debugging-agent-runslisted

# Debugging agent runs When the problem is the **run**, not the code: the agent keeps trying variations of the same thing, talks itself in circles, or acts on what it remembers instead of what's true. This skill is a recovery loop to break that. Be honest: it's a discipline you apply — it can't magically fix a stuck process. ## Read first (always) List `learnings/` and read anything relevant — past failure modes specific to this project belong there. ## Recognize the failure mode | Symptom | Likely cause | |---|---| | Same action retried with slightly reworded prompts | Loop / no new information between attempts | | Output truncated, "forgetting" earlier context | Context overflow → compact or restart with a tighter scope | | Repeated 429 / timeouts | Rate limit → back off, batch, slow down | | Edits land on the wrong branch/files; conflicts | Branch / diff drift → re-verify git state | | Confident claims that don't match reality | Stale state → trusting memory over the world | | Scope keeps widening while nothing lands | Scope creep → shrink to one verifiable thing | ## The recovery loop Run these **in order** — most stuck runs are fixed by step 1–2: 1. **Restate the real objective in one sentence.** If you can't, that's the bug. Re-anchor to the user's actual goal, not the sub-task you spiraled into. 2. **Verify world state — don't trust memory.** Re-read the files, `git status`/`diff`, and the actual test/command output. The model's recollection is often stale; rea