Rust Debug

Rust Debug

Rule

Reproduce first, identify root cause, then make the smallest targeted fix. Prefer compiler diagnostics, tests, backtraces, and tracing evidence over broad rewrites.

Hard Stops

Stop before:

• Touching live systems, real secrets, production data, or destructive operations.
• Adding unsafe, changing public APIs, or weakening error contracts solely to silence an error.
• Suppressing panics, Clippy findings, or test flakes without understanding root cause.
• Fixing async hangs with sleeps or unbounded timeouts.

Workflow

1. Capture failing command, panic, compiler diagnostic, backtrace, log, race/deadlock symptom, or hang.
2. Reproduce with the narrowest cargo test, cargo check, or executable command.
3. Isolate root cause using RUST_BACKTRACE=1, targeted tests, Clippy, dbg!/temporary tracing, Miri for unsafe/suspicious UB, sanitizers when configured, or tokio-console for async runtime issues.
4. Add a regression test when practical.
5. Apply a targeted fix and remove temporary diagnostics.
6. Run the original failing command, targeted tests, full tests, Clippy, and just check.

Completion

Report reproduction, root cause, fix, regression tests, commands, and remaining risks.

Source: nyquistwilder/personal-pi — distributed by TomeVault.