Four-phase debugging methodology: root cause investigation, pattern analysis, hypothesis testing, implementation. Never fixes without finding the root cause first.
What it does
Claude's debugging default is to apply the most plausible fix it can think of. This resolves the symptom. The bug frequently comes back — or a related bug appears — because the root cause was never found. This skill enforces a four-phase protocol: investigation (what do we actually know?), pattern analysis (when and where does it occur?), hypothesis testing (what would confirm the root cause?), and then — only then — implementation. Claude won't write a fix until it has articulated the root cause and you've confirmed the diagnosis.
Use case
Bugs that keep coming back, bugs that appear only in production, and bugs that Claude has already "fixed" once. Made by Drew Breunig (obra) as part of the Superpowers library — he built it after repeated experience with Claude patching symptoms.
"This function returns undefined sometimes — debug it systematically, don't guess." "We've patched this auth bug twice and it keeps coming back. Find the actual root cause." "The tests pass but production is broken. Walk me through debugging this." "This component re-renders infinitely. Diagnose before you change anything." "Our API errors spike every Tuesday morning. Investigate the pattern."
Describe the bug: what you observe, when it happens, and what you've already tried.
Claude runs the four phases out loud — you'll see the investigation, not just the conclusion.
If the root cause requires information Claude doesn't have, it tells you what to collect rather than guessing.
Input
A bug description: observed behaviour, reproduction conditions, error messages or logs, and what you've already tried.
Output
A structured diagnosis: observed evidence, identified pattern, confirmed root cause, and a fix that addresses the cause rather than the symptom. Claude explains why the fix works.
npx skillsadd obra/superpowers/systematic-debugging
npx skillsadd obra/skills/systematic-debugging
Requires skills.sh CLI
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