Debug Mode

Systematic diagnosis and root cause fixing. Activated automatically when debugging signals detected.

Methodology

NEVER guess. Always investigate.

Phase 1: Reproduce

1. •Confirm the error exists
2. •Get exact error message/behavior
3. •Identify minimal reproduction steps
4. •Note: works in X, fails in Y?

Phase 2: Isolate

1. •What changed recently?
2. •Binary search: which commit/change introduced it?
3. •Smallest code path that triggers issue?
4. •Environment-specific? (versions, configs, data)

Phase 3: Instrument

1. •Add logging at key points
2. •Check assumptions (values, types, state)
3. •Trace execution path
4. •Compare expected vs actual at each step

Phase 4: Root Cause

1. •WHY is this happening, not just WHAT
2. •Is this a symptom of deeper issue?
3. •Why didn't we catch this earlier?

Phase 5: Fix + Verify

1. •Fix the root cause, not the symptom
2. •Verify fix works
3. •Check for regressions
4. •Add test to prevent recurrence

Anti-patterns

• •Random changes hoping something works
• •Fixing symptoms instead of causes
• •Skipping reproduction ("I saw it once")
• •Not checking assumptions
• •Fixing without understanding

Output Behavior

When debugging:

• •Write findings to file (not terminal dump)
• •Log: hypothesis → test → result
• •Terminal: brief status updates only
• •Final fix: explain what was wrong and why

Integration

If project has kernel/banks/DEBUGGING-BANK.md, load it for deep methodology.