Investigation Patterns

Evidence-Based Investigation Patterns

Critical Rules

• Always provide file:line references for findings (e.g., path/to/file.ext:42)
• Rate confidence (0-100) and coverage (0-100) for all results
• Complete investigation before proposing solutions
• Independently verify claims; don't confirm assumptions

Investigation Phases

1. Scope Classification

• Architecture - System design, component relationships
• Implementation - Specific code behavior, algorithm details
• Debugging - Error causes, unexpected behavior
• Design - Pattern usage, code organization

2. Evidence Collection

Use tools in order of preference:

1. Symbol search - Locate specific symbols
2. File overview - Understand file structure
3. Reference search - Trace dependencies
4. Pattern search - Find patterns across codebase

3. Synthesis with Metrics

• Combine evidence from multiple sources
• Confidence: 90-100 (direct evidence), 70-89 (strong inference), 50-69 (gaps exist), <50 (speculation)
• Coverage: 90-100 (all files), 70-89 (most files), 50-69 (key files), <50 (limited)

Debugging Workflow

1. Reproduce - Confirm exact steps, environment, consistency
2. Isolate - Narrow scope (git bisect, minimal reproduction)
3. Investigate - Examine errors, logs, trace data flow
4. Hypothesize - List causes, rank likelihood, design tests
5. Fix - Minimal change, verify resolution, add regression test

Common Bug Patterns

• Null reference - Check all paths to null access
• Race condition - Look for shared mutable state, async operations
• Off-by-one - Verify loop boundaries, index calculations
• Resource leak - Check acquisition/release paths
• Encoding issue - Trace encoding at each transformation

Output Formats

Investigation Report

Question: [restate question]
Investigation: [findings with file:line refs]
Conclusion: [evidence-based answer]
Metrics: Confidence XX, Coverage XX
Unclear Points: [information gaps]

Debugging Report

Problem: [clear description]
Root Cause: [with evidence]
Solution: [proposed fix]
Verification: [how to verify]
Prevention: [regression test]

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