PUBLIC · BUILD & DEBUG

Trace a bug to its first cause

Investigate the failure before reaching for a patch.

When to use it

When something fails and the first explanation offered is a guess.

What to expect

The cause with the evidence that supports it, the behaviour it affects, the smallest correction, a regression check, and what remains uncertain.

Example

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observed failurecomponentexpected behaviorlogs, reproduction steps, recent changes

PROMPT TEMPLATE

Investigate {{OBSERVED_FAILURE}} in {{COMPONENT}}.

Expected behavior: {{EXPECTED_BEHAVIOR}}
Available evidence: {{EVIDENCE}}

First reproduce or explain why reproduction is blocked. Map the failing path. Form a small set of hypotheses and select the cheapest discriminating check. Update the hypotheses with each result.

Do not change unrelated code or hide errors with catch-all fallbacks. Once the cause is supported by evidence, propose the smallest correction and a regression check.

Return the cause, supporting evidence, affected behavior, proposed fix, and remaining uncertainty.

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