Frame-Problem to Troubleshoot Handoff
Thinking Trail
- Considered: {what approaches were weighed during framing}
- Rejected: {why complex/chaotic didn't fit — governing constraints exist}
- Surprised by: {degradation signals — errors, declining quality}
- Triangulation: T1={Keogh level}, T2={predictability}, T3={disassembly} — {convergence}
- Models used: Cynefin triangulation (Keogh + Predictability + Disassembly)
- Constraints discovered: {governing constraints — known system, degrading behavior}
Decisions
- Domain: Complicated (governing constraints, degraded system)
- Route: troubleshoot → stabilize → re-frame
- Rationale: {system was working, now failing — diagnostic expertise applies}
Actions Taken
- Classified via Q1: governing constraints identified
- Q1.1: degraded (quality declining, system failing)
- Scale determined: {boulder|pebble}
Output
🎯 Complicated → Analyze → /troubleshoot → stabilize → re-frame | OpenSpec: no | Scale: {scale}
Domain Transition
From: Confused → To: Complicated
Constraint shift: unknown → governing. System has known good state — it's degrading from that state. Diagnostic expertise applies.
For /troubleshoot
- Symptom: {what's broken or degrading}
- Known good state: {what it looked like when working}
- Recent changes: {what changed before degradation started}
- Diagnostic approach: Search-first — check learnings database, then systematic diagnosis
- Do NOT: Redesign — stabilize first, then re-frame if deeper changes needed
Accumulated Context
Token guidance: target 300 tokens inline. For depth, use references — point to thinking artifact files rather than embedding full content.
Soft cap: 600 tokens inline per handoff. If you need more, move detail to a knowledge file and reference it.
Accumulated cap: 800 tokens across a chain — compress to 200 at cap (keep: decisions, constraints, rejected paths). References to thinking files do NOT count toward the cap.