---
name: debug-systematically-be01e4c65043
description: Use this skill when diagnosing a bug, unexpected behavior, test failure, or any situation where code does not behave as expected. Follow a structured debugging process instead of randomly changing code.
category: coding
---

# Debug Systematically

**Process:**
1. **Reproduce** the bug with the smallest possible input.
2. **Isolate** — narrow down which component/function causes it.
3. **Hypothesize** — form a specific, falsifiable hypothesis.
4. **Test** — verify or disprove the hypothesis with a minimal experiment.
5. **Fix** — address the root cause, not just the symptom.
6. **Verify** — re-run the failing test and related tests.

**Useful tools:** `print`/`logging`, `pdb`/`ipdb`, unit tests, `git bisect`.

**Anti-patterns:**
- Changing multiple things at once and not knowing what fixed it.
- Ignoring related test failures.
- Commenting out code instead of understanding it.


---
Source attribution: aiming-lab
Original project: https://github.com/aiming-lab/MetaClaw
License: MIT
License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit
Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Dave AI.

## Upstream license notice

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 Gabriel Moreira

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.



# Dave AI resource metadata

Creator / publisher: aiming-lab
Original project: https://github.com/aiming-lab/MetaClaw
Attribution basis: Upstream repository explicitly recorded in package mirror path

Fields of work: Development & Engineering
Roles: Backend Developer, DevOps / SRE, Frontend Developer, Full-Stack Developer, QA / Test Engineer
Specialties: Cross Platform, Testing
Tools: Tool not specified
Country applicability: Country not specified
Classification basis: Source catalog labels
Instruction SHA-256: 9e4bb09dc9618282cbb44f2dd9aed49a34f6e57207f22bd1fb6595a95fd0a12b