Skip to content
Get packs

Debug and Fix

Finds the root cause of a bug or failing behavior, then fixes it test-first when you approve.

Source Download skill
Repository
EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin
Stars
25,850
Licence
MIT
Files
8 files

What it does

Once installed, the agent works through a bug in a structured way: it reproduces the failure, traces the cause back through the code with file and line evidence, and only then proposes a fix. It asks you before changing code in interactive use, and it adds a regression test where existing test coverage already owns the behavior. It also escalates to a diagnosis of why it is stuck instead of guessing repeatedly, and it can run as part of an automated pipeline that returns a structured status.

Great for

  • Developers chasing a failing test, a crash, or slow behavior in a codebase
  • Teams using automated PR-babysitting or pipeline workflows that need a structured debug result
  • Anyone who wants a diagnosis written up with a clear causal chain before any code changes

Skip it if

  • Quick questions with no reproducible failure, since the full five-phase process adds ceremony
  • Repositories where the agent should not run commands, because reproduction and environment checks execute code and may print secrets into output
  • Production incidents where a fix should be reviewed by people first; in pipeline modes the agent may commit and push fixes without a human gate

Try asking

  • “Debug why the checkout integration test fails with a 500 error after yesterday's merge”
  • “Find the root cause of this stack trace and fix it test-first: TypeError in parser.js”
  • “Investigate why the dashboard load time jumped from 1s to 8s and tell me the cause before changing anything”
  • “Fix issue #123 in this repo and link the issue in the handoff”
Step-by-step guide: how to use Debug and FixInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

Install in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Download the skill

    The ZIP contains the 8 original files, the MIT licence and an attribution note.

    ce-debug.zip
  2. 2

    Add it to your agent

    Claude Code (all projects)

    mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && unzip ce-debug.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/

    Claude Code / Agent SDK (this project only)

    mkdir -p .claude/skills && unzip ce-debug.zip -d .claude/skills/

    Claude apps (web/desktop): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill, and choose the ZIP.

  3. 3

    Ask for the task

    No special command needed — the agent reads the skill's description and loads it when your request matches. Try one of the prompts above.

Get better results

  • Give the exact error message, test path, or issue reference so reproduction starts quickly.
  • Review the Phase 2 fix choice before approving; in interactive mode the agent asks first.
  • Keep credentials in environment variables, not on the command line, so they stay out of captured output.

What's inside

  • references/bakeoff.md
  • references/fix.md
  • references/investigate.md
  • references/pipeline-mode.md
  • references/post-fix-handoff.md
  • references/return-to-caller.md
  • scripts/packs-resolve.py
  • SKILL.md

Redistributed unmodified from EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin under the MIT licence. The assessment was drafted with AI from the skill's files on 2026-10-29. Skills can instruct your agent to run code — read SKILL.md and any scripts before installing.