Performs systematic root cause analysis to identify the true source of bugs, errors, and unexpected behavior through structured investigation phases — not just treating symptoms. Use when a user reports a bug, crash, error, or broken behavior and needs to debug, troubleshoot, or investigate why something is not working; especially for complex or intermittent issues across multiple components. Applies the Five Whys method, hypothesis-driven testing, stack trace analysis, git blame/log evidence gathering, and causal chain documentation to isolate and confirm root causes before applying any fix.
84
81%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
Pending
No eval scenarios have been run
Passed
No known issues
Quality
Discovery
100%Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.
This is an excellent skill description that hits all the marks. It provides specific concrete actions, includes abundant natural trigger terms users would actually say, explicitly addresses both what the skill does and when to use it, and carves out a distinct niche around systematic root cause analysis methodology. The description is detailed without being padded, and uses proper third-person voice throughout.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Lists multiple specific concrete actions: Five Whys method, hypothesis-driven testing, stack trace analysis, git blame/log evidence gathering, causal chain documentation, and structured investigation phases. Very detailed about what it does. | 3 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both 'what' (systematic root cause analysis through structured investigation phases, Five Whys, hypothesis-driven testing, etc.) and 'when' (explicit 'Use when' clause specifying bugs, crashes, errors, broken behavior, especially complex or intermittent issues). | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Excellent coverage of natural terms users would say: 'bug', 'crash', 'error', 'broken behavior', 'debug', 'troubleshoot', 'investigate', 'not working', 'intermittent issues'. These are highly natural phrases users would use when encountering problems. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Clearly carved out niche focused specifically on root cause analysis and debugging methodology, distinct from general coding skills or simple fix-it skills. The emphasis on structured investigation, Five Whys, and causal chain documentation makes it unlikely to conflict with other skills. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 12 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
62%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This is a solid methodological skill with a clear five-phase workflow and good validation checkpoints. Its main weaknesses are moderate verbosity (explaining concepts Claude already understands like common bug categories) and being more of a conceptual framework than a set of directly executable instructions. The workflow sequencing and verification checklist are strong points.
Suggestions
Trim the 'Common Root Cause Categories' section — Claude already knows these categories; instead, focus on project-specific patterns or non-obvious categories that add unique value.
Make the skill more actionable by providing concrete code examples for hypothesis testing (e.g., adding connection pool logging, testing with specific timeout values) rather than just describing the process abstractly.
Consider splitting the documentation template and evidence collection commands into separate reference files, keeping SKILL.md as a concise overview of the five phases with links to detailed materials.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The content is reasonably well-structured but includes some unnecessary elaboration. The 'Common Root Cause Categories' section lists things Claude already knows, and some of the Phase descriptions could be tightened. The 'Red Flags' section adds value but the explanatory sentence at the end is redundant. | 2 / 3 |
Actionability | The skill provides a structured methodology with concrete bash commands for evidence gathering and a documentation template, but it's primarily a process/methodology guide rather than executable steps. The hypothesis table and checklist are useful but much of the content is conceptual guidance rather than copy-paste-ready actions. | 2 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | The five investigation phases are clearly sequenced with explicit validation checkpoints (Phase 5 has a verification checklist, Phase 4 emphasizes one change at a time with documentation). The feedback loop of rejecting hypotheses and re-evaluating is explicitly described. The overall flow from reproduce → gather → hypothesize → test → verify is well-structured. | 3 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | The content is well-organized with clear headers and sections, but it's a fairly long monolithic document that could benefit from splitting detailed content (e.g., evidence collection commands, documentation template) into separate reference files. The cross-references to other skills at the end are a nice touch but the main content could be better layered. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 9 / 12 Passed |
Validation
90%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 10 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
| Criteria | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
frontmatter_unknown_keys | Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata | Warning |
Total | 10 / 11 Passed | |
dfa8d12
Table of Contents
If you maintain this skill, you can claim it as your own. Once claimed, you can manage eval scenarios, bundle related skills, attach documentation or rules, and ensure cross-agent compatibility.