systematic-debugging SKILL.md skillB
systematic-debugging from magnus919/agent-skills is an agent skill: a SKILL.md folder an AI agent loads when a task calls for it.
mdr add magnus919/agent-skills/systematic-debugging@git:20261101.af687e5Pins git:20261101.af687e5 in mdr.lock. Pin the fingerprint instead.
- Audit grade
- B, 16 of 17 checks passed
- Kind
- SKILL.md skill
- Repository
- magnus919/agent-skills
- Path
systematic-debugging/SKILL.md- Versions recorded
- 5
- Latest version
- git:20261101.af687e5, committed Nov 1, 2026
- First version recorded
- May 22, 2026
- Size
- 18,802 bytes
- Repository stars
- 166
- License
- MIT
Diagnose root causes with a four-phase debugging protocol. Use for ANY technical issue — test failures, production bugs, unexpected behavior, performance problems, build failures, or integration issues. ESPECIALLY when under time pressure, when "one quick fix" seems obvious, or when previous fix attempts have failed. Do not use this skill for unrelated requests; route to the nearest named specialist.
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. ## 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 **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) - Someone wants it fixed NOW (systematic is faster than thrashing) ## The Four Phases 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 — they often contain the exact solution …
Read the whole file at its exact version.
How to install
mdr add magnus919/agent-skills/systematic-debugging@sha256:efe17b404972409cThe line at the top of this page pins the label git:20261101.af687e5, 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_w3e2wko4kwx5bnp3)
4 badge image fetches in 30 days. What the badge shows.
Versions
The registry has recorded 5 versions of this file, between May 22, 2026 and Nov 1, 2026, about one every 41 days.
| version | committed | commit | size | audit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| git:20261101.af687e5 latest | 2026-11-01 | af687e5 | 18,802 B | B | view · diff |
| git:20261030.3fd1b2c | 2026-10-30 | 3fd1b2c | 18,625 B | B | view · diff |
| git:20260902.035e58d | 2026-09-02 | 035e58d | 17,398 B | B | view · diff |
| git:20260711.a5f7e74 | 2026-07-11 | a5f7e74 | 17,321 B | B | view · diff |
| git:20260522.1e9fd74 | 2026-05-22 | 1e9fd74 | 17,362 B | B | view |
Audit of the latest version
- fail: No recursive delete of root, home or parent (matched: rm -rf ~/)
- pass: Frontmatter block present
- pass: Frontmatter declares a name
- pass: Frontmatter declares a description
- pass: Size between 200 bytes and 200 KB (18802 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 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
Starting a new one? Use a template for SKILL.md on mdpantry, which passes every one of these checks and says what to change in it.
Source
magnus919/agent-skills · 166 stars · license MIT · pushed 2026-11-04 · branch main
API
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_w3e2wko4kwx5bnp3 GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=magnus919/agent-skills/systematic-debugging GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/efe17b404972409c0c1f0d87b88e033519f2a50ff26b881a01dee3608f130cad
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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