Triage Bug

Quick Reference

HARD-GATE

DO NOT guess at fixes without a reproduction path.
1. Reproduce the bug.
2. Choose the right failing spec boundary.
3. Plan the smallest safe repair.

Core Process

Use this skill when a bug report exists but the right reproduction path and fix sequence are not yet clear.

Core principle: Do not guess at fixes. Reproduce the bug, choose the right failing spec, then plan the smallest safe repair.

Process

1. Capture the report: Restate the expected behavior, actual behavior, and reproduction steps.
2. Bound the scope: Identify whether the issue appears in request handling, domain logic, jobs, engine integration, or an external dependency.
3. Gather current evidence: Logs, error messages, edge-case inputs, recent changes, or missing guards.
4. Choose the first failing spec: Pick the boundary where the bug is visible to users or operators.
5. Define the smallest fix path: Name the likely files and the narrowest behavior change that should make the spec pass.
6. Hand off: Continue through plan-tests -> write-tests -> implementation skill.

Canonical Request-Boundary Example

When the report is an order creation failure visible through POST /orders, default to the request boundary first:

• First failing spec: spec/requests/orders/create_spec.rb
• Command: bundle exec rspec spec/requests/orders/create_spec.rb
• Expected RED: response is not 422 with "Out of stock" yet, or the service raises instead of returning a handled error.
• Smallest fix path: Orders::CreateOrder handles the stock guard and returns { success: false, error: "Out of stock" } without creating the order.

Do not replace this with a pricing, model-only, or controller-only example unless the bug report points there.

Boundary Guide

See BOUNDARY_GUIDE.md for the full bug-shape → spec-type mapping and layer diagnosis tips.

Pitfalls

Extended Resources

• BOUNDARY_GUIDE.md
• assets/examples.md

Output Style

1. Triage shape:
   • Observed behavior
   • Expected behavior
   • Likely boundary
   • First failing spec to add
   • Smallest safe fix path
   • Follow-up skills
   • Exact command to run before the fix
2. Skeleton spec: Provide a skeleton failing spec to run before implementing the fix.

   # spec/requests/orders/create_spec.rb
   RSpec.describe "POST /orders", type: :request do
     context "when product is out of stock" do
       let(:product) { create(:product, stock: 0) }
   
       it "returns 422 with an error message" do
         post orders_path, params: { order: { product_id: product.id, quantity: 1 } }, as: :json
         expect(response).to have_http_status(:unprocessable_entity)
         expect(response.parsed_body["error"]).to eq("Out of stock")
       end
     end
   end

3. Language: Must be in English unless explicitly requested otherwise.

Integration