troubleshooting SKILL.md skillA
troubleshooting from jkitchin/knowhow is an agent skill: a SKILL.md folder an AI agent loads when a task calls for it.
mdr add jkitchin/knowhow/troubleshooting@git:20260307.3e74b2fPins git:20260307.3e74b2f in mdr.lock. Pin the fingerprint instead.
- Audit grade
- A, 17 of 17 checks passed
- Kind
- SKILL.md skill
- Repository
- jkitchin/knowhow
- Path
skills/technical/troubleshooting/SKILL.md- Versions recorded
- 2
- Latest version
- git:20260307.3e74b2f, committed Mar 7, 2026
- First version recorded
- Nov 6, 2025
- Size
- 15,464 bytes
- Repository stars
- 42
- License
- MIT
Systematic debugging and problem diagnosis using structured troubleshooting methodologies applicable to any domain - technical issues, process failures, system problems, or general obstacles. Use when users report errors, describe malfunctions, encounter unexpected behavior, or need help diagnosing root causes. Triggers include 'debug this,' 'troubleshoot,' 'why isn't this working,' 'getting an error,' 'something's wrong with,' 'how do I fix,' or any problem description.
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
# Troubleshooting & Debugging Skill Guide users through systematic problem diagnosis and resolution using structured methodologies applicable to any domain. ## Quick Start Workflow When a troubleshooting request arrives, follow this systematic approach: 1. **Understand** - What's expected vs actual, when started, what changed 2. **Gather** - Collect diagnostic information (logs, errors, environment, steps to reproduce) 3. **Hypothesize** - List possible causes ranked by probability 4. **Design** - Create tests that isolate variables 5. **Test** - Execute systematically, document results 6. **Identify** - Distinguish symptoms from root cause 7. **Verify** - Confirm fix resolves the issue 8. **Document** - Record solution for future reference ## When to Use This Skill Activate for requests involving: - "Debug this..." / "Troubleshoot..." - "Why isn't this working..." / "Getting an error..." - "Something's wrong with..." / "How do I fix..." - Any problem description or malfunction report - Unexpected behavior or failures - Performance issues or degradation - Intermittent problems ## Problem Understanding Phase ### Essential First Questions …
Read the whole file at its exact version.
How to install
mdr add jkitchin/knowhow/troubleshooting@sha256:bb9ab79cc14f60f5The line at the top of this page pins the label git:20260307.3e74b2f, 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_kveg7ifxuf7fozoa)
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Versions
The registry has recorded 2 versions of this file, between Nov 6, 2025 and Mar 7, 2026, about one every 121 days.
| version | committed | commit | size | audit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| git:20260307.3e74b2f latest | 2026-03-07 | 3e74b2f | 15,464 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20251106.8ea48df | 2025-11-06 | 8ea48df | 15,462 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 (15464 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
jkitchin/knowhow · 42 stars · license MIT · pushed 2026-11-02 · branch main
API
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_kveg7ifxuf7fozoa GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=jkitchin/knowhow/troubleshooting GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/bb9ab79cc14f60f50ff79ece1c37b8591fa482e73daac5054ece6b16d54186cf
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.
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