Comprehensive 4-phase debugging methodology for complex bugs. Use for bugs that aren't immediately obvious or have resisted quick fixes. Keywords: bug, error, fix, debug, broken, crash, fail, exception.
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 Skill
> **Philosophy:** Understand before you fix. Verify before you celebrate.
## When to Use
Use this skill when:
- Bug is not immediately obvious
- Previous quick fixes have failed
- Error involves multiple components
- Need to ensure no regression from fix
- Production issue requiring careful handling
**Do NOT use this skill when:**
- Bug is trivial (typo, missing import)
- Just need a quick syntax check
- Issue is really a feature request
---
## Prerequisites
Before starting:
- [ ] Have access to the codebase
- [ ] Can reproduce the bug OR have error logs
- [ ] Understand the expected behavior
- [ ] Know which environment is affected
---
## Process
### Phase 1: ROOT CAUSE INVESTIGATION 🔬
**Goal:** Find the TRUE cause, not just symptoms.
**Steps:**
1. **Reproduce the Bug**
```
Ask yourself:
- Can I make this happen consistently?
- What are the exact steps?
- What input causes it?
```
2. **Gather Evidence**
- Error messages (complete, not truncated)
- Stack traces
- Relevant logs
- Recent changes (git log, blame)
3. **Trace the Flow**
```
Start from: Error location
…
The line at the top of this page pins the label v1.0.0, 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.
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_xzgdbopjv3h3yzl5
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=vodailocz/kilo-kit-mcp/systematic-debugging
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/887dca52a1176dbb74fb43f356c5b19a962e8ac84ed5dc4e03eef2e80cb9de00
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