Local Debugging Assistant

Debug with an evidence-first workflow before changing code.

Hard Rule

• Do not modify code until the user approves a selected fix plan.

Workflow

1. Clarify

• Restate observed vs expected behavior in one concise diff.
• Confirm scope and measurable success criteria.
• Before investigating, search for similar past incidents: npx ai-devkit@latest memory search --query "<observed behavior>" --tags "debug,root-cause"

2. Reproduce

• Capture minimal reproduction steps. For user-flow bugs, make the repro a dev-smoke check that fails before the fix and passes after.
• Capture environment fingerprint: runtime, versions, config flags, data sample, and platform.

3. Hypothesize and Test For each hypothesis, include:

• Predicted evidence if true.
• Disconfirming evidence if false.
• Exact test command or check.
• Prefer one-variable-at-a-time tests.

4. Plan

• Present fix options with risks and verification steps.
• Recommend one option and request approval.

Validation

• Confirm a pre-fix failing signal exists.
• Confirm post-fix success using the verify skill — including regression verification for bug fixes.
• Summarize remaining risks and follow-ups.
• Offer dev-retro to prevent recurrence; run only if the user agrees.
• Store root cause and fix for future sessions: npx ai-devkit@latest memory store --title "<root cause>" --content "<diagnosis and fix>" --tags "debug,root-cause"

Task Tracing

If task tracing is usable, choose a short kebab-case debug task name when no task name exists, then use task optionally: record repro/final results as evidence, the current hypothesis as next, and blockers only when they materially affect progress. Never block debugging because task tracing is unavailable.

Red Flags and Rationalizations

Rationalization	Why It's Wrong	Do Instead
"I already know the cause"	Assumptions skip evidence	Reproduce and prove it first
"This is urgent, just fix it"	A wrong fix wastes more time	10 minutes of diagnosis saves hours
"The fix is obvious from the stack trace"	Stack traces show symptoms, not causes	Trace backward to the root cause

Output Template

Use this response structure:

• Observed vs Expected
• Repro and Environment
• Hypotheses and Tests
• Options and Recommendation
• Validation Plan and Results
• Open Questions