/diagnose — Structured Differential Diagnosis

Usage

/diagnose [symptom description]

Description

Performs structured diagnosis of a bug or issue using differential diagnosis. Requires forming 2+ hypotheses before concluding. Prevents speculative fixes.

Instructions

1. •

   Gather the symptom description from the argument or ask the user.

2. •

   Read any relevant error messages, logs, or stack traces.

3. •

   Form at least 2 hypotheses for the root cause. For each:

   • •State the hypothesis clearly
   • •Identify what evidence would confirm or deny it
   • •List the specific files/lines to check
4. •

   Test each hypothesis by reading the actual code:

   • •FIND the relevant code
   • •QUOTE file:line references
   • •VERIFY whether the hypothesis holds
5. •

   Report findings:

   code

   ## Diagnosis Report
   
   **Symptom:** [description]
   
   ### Hypothesis 1: [name]
   - Evidence for: [what supports this]
   - Evidence against: [what contradicts this]
   - Verdict: CONFIRMED / RULED OUT / INCONCLUSIVE
   
   ### Hypothesis 2: [name]
   - Evidence for: [what supports this]
   - Evidence against: [what contradicts this]
   - Verdict: CONFIRMED / RULED OUT / INCONCLUSIVE
   
   ### Conclusion
   Root cause: [most likely cause with evidence]
   Recommended fix: [approach]
   

6. •

   Do NOT implement the fix — only diagnose. The fix should be a separate task.

Model

sonnet