Diagnose

/substrate:diagnose

Targeted bug-fix loop. Takes a known error, routes it to the relevant doctrine, hypothesizes, fixes, verifies, commits.

When to use this vs other skills:

• /substrate:diagnose — you have a specific error (compile failure, runtime exception, failing test, observed misbehavior) and need root cause + fix.
• /substrate:quick-spec — you already know what change to make; this is small feature work, not bug-finding.
• /substrate:architect-spec — the fix crosses multiple layers AND requires schema changes or new abstractions.

Diagnosis has three dispositions once the root cause is known (chosen at Step 3d): patch inline (default — small, certain, single-window), graph a bug epic (root cause known but the fix is multi-bead / crosses file-windows — emits a Spike→Fix DAG and hands off to the executor), or escalate to /substrate:architect-spec (the fix needs new schema/abstraction across 3+ layers, i.e. re-specification, not just execution).

Arguments

<error-context> — at minimum the error message. Optionally any of:

• file:line from the stack trace
• timestamp or commit SHA when the error first appeared
• reproduction steps (terminal commands, browser actions)
• relevant log / console output

If only an error message is given, the skill auto-collects supporting signals (git status, recent commits, compile output if reproducible). If no arguments are passed, ask the user for at least the error message and end the question with [type 'default' to let me decide sensible defaults] — default means "scan recent compile/test output and treat the most recent failure as the target."

When to REFUSE

Workflow

This is a loop, mirroring /substrate:quick-spec. Step 7 either commits (pass) or returns to Step 3 with accumulated failure context (fail).

Step 1 — Capture context

Parse what the user provided. Then auto-collect:

git status --short
git log -5 --format='%h %s'
git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD

If file:line was given, read the file around that line (±20 lines). If a stack trace was given, parse the top 5 frames and read each frame's file around its line.

If the error is reproducible via the build/test pipeline:

pnpm app:compile
pnpm app:lint
pnpm app:test

Capture the output of the first failing command as the canonical error to fix.

If the error message is still ambiguous or missing key information after auto-collection, ask the user one clarifying question with the default-escape suffix. Do not run a multi-question Q&A loop — that's architect-spec territory.

Step 2 — Match to doctrine (composite signal)

Three independent signals, scored 0–3 each, summed to a confidence score 0–9.

A. Path-layer routing (CODEOWNERS / monorepo convention):

Path-layer scores 3 if the failing file is unambiguously in one of the rows above, 1 if it's adjacent (e.g., a config file next to a src/ tree), 0 otherwise.

B. Manifest-trigger match (substrate-native, same mechanic as /substrate:architect-spec):

If docs/doctrine/doctrine-manifest.yaml exists, parse it. For each entry's triggers: keyword list, count matches against the error message text + the failing symbol names + the failing file's nearby code. Score = min(hits, 3). If no manifest, score 0 and fall through to C.

C. Symbol-search fallback:

Glob the doctrine corpus (docs/doctrine/**/*-doctrine.md). For each doctrine, grep its body for the failing symbol or API name extracted from the error (e.g., requireAuth is not a function → grep for requireAuth). Score = min(hits, 3) for the highest-hit doctrine.

Aggregate. Sum A+B+C per doctrine. Pick the highest. If two doctrines tie within 1 point, treat as cross-cutting and read both.

Surface the choice and reasoning before proceeding:

Matched doctrine: docs/doctrine/<chosen-doctrine>.md  (confidence: <N>/9)
  Path-layer:        <score>  — <which file path or "no match">
  Manifest-trigger:  <score>  — <which keywords matched, or "no manifest">
  Symbol search:     <score>  — <which symbol grepped, hits>

Override? (y / n)
  y → tell me which doctrine to use instead
  n → proceed with the matched doctrine

Read the chosen doctrine in full before Step 3. Reading a partial doctrine breaks the grounding.

Step 3 — Hypothesis (Skeleton of Thought)

Mirrors /substrate:quick-spec's 1a–1e but oriented around the error, not a feature objective.

