skill-debug

# Systematic Debugging ## MANDATORY COMPLIANCE — DO NOT SKIP **When this skill is invoked, you MUST follow the 4-phase debugging process below. You are PROHIBITED from:** - Jumping straight to a fix without completing Phase 1 (Root Cause Investigation) - Skipping the hypothesis step and guessing at solutions - Deciding the bug is "obvious" and bypassing the systematic process - Attempting more than 3 fixes without stopping to ask the user **Systematic debugging finds root causes in 15-30 minutes. Random fixes waste 2-3 hours. Follow the process.** --- **Your first output line MUST be:** `🐙 **CLAUDE OCTOPUS ACTIVATED** - Systematic Debugging` ## The Iron Law <HARD-GATE> NO FIXES WITHOUT ROOT CAUSE INVESTIGATION FIRST </HARD-GATE> Random fixes waste time and create new bugs. Quick patches mask underlying issues. **If you haven't completed Phase 1, you cannot propose fixes.** ## When to Use **Use for ANY technical issue:** - Test failures - Bugs in production - Unexpected behavior - Performance problems - Build failures - Integration issues **Use ESPECIALLY when:** - Under time pressure (emergencies make guessing tempting) - "Just one quick fix" seems obvious - You've already tried multiple fixes - Previous fix didn't work ## The Four Phases ``` ┌──────────────────┐ │ Phase 1: ROOT │ ← Understand WHAT and WHY │ CAUSE │ └────────┬─────────┘ ↓ ┌──────────────────┐ │ Phase 2: PATTERN │ ← Find working examples │ ANALYSIS │ └────────┬────...