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root-cause-trace

Use when errors occur deep in execution and you need to trace back to the original trigger. Applies 5-step investigation — observe, hypothesize, trace backwards, binary search, prove.

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Root Cause Tracing

ultrathink — use extended reasoning for root cause analysis.

Process

1. Observe — Gather All Evidence

  • Read the full error message and stack trace
  • Check logs at multiple levels (application, database, message broker)
  • Note the exact error, not a paraphrase
  • Determine: is this error the root cause, or a symptom?

2. Hypothesize — Form Multiple Theories

  • Generate at least 3 possible root causes
  • Rank by probability based on the evidence
  • Consider: timing, data flow, state mutations, race conditions

3. Trace Backwards

  • Start from the error location
  • Walk the call chain backwards through the code
  • At each step, verify: is the data correct here? Where did it come from?

4. Isolate — Binary Search

  • If the trace is long, check the midpoint
  • Is the data correct at the midpoint? → Problem is downstream
  • Is the data wrong at the midpoint? → Problem is upstream
  • Narrow until you find the exact point where data goes wrong

5. Verify — Prove the Root Cause

  • Can you reproduce the error with specific input?
  • Does fixing the identified root cause prevent the error?
  • Are there other code paths that could trigger the same issue?

Anti-Patterns

  • ❌ Don't guess — trace with evidence
  • ❌ Don't fix symptoms — find the root cause
  • ❌ Don't assume "it works on my machine" — check environment differences
  • ❌ Don't add try/catch to silence errors — fix the cause

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