How do I install the CI Debugging skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add kcenon/ci-debugging in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is CI Debugging safe to use?

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Which AI agents work with CI Debugging?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is CI Debugging free to use?

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Who published CI Debugging?

kcenon (@kcenon) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

CI Debugging by kcenon — Agent Skill

Name: CI Debugging
Rating: 4.666666666666667 (3 reviews)
Author: kcenon

CI Debugging

Diagnose and fix CI/CD pipeline failures: GitHub Actions errors, build failures, test timeouts, TLS/auth issues, platform-specific failures, dependency resolution problems, and deployment errors. Use when CI checks fail, builds break, tests timeout, or pipeline errors need systematic root-cause analysis and resolution.

kcenon Updated Sep 10, 2026

File contents

CI/CD Debugging Skill

When to Use

CI build failures
GitHub Actions workflow errors
TLS certificate or authentication issues
Platform-specific compilation failures
Dependency resolution problems

Diagnostic Flow

Step 1: Categorize Failure Type

Determine which category the failure falls into:

Category	Indicators	Priority
Environment/Auth	TLS errors, token expired, permission denied	Check first
Platform-Specific	Works on Linux fails on Windows, vice versa	Check second
Missing Dependencies	Module not found, package missing	Check third
Actual Code Bug	Test assertions, logic errors	Check last

Step 2: Environment/Auth Issues

Check for sandboxed environment limitations:

# Test GitHub API connectivity
curl -s --connect-timeout 5 https://api.github.com/zen

# Check GitHub CLI auth status
gh auth status

# Verify GITHUB_TOKEN
echo "Token present: ${GITHUB_TOKEN:+yes}"

Common Issues:

TLS certificate errors -> Try diagnosis with connectivity check first
Token expired -> Re-authenticate with gh auth login
Sandbox blocked -> Use local git operations as fallback

Step 3: Platform-Specific Issues

Look for platform-specific patterns:

# Search for Unix-specific code
grep -rn "MSG_DONTWAIT\|/dev/null\|fork()" src/

# Check for Windows path issues
grep -rn '"/tmp\|"/var' src/

Fallback: Add conditional compilation or use cross-platform alternatives.

Step 4: Dependency Issues

# Check for missing packages (Node.js)
npm ls 2>&1 | grep "MISSING" || echo "No missing npm packages"

# For Python
pip check 2>&1 || echo "No pip issues"

# For CMake/C++
cmake --build build/ 2>&1 | grep -i "error\|not found" || echo "Build OK"

Step 5: Code Bug Analysis

If none of the above:

Read the failing test output carefully
Identify the assertion that failed
Trace back to the implementation
Fix the actual bug

Fallback Strategies

GitHub API Blocked

Priority order:
1. Use gh CLI (preferred)
2. Direct curl with GITHUB_TOKEN
3. Local git operations only
4. Manual intervention required

TLS/Certificate Issues

Priority order:
1. Check system certificates
2. Verify proxy settings
3. Use alternative connectivity check
4. Report as environment issue

Quick Commands

Issue	Command
Check CI logs	`gh run view --log-failed`
Re-run failed	`gh run rerun --failed`
View workflow	`gh run view`
Check auth	`gh auth status`
List failed runs	`gh run list --status failure`

Reference Documents (Import Syntax)

@./reference/common-failures.md

Output

Findings emitted by this skill (root-cause classifications, fix recommendations) MUST include a severity: field:

Severity	Meaning
S1	Block-merge: build broken, all checks failing, branch unmergeable
S2	Review-required: intermittent failure, platform-specific regression
S3	Advisory: warning-only, log noise, non-blocking dependency drift

When a finding's severity is ambiguous, default to S3 (advisory) per the false-positive playbook.

---name: ci-debuggingdescription: Diagnose and fix CI/CD pipeline failures: GitHub Actions errors, build failures, test timeouts, TLS/auth issues, platform-specific failures, dependency resolution problems, and deployment errors. Use when CI checks fail, builds break, tests timeout, or pipeline errors need systematic root-cause analysis and resolution.---# CI/CD Debugging Skill## When to Use- CI build failures- GitHub Actions workflow errors- TLS certificate or authentication issues- Platform-specific compilation failures- Dependency resolution problems## Diagnostic Flow### Step 1: Categorize Failure TypeDetermine which category the failure falls into:| Category | Indicators | Priority ||----------|------------|----------|| **Environment/Auth** | TLS errors, token expired, permission denied | Check first || **Platform-Specific** | Works on Linux fails on Windows, vice versa | Check second || **Missing Dependencies** | Module not found, package missing | Check third || **Actual Code Bug** | Test assertions, logic errors | Check last |### Step 2: Environment/Auth IssuesCheck for sandboxed environment limitations:```bash# Test GitHub API connectivitycurl -s --connect-timeout 5 https://api.github.com/zen# Check GitHub CLI auth statusgh auth status# Verify GITHUB_TOKENecho "Token present: ${GITHUB_TOKEN:+yes}"```**Common Issues:**- TLS certificate errors -> Try diagnosis with connectivity check first- Token expired -> Re-authenticate with `gh auth login`- Sandbox blocked -> Use local git operations as fallback### Step 3: Platform-Specific IssuesLook for platform-specific patterns:```bash# Search for Unix-specific codegrep -rn "MSG_DONTWAIT\|/dev/null\|fork()" src/# Check for Windows path issuesgrep -rn '"/tmp\|"/var' src/```**Fallback**: Add conditional compilation or use cross-platform alternatives.### Step 4: Dependency Issues```bash# Check for missing packages (Node.js)npm ls 2>&1 | grep "MISSING" || echo "No missing npm packages"# For Pythonpip check 2>&1 || echo "No pip issues"# For CMake/C++cmake --build build/ 2>&1 | grep -i "error\|not found" || echo "Build OK"```### Step 5: Code Bug AnalysisIf none of the above:1. Read the failing test output carefully2. Identify the assertion that failed3. Trace back to the implementation4. Fix the actual bug## Fallback Strategies### GitHub API Blocked```Priority order:1. Use gh CLI (preferred)2. Direct curl with GITHUB_TOKEN3. Local git operations only4. Manual intervention required```### TLS/Certificate Issues```Priority order:1. Check system certificates2. Verify proxy settings3. Use alternative connectivity check4. Report as environment issue```## Quick Commands| Issue | Command ||-------|---------|| Check CI logs | `gh run view --log-failed` || Re-run failed | `gh run rerun --failed` || View workflow | `gh run view` || Check auth | `gh auth status` || List failed runs | `gh run list --status failure` |## Reference Documents (Import Syntax)@./reference/common-failures.md## OutputFindings emitted by this skill (root-cause classifications, fix recommendations) MUST include a `severity:` field:| Severity | Meaning ||----------|---------|| S1 | Block-merge: build broken, all checks failing, branch unmergeable || S2 | Review-required: intermittent failure, platform-specific regression || S3 | Advisory: warning-only, log noise, non-blocking dependency drift |When a finding's severity is ambiguous, default to `S3` (advisory) per the false-positive playbook.

Frequently asked questions