Debug
A software engineering creed for coding agents — discipline skills for tests, design, and evidence over claims.
npx -y skills add Gusen1453/creed --skill debugAssembled from the repository path, not quoted from the project. Check it against their README if it does not work.
2 things to look at
- 21 days oldThe repository was created 21 days ago. New is not bad, but a brand new repository carrying a familiar-sounding name is the shape a typosquat arrives in, and there has been no time for anyone else to find a problem with it.
- 0 stars0 stars. Stars are a popularity signal and not a quality one, but at this level it is likely that nobody has read this closely except its author, and you would be relying on your own review.
What its author says it does
Copied from the file, not written here
Use when hitting a bug, test failure, unexpected behavior, or about to claim something is fixed — find root cause with evidence before changing code, then prove the fix with fresh verification (and a failing regression test via tdd).
SKILL.md
3.5 KB, as published. Nobody here has run it
Debug
Overview
Fuses systematic root-cause debugging with verification-before-completion.
Core principle: evidence before fixes; evidence before "fixed" claims.
Announce: "Using debug to …"
When to Use
- Any bug, flaky test, build/CI failure, unexpected behavior, performance mystery
- Especially under time pressure ("just one quick fix")
- Before claiming "done" / "passing" / "fixed"
When NOT to use: pure greenfield feature with no failure (use grill / write-plan / tdd).
The Iron Law
1. NO FIXES WITHOUT ROOT CAUSE INVESTIGATION FIRST.
2. NO "FIXED" / "PASSING" / "DONE" CLAIMS WITHOUT FRESH VERIFICATION EVIDENCE IN THIS TURN.
Violating the letter is violating the spirit.
Workflow (phases — do in order)
Phase 1 — Investigate (no fix yet)
- Read the full error / stack / logs (don't skim)
- Reproduce consistently — if you can't, gather data, don't guess
- Check recent changes (
git diff, commits, config, env) - Multi-component systems: instrument boundaries (in → out) to see where it breaks
- Trace bad values backward to the source; plan to fix at source
Create todos for these steps; do not edit production logic until Phase 1 has a stated root cause.
Phase 2 — Pattern
- Find a working similar path in-repo
- Diff working vs broken; list every difference
- Note dependencies / assumptions
Phase 3 — Hypothesis
- One hypothesis: "X is root cause because Y"
- Design the smallest test/probe that would falsify it
- If wrong → new hypothesis (don't stack random changes)
Phase 4 — Fix via TDD
- tdd + test-design: write a failing regression that locks the bug
- Watch RED for the right reason
- Minimal fix → GREEN
- Verify (below) before any success language
Phase 5 — Verify before claims (mandatory)
Before saying fixed/passing/done/complete:
- IDENTIFY the command that proves the claim
- RUN it fresh (full command)
- READ exit code and failures
- ONLY THEN claim, with the evidence
| Claim | Requires |
|---|---|
| Tests pass | Test run output, 0 failures |
| Bug fixed | Original symptom re-tested + regression green |
| Build OK | Build exit 0 |
| Requirements met | Checklist against plan/spec |
Red-green proof for the regression: fail without fix → pass with fix (mentally or actually revert-check when feasible).
Rationalization Table
| Excuse | Reality |
|---|---|
| "Obvious one-liner" | Still need cause + regression test. |
| "Should work now" | RUN verification. |
| "I'm confident / tired" | Confidence ≠ evidence. |
| "Logged something, good enough" | Boundary evidence must show where. |
| "Fix first, understand later" | That's how you get two bugs. |
Red Flags — STOP
- Proposing a fix before stating root cause
- "Should", "probably", "seems" success wording
- Commit/PR of a fix without fresh test/symptom proof
- Shotgun changes across unrelated files
- Skipping the failing regression test
Checklist
- Root cause stated with evidence
- Failing regression (tdd) observed RED then GREEN
- Fresh verification command run this turn
- Claim includes that evidence
- No unrelated drive-by edits
Hand-off
- Structure was the cause → solid
- Ship the fix → review + commit-and-push