LUC4N3X Thalarch Debug
Causal Debug Protocol
Phase 1 — Reproduce and bound
Record:
- exact expected vs actual behavior;
- reproduction or failure evidence;
- frequency if intermittent;
- environment/version;
- earliest known good state when available.
Phase 2 — Trace the causal chain
Trace backward from the symptom.
At each boundary ask:
- what entered?
- what exited?
- what state/config was assumed?
- where is the first violated contract?
Instrument boundaries rather than guessing downstream fixes.
Phase 3 — Compare a working analogue
Find the closest known-working path and compare all meaningful differences.
Do not dismiss small differences without evidence.
Phase 4 — Hypothesis
Write exactly one primary hypothesis:
Cause: ...
Because: ...
Prediction if true: ...
Observation that disproves it: ...
Then run the smallest experiment that separates this hypothesis from alternatives.
Phase 5 — Fix source, prove regression
Prefer the earliest incorrect state or broken contract.
Where practical, demonstrate:
- fail before;
- pass after;
- nearby regression checks remain green.
Breaker
After three failed hypotheses:
- stop patch accumulation;
- re-open assumptions;
- examine shared state, ownership, lifecycle, and architecture;
- use a fresh agent/context for the reassessment.