systematic-debugging SKILL.md skillA

This file is byte-identical to the first copy the registry indexed. Same content hash, so the same checks give both the same grade.

systematic-debugging from mvschwarz/openrig is an agent skill: a SKILL.md folder an AI agent loads when a task calls for it.

mdr add mvschwarz/openrig/systematic-debugging@git:20261006.d1e9d5e

Pins git:20261006.d1e9d5e in mdr.lock. Pin the fingerprint instead.

Audit grade

A, 17 of 17 checks passed

Kind

SKILL.md skill

Repository

mvschwarz/openrig

Path

packages/daemon/specs/agents/shared/skills/process/systematic-debugging/SKILL.md

Versions recorded

3

Latest version

git:20261006.d1e9d5e, committed Oct 6, 2026

First version recorded

Apr 9, 2026

Size

9,933 bytes

Repository stars

7,989

License

Apache-2.0

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

Random fixes waste time and create new bugs. Quick patches mask underlying issues.

**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:**
…

Read the whole file at its exact version.

How to install

mdr add mvschwarz/openrig/systematic-debugging@sha256:3040b4a5f1727f14

[![mdr](https://markdownregistry.com/badge/art_ptfzrzqe2pcirbyj.svg)](https://markdownregistry.com/a/art_ptfzrzqe2pcirbyj)

Versions

The registry has recorded 3 versions of this file, between Apr 9, 2026 and Oct 6, 2026, about one every 90 days.

Audit of the latest version

Source

API

GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_ptfzrzqe2pcirbyj
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=mvschwarz/openrig/systematic-debugging
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/3040b4a5f1727f14101d07f4127fc3dcb2176a2575c15d759a9d765dacf308a0

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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