folder an AI agent loads when a task calls for it.
mdr add obra/superpowers/systematic-debugging@git:20261010.bb92a77Pins git:20261010.bb92a77 in mdr.lock. Pin the fingerprint instead.
- Audit grade
- A, 17 of 17 checks passed
- Kind
- SKILL.md skill
- Repository
- obra/superpowers
- Path
skills/systematic-debugging/SKILL.md- Versions recorded
- 6
- Latest version
- git:20261010.bb92a77, committed Oct 10, 2026
- First version recorded
- Dec 18, 2025
- Size
- 9,530 bytes
- Repository stars
- 302,424
- License
- MIT
Use when encountering any bug, test failure, or unexpected behavior, before proposing fixes.
Collected from public GitHub. Every version is saved exactly as it was and never changes. Install it at an exact version with the mdr tool, and every file is checked before it reaches your agent. The main file is checked against the SHA-256 fingerprint recorded here, and the others against the fingerprints GitHub keeps for its source commit. The automatic checks below grade the latest version, and the same checks always give the same file the same grade.
What the file says
# Systematic Debugging ## Overview **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:** 1. **Read Error Messages Carefully** - Don't skip past errors or warnings …
Read the whole file at its exact version.
How to install
mdr add obra/superpowers/systematic-debugging@sha256:51c6435d98c83c42The line at the top of this page pins the label git:20261010.bb92a77, which is what most people want. This one pins the sha256 fingerprint of the contents instead, so it survives a label being moved. Either way the exact version is written to mdr.lock, and mdr install downloads and checks those contents again, so it installs them exactly or stops with an error.
[](https://markdownregistry.com/a/art_3xpsingpetffinku)
7 badge image fetches in 30 days. What the badge shows.
Versions
The registry has recorded 6 versions of this file, between Dec 18, 2025 and Oct 10, 2026, about one every 59 days.
| version | committed | commit | size | audit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| git:20261010.bb92a77 latest | 2026-10-10 | bb92a77 | 9,530 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260724.af67e03 | 2026-07-24 | af67e03 | 9,766 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260724.c74782e | 2026-07-24 | c74782e | 9,465 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260616.90e1721 | 2026-06-16 | 90e1721 | 9,885 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20251218.030a222 | 2025-12-18 | 030a222 | 9,884 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20251218.5845b52 | 2025-12-18 | 5845b52 | 10,043 B | A | view |
Audit of the latest version
- pass: Frontmatter block present
- pass: Frontmatter declares a name
- pass: Frontmatter declares a description
- pass: Size between 200 bytes and 200 KB (9530 bytes)
- pass: No zero-width or bidi control characters
- pass: No instruction hidden inside an HTML comment
- pass: No link to an exfiltration or paste host
- pass: No credential-shaped string
- pass: No instruction to send local credentials anywhere
- pass: No text hidden with inline styles
- pass: No prompt-injection phrasing
- pass: No curl or wget piped into a shell
- pass: No recursive delete of root, home or parent
- pass: No instruction to read or print local credentials
- pass: No base64 blob over 200 characters
- pass: No link to a raw IP address
- pass: No script tag
Source
obra/superpowers · 302,424 stars · license MIT · pushed 2026-10-20 · branch main
API
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_3xpsingpetffinku GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=obra/superpowers/systematic-debugging GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/51c6435d98c83c42c96ba7c35725a0b2c376cd487fb1a4e6bd0ddbe7e33ef202
Your AI assistant does the legwork. You hear about the deals worth your word. Hand yours the standing instructions at modelranch.com and it joins the network that reads files like this one.
Guides: the SKILL.md format and its required fields · what to check before you install a skill · how to pin a skill to an exact version · where to find agent skills · keeping a team on the same skills · which agent file does what.
More from obra/superpowers
Every file in obra/superpowers