3a. Read the failing context. The failing file at the relevant lines, the stack trace if any, and the doctrine you just matched.

3b. Cross-check against doctrine. Does the failing code violate a binding rule the doctrine prescribes? Is there a documented pattern this code should be following? Cite specific doctrine rules / sections.

3c. Propose 1–3 ranked hypotheses. Each one:

• One sentence stating the root cause.
• Evidence: which doctrine rule is violated (with citation), which stack frame supports it, similar working code elsewhere in the repo.
• Proposed fix: concrete files + lines + change.

3d. Disposition check. Once a hypothesis names the root cause, decide how to land the fix. Three outcomes, in order of increasing weight:

The bug-epic path is the middle tier the loop previously lacked: root cause found, but the implementation is too big for one in-session patch and too well-understood to need re-specification.

3e. Present the hypotheses AND the recommended disposition to the user. They pick a hypothesis (1 / 2 / 3 / modify) and confirm or override the disposition (inline / bug-epic / escalate). Do not act until they pick.

Step 3.5 — Graph into a bug epic (deferred-fix path)

Only when Step 3d's disposition is bug-epic. This reuses /substrate:graph-spec's bead-creation mechanic so the executor can consume the result unchanged — the same DAG contract, differentiated by one additive tag.

Slug + labels. Derive <slug> = bugfix-<short-error-slug> (kebab, from the error's failing symbol or one-line summary). Every bead — epic and children — carries:

• epic:bugfix-<slug> — the canonical epic label. This is non-negotiable: it is the join key /substrate:orchestrate, /substrate:execute, bead-graph.sh, and the bead-TUI read. A bug epic is a first-class epic, not a parallel scheme.
• kind:bug — the additive differentiator. It is layered on top of the canonical label, never in place of it. The TUI filters/colours bug epics by this tag; the executor ignores it. This is what lets the epic be "differentiated yet still runnable" at once.

Shape — Spike→Fix. Create one epic bead, then:

1. Spike bead — tbd create "Spike: <root-cause one-liner>" --type task --parent <epic-id> -l "epic:bugfix-<slug>" -l "kind:bug" -l "group:<window-1>" --file <tmp>. Its body is the state transfer: the matched doctrine + rule citation, the chosen hypothesis with evidence, and the exact repro. Diagnosis has already done most of this work — if the root cause is fully nailed, note in the body that the spike is satisfied-on-arrival and its only job is to confirm the approach before the fix lands.
2. Fix bead(s) — one per file-window of the fix: tbd create "Fix: <action>" --type task --parent <epic-id> -l "epic:bugfix-<slug>" -l "kind:bug" -l "group:<window-N>" --file <tmp>, each with blocked-by: <spike-id> in its body/edge so the fix waits on the spike. Partition the fix across group:<window-N> labels by file-adjacency exactly as graph-spec does — that partition is what the orchestrator dispatches as parallel windows.

Use a mktemp tempfile per bead (spec-ref / summary body) and unlink it unconditionally after create, even on failure — same discipline as graph-spec Step 6.

Hand off and exit the loop. Print the DAG (docs/scripts/bead-graph.sh if present) and stop here — the deferred path does not run Steps 4–8, does not commit code, and does not push:

Bug epic graphed: epic:bugfix-<slug>  (kind:bug)  ·  1 epic + 1 spike + N fix beads
Run it with:
  /substrate:orchestrate epic:bugfix-<slug>   — parallel worktree fleet
  /substrate:execute <spec-or-epic>           — attended, single-window

Step 4 — Implement fix

Only when Step 3d's disposition is inline. With hypothesis approved, implement via Edit / Write / Bash. Same discipline as /substrate:quick-spec Step 2.

Step 5 — Verify (two gates)

Green gate — all three must pass:

pnpm app:compile
pnpm app:lint
pnpm app:test

Repro gate — the original error must NOT recur. Re-run whatever reproduced it: the Step 1 repro steps, the originally-failing test, or the originally-failing command.

