gstack-openclaw-investigate
This skill enforces a disciplined debugging workflow: gather symptoms and code context, test hypotheses against known patterns, verify your theory before writing any fix, and document findings in a structured report. It prioritizes root cause discovery over quick patches, flagging when investigation stalls so you know when to escalate rather than guess.
gstack-openclaw-investigate helps you find the root cause of bugs and errors through systematic investigation before attempting any fix.
AI-generated summary based on this skill's SKILL.md
Decision gist · record as of 2026-07-15
gstack-openclaw-investigate helps you find the root cause of bugs and errors through systematic investigation before attempting any fix. This skill enforces a disciplined debugging workflow: gather symptoms and code context, test hypotheses against known patterns, verify your theory before writing any fix, and document findings in a structured report. It prioritizes root cause discovery over quick patches, flagging when investigation stalls so you know when to escalate rather than guess.
Use it when
- gstack-openclaw-investigate enforces a disciplined workflow: gather symptoms and code context, test hypotheses against known patterns.
- gstack-openclaw-investigate helps you trace code execution from symptom back to actual problem by systematically eliminating possibilities.
Verify before relying
Read SKILL.md below before installing (1 file). Open directory: indexed for reading, not audited.
Install
garrytan/gstack/gstack-openclaw-investigate · repository language: TypeScript
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Frequently asked questions
AI-generated answers based on this skill's SKILL.md and metadata
How do I investigate a stack trace systematically?
gstack-openclaw-investigate guides you through structured stack trace analysis by first isolating the symptom, then tracing the execution path backward from the error point to identify where the actual problem originates. Rather than jumping to fixes, the skill helps you test hypotheses against known failure patterns and verify your theory with evidence before writing any code change.
What's the best way to debug my code error?
gstack-openclaw-investigate enforces a disciplined workflow: gather symptoms and code context, test hypotheses against known patterns, verify your theory before attempting a fix, and document findings in a structured report. This approach prioritizes root cause discovery over quick patches, helping you avoid treating symptoms instead of solving the actual problem.
How can I find the root cause of a bug?
gstack-openclaw-investigate helps you trace code execution from symptom back to actual problem by systematically eliminating possibilities. The skill flags when investigation stalls so you know when to escalate rather than guess, and emphasizes verification through testing before committing to a solution.
Should I write tests after fixing a bug?
gstack-openclaw-investigate prioritizes writing regression tests to confirm your fix works and prevent recurrence. This is part of the structured debugging methodology—once you've verified the root cause and applied your fix, tests ensure the problem stays solved and document the failure mode for future reference.
How does gstack-openclaw-investigate help with unexpected behavior?
The skill provides a systematic debugging approach for unexpected behavior by helping you gather context, form testable hypotheses, and verify theories with evidence. It emphasizes disciplined investigation over guessing, flagging when you need to escalate and ensuring you document findings in a structured report.
SKILL.md
Rendered from the published skill. Quoted content, verbatim.
Systematic Debugging
Iron Law
NO FIXES WITHOUT ROOT CAUSE INVESTIGATION FIRST.
Fixing symptoms creates whack-a-mole debugging. Every fix that doesn't address root cause makes the next bug harder to find. Find the root cause, then fix it.
Phase 1: Root Cause Investigation
Gather context before forming any hypothesis.
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Collect symptoms: Read the error messages, stack traces, and reproduction steps. If the user hasn't provided enough context, ask ONE question at a time. Don't ask five questions at once.
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Read the code: Trace the code path from the symptom back to potential causes. Search for all references, read the logic around the failure point.
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Check recent changes:
bash git log --oneline -20 -- <affected-files>Was this working before? What changed? A regression means the root cause is in the diff. -
Reproduce: Can you trigger the bug deterministically? If not, gather more
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openclaw/skills/gstack-openclaw-investigate/SKILL.md
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Related skills
Debug helps you trace application issues methodically from symptom to root cause using structured log analysis, error parsing, and hypothesis testing. It enforces a disciplined four-phase workflow: investigate the error completely, analyze patterns in working code, form and test a single hypothesis, then implement the fix—preventing the common trap of patching symptoms instead of solving underlying problems.
Debug Investigator replaces ad-hoc troubleshooting with structured investigation: capture symptoms, build a reproducible feedback loop, analyze evidence from stacktraces and logs, generate ranked hypotheses, and design bisection strategies. Use it for non-obvious bugs—intermittent failures, performance regressions, or issues requiring systematic root cause analysis—where native debugging falls short.
Investigate guides you through structured debugging in five phases, from evidence collection to verified fix. It enforces the Iron Law principle—never fix without a confirmed root cause—using pattern analysis, hypothesis testing with a 3-strike escalation rule, and regression coverage. Output includes a machine-readable debug report with the full evidence chain.
This skill enforces a disciplined debugging process: establish a tight feedback loop that reproduces the exact symptom, gather evidence across system boundaries, trace data flow to its source, and form testable hypotheses before proposing any fix. By completing each phase sequentially—root cause investigation, pattern analysis, hypothesis testing, and verification—you eliminate guesswork and prevent quick patches from masking deeper issues.
Investigate guides you through a disciplined five-phase debugging process: collect evidence, form ranked hypotheses, verify each one methodically, apply a minimal fix only after confirming root cause, then verify resolution. The workflow prevents guess-and-fix cycles by enforcing evidence gathering before hypothesis formation and a three-strike rule that forces re-collection rather than endless speculation.
This skill teaches you to trace bugs backward through the call chain rather than fixing where errors appear. By working systematically up the stack—identifying what called each function and what values were passed—you locate the original trigger and fix the root cause. Includes instrumentation techniques, stack trace analysis, and real examples of finding pollution across test suites.