gitnexus-debugging git:20260819.8cee669A

Immutable. This exact content is served forever at /api/v1/blob/90a172aee3294e7b.

---
name: gitnexus-debugging
description: "Use when the user is debugging a bug, tracing an error, or asking why something fails. Examples: \"Why is X failing?\", \"Where does this error come from?\", \"Trace this bug\""
---

# Debugging with GitNexus

## When to Use

- "Why is this function failing?"
- "Trace where this error comes from"
- "Who calls this method?"
- "This endpoint returns 500"
- Investigating bugs, errors, or unexpected behavior

## Workflow

```
1. query({search_query: "<error or symptom>"})            -> Find related execution flows
2. context({name: "<suspect>"})                    -> See callers/callees/processes
3. READ gitnexus://repo/{name}/process/{name}                -> Trace execution flow
4. cypher({statement: "MATCH path..."})                 -> Custom traces if needed
```

> If "Index is stale" -> run `node .gitnexus/run.cjs analyze` in terminal.

## Checklist

```
- [ ] Understand the symptom (error message, unexpected behavior)
- [ ] query for error text or related code
- [ ] Identify the suspect function from returned processes
- [ ] context to see callers and callees
- [ ] Trace execution flow via process resource if applicable
- [ ] cypher for custom call chain traces if needed
- [ ] Read source files to confirm root cause
```

## Debugging Patterns

| Symptom              | GitNexus Approach                                          |
| -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| Error message        | `query` for error text -> `context` on throw sites |
| Wrong return value   | `context` on the function -> trace callees for data flow    |
| Intermittent failure | `context` -> look for external calls, async deps            |
| Performance issue    | `context` -> find symbols with many callers (hot paths)     |
| Recent regression    | `detect_changes` to see what your changes affect           |
| "How does A reach B?" | `trace` between the two symbols -- shortest call chain in one call |

## Tools

**query** -- find code related to error:

```
query({search_query: "payment validation error"})
-> Processes: CheckoutFlow, ErrorHandling
-> Symbols: validatePayment, handlePaymentError, PaymentException
```

**context** -- full context for a suspect:

```
context({name: "validatePayment"})
-> Incoming calls: processCheckout, webhookHandler
-> Outgoing calls: verifyCard, fetchRates (external API!)
-> Processes: CheckoutFlow (step 3/7)
```

**cypher** -- custom call chain traces:

```cypher
MATCH path = (a)-[:CodeRelation {type: 'CALLS'}*1..2]->(b:Function {name: "validatePayment"})
RETURN [n IN nodes(path) | n.name] AS chain
```

**trace** -- shortest call chain between two symbols ("how does A reach B?"), one call instead of chaining `context` hops:

```
trace({ from: "processCheckout", to: "fetchRates" })
-> status: ok, hopCount: 3
-> hops: processCheckout -> validatePayment -> verifyCard -> fetchRates
-> edges: CALLS (1.0), CALLS (0.95), CALLS (1.0)
```

When no path exists, `trace` reports the furthest reachable node -- exactly where the chain breaks (dynamic dispatch, reflection, or an external boundary).

## Example: "Payment endpoint returns 500 intermittently"

```
1. query({search_query: "payment error handling"})
   -> Processes: CheckoutFlow, ErrorHandling
   -> Symbols: validatePayment, handlePaymentError

2. context({name: "validatePayment"})
   -> Outgoing calls: verifyCard, fetchRates (external API!)

3. READ gitnexus://repo/my-app/process/CheckoutFlow
   -> Step 3: validatePayment -> calls fetchRates (external)

4. Root cause: fetchRates calls external API without proper timeout
```