Failure modes:

• Green gate fails → attempt ONE targeted fix, re-run. Still failing? Stop and describe to the user. Don't spiral.
• Green gate passes, repro gate still fires → the hypothesis was wrong. Return to Step 3 with this as failure context.

Step 6 — Manual test gate

Same shape as quick-spec.

Manual test:
  1. [reproduce the original error scenario — exact steps]
  2. Expected: [the error no longer occurs / correct behavior happens]
  3. Verify: [specific signal that confirms the fix]

Does this pass? (y / n)

Wait for the verdict. Do not auto-advance.

Step 7 — Verdict

Pass → proceed to Step 8 (commit).

Fail → capture symptom / expected vs actual / any console or browser errors. Return to Step 3 with failure context added. The next hypothesis MUST explain why the previous attempt didn't resolve the symptom.

Iteration 2 — failure context:
  - Hypothesis 1 (doctrine rule X violated) → fix applied → original error still reproduces
  - Next hypothesis must explain why the X-fix didn't resolve the symptom

Step 8 — Commit

Lead with the doctrine layer in the prefix so future readers can route by git log --grep='fix(backend):'.

git add -A
git commit -m "fix(<doctrine-layer>): <short action>

Root cause: <one line>
Doctrine: <doctrine path + rule citation, if applicable>
"

Do NOT push.

Constraints

• MUST capture an explicit error message before proceeding. "It's broken" is not actionable — ask for the error.
• MUST match to a doctrine using the path-layer + manifest-trigger + symbol-search composite. Do not skip Step 2 even when the answer feels obvious — surfacing the reasoning gives the user a chance to override before grounding the fix in the wrong rules.
• MUST read the matched doctrine in full before forming hypotheses. Partial reads break the grounding step.
• MUST present 1–3 ranked hypotheses with evidence. No silent picking.
• MUST verify BOTH gates — green build AND the original error not reproducing. Green code that still has the bug is failure, not success.
• MUST get user approval on the hypothesis before implementing.
• MUST pause for manual testing — do NOT close out on the repro gate alone. Manual testing catches UX regressions the repro gate can't see.
• MUST carry failure context across retry iterations. Each new hypothesis references what the previous attempt missed.
• MUST NOT push or deploy — /substrate:deploy handles that.
• MUST NOT exceed 3 hypothesis iterations without checking in. After three failed attempts, stop and ask whether to escalate to /substrate:architect-spec or abandon.
• MUST pick a disposition at Step 3d (inline / bug-epic / escalate) and confirm it with the user before acting. Default to inline — the bug-epic path is opt-in for genuinely multi-bead fixes, not a substitute for a one-file patch.
• MUST, on the bug-epic path, tag every bead with the canonical epic:bugfix-<slug> label AND the additive kind:bug tag. kind:bug is layered on top of the canonical label — never a replacement epic-labelling scheme. A bug epic that loses epic:<slug> is invisible to the orchestrator/executor and defeats the purpose.
• MUST, on the bug-epic path, carry diagnosis's state (matched doctrine + rule citation + chosen hypothesis + repro) into the Spike bead body. The whole point of graphing instead of fixing is to hand off without losing the root-cause work.
• MUST NOT implement, verify, commit, or push on the bug-epic path — Step 3.5 ends by handing off to /substrate:orchestrate or /substrate:execute. Graphing is the terminal action, mirroring /substrate:graph-spec.
• MUST escalate to /substrate:architect-spec when Step 3d's escalate tier fires (new schema/abstraction across 3+ layers). Escalate re-specifies; bug-epic only defers a known fix.
• MUST offer the default-escape suffix [type 'default' to let me decide sensible defaults] on any clarifying question posed in Step 1. Binary approval gates (y/n, y/n/modify, hypothesis selection) are exempt.
• SHOULD attempt exactly one targeted fix on a failing green gate before handing back to the user. Spiraling wastes budget.
• SHOULD prefer hypotheses grounded in cited doctrine rules over uncited guesses. A hypothesis with a doctrine citation is stronger than one without.
• SHOULD include the failing symbol or stack frame in the commit message body when relevant — it makes git log searchable for similar future failures.