yeaight7 Purpose
Locate and fix the root cause of a bug with minimal scope. A correct fix beats a fast guess.
When to Use
- A specific, reproducible bug needs fixing.
- A test is failing and the cause is unclear.
- An unexpected behavior needs a targeted fix.
For complex, persistent, or multi-component bugs, use systematic-debugging instead.
Inputs
- Bug description or reproduction steps.
- Relevant error messages or stack traces.
- Access to the codebase and test suite.
Workflow
- Reproduce — Trigger the bug reliably before writing any code.
- Identify — Find the true failing layer, not just the first place the error surfaces.
- Fix — Apply the minimal change at the root cause.
- Test — Add or update a focused test that would have caught this bug.
Output
Root cause: <what caused the bug>
Fix: <what was changed and where>
Verification: <how the fix was confirmed>
Residual risk: <any edge cases not covered>
Verification
- Bug reproduced before fix was written
- Root cause identified (not just symptom location)
- Fix is minimal — no unrelated changes bundled in
- Test added or updated to prevent regression
Failure Modes
- Fixing the symptom — Error location ≠ root cause. Trace backward until the origin is found.
- Skipping reproduction — Fixes written without a reliable reproduction often miss the actual bug.
- Missing test — Without a regression test, the same bug is likely to return.