Systematic Debugging

Systematic Debugging

Overview

Guessing fixes wastes time and creates new bugs. Quick patches hide root problems.

Core principle: Never fix before finding the root cause. Symptom fixing is failure.

Iron Law

Never propose a fix without root cause investigation.

Phase 0 or Phase 1 must be completed before any fix is proposed. Phase 0 fixes are ONLY allowed when ALL of these are true:

• External research found an official solution or known issue for this exact error
• Change is single file, single point (config value, import, typo)
• No logic changes

When to Use

All technical problems:

• Test failures, build errors, deploy errors
• Config conflicts, dependency issues
• Infrastructure/environment problems
• Unexpected behavior, performance issues

Especially when:

• Under time pressure (urgency breeds guessing)
• "Let me just quickly fix this" comes to mind
• Multiple fix attempts have already been tried
• Previous fixes didn't work
• You don't fully understand the problem

The Phases

Each Phase must complete before proceeding to the next.

Phase 0: Quick Assessment

Run immediately when an error occurs. Before any fix attempt.

1. Classify the error — read the error message/symptoms:

   • Same code works in different environment? → Environment issue
   • After recent dependency/version change? → Dependency issue
   • Only fails in specific code path? → Code issue

2. External research (exact match, 5 min max) — check official docs and GitHub Issues for known issues. Don't rely on self-knowledge alone.

   • See: references/external-research-guide.md

3. Branch decision:

   • All Iron Law conditions met → Fix in Phase 0
   • Any condition unmet → Enter Phase 1 full process
   • Phase 0 quick-fix fails: Undo (git checkout/undo), enter Phase 1. This attempt counts in the fix counter.

Phase 1: Root Cause Investigation

Before any fix attempt:

1. Read the error carefully

   • Don't skip errors/warnings
   • Read the entire stack trace
   • Record line numbers, file paths, error codes

2. Reproduce consistently

   • Get exact reproduction steps
   • Every time? If intermittent, collect more data

3. Check recent changes

   • git diff, recent commits
   • New dependencies, config changes
   • Environment differences (env vars, Node/runtime version, OS)

4. Research external sources (deep read)

   • Based on Phase 0 exact match results, investigate further
   • Read official docs for the failure mechanism
   • Check release notes for breaking changes
   • See: references/external-research-guide.md

5. Collect evidence in multi-component systems

   • Log data in/out at each component boundary
   • Run once to find where it breaks
   • Then deep-dive into that component

6. Trace data flow

   • Where does the wrong value originate?
   • Trace the call stack backwards to the source
   • See: references/root-cause-tracing.md

Phase 2: Pattern Analysis

1. Find similar working code in the same codebase
2. Compare with reference implementations — read the full reference docs, don't skim
3. Identify all differences between working and broken — don't assume "that's irrelevant"
4. Map dependencies — what config, environment, other components are needed

Phase 3: Hypothesis and Testing

Before entering Phase 3:

• Verify clean state (git status)
• If not clean: git stash or save checkpoint
• On hypothesis failure: rollback to safe point, try new hypothesis (no cumulative fixes)

1. Form a single hypothesis: "X is the root cause because Y" — specific, not vague
2. Test minimally: smallest change to verify the hypothesis. One variable at a time.
3. Verify before proceeding:
   • Success → Phase 4
   • Failure → New hypothesis (don't stack fixes on top of failed ones)

Phase 4: Implementation

1. Write a failing test — simplest reproduction, automated if possible, before fixing
2. Apply a single fix — only the identified root cause, one change at a time, no "while I'm at it"
3. Verify the fix — test passes? No other tests broken? Problem actually resolved?
4. If fix doesn't work:
   • How many fix attempts so far?
   • Under 3: return to Phase 1 with new information
   • 3 or more: proceed to Phase 4.5

Phase 4.5: Architecture Question

Pattern of 3+ failed fixes:

• Each fix reveals new problems elsewhere
• Fix requires "major refactoring"
• Each fix creates symptoms in other places

Stop immediately and ask fundamental questions:

• Is this pattern itself sound?
• Are we clinging to it out of inertia?
• Should we refactor the architecture instead of fixing symptoms?

Report to user and discuss before any more fix attempts.

Red Flags — If you think this, STOP

• "Let me quickly fix it and investigate later"
• "Let me try changing X and see if it works"
• "Let me bundle multiple changes and test once"
• "Skip tests, just check manually"
• "It's probably X, let me fix it"
• "I don't fully understand but this might work"
• "Let me just try one more fix" (after 2+ attempts)
• "I don't need to check external docs for this one"
• "This is definitely a code issue" (without checking environment)

Any of the above: STOP. Return to Phase 0/1. 3+ fix failures: Architecture Question (Phase 4.5)

Common Rationalizations

Supporting Techniques

See references in this directory:

• references/external-research-guide.md — External docs/GitHub Issues lookup procedure
• references/root-cause-tracing.md — Call stack backtracing to find bug origins

Quick Reference