root-cause-tracing
Systematically trace bugs backward through call stack to find original trigger. Use when errors occur deep in execution and you need to trace back to find the original trigger.
83
79%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
Pending
No eval scenarios have been run
Passed
No known issues
Optimize this skill with Tessl
npx tessl skill review --optimize ./plugins/root-cause-tracing/skills/root-cause-tracing/SKILL.mdQuality
Discovery
67%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 description has good structure with an explicit 'Use when' clause that clearly defines the trigger scenario. However, it lacks specificity in concrete actions and could benefit from more natural trigger terms that users commonly use when encountering debugging scenarios. The description is functional but could be more distinctive.
Suggestions
Add more natural trigger terms users would say, such as 'stack trace', 'exception', 'traceback', 'root cause analysis', 'debug', or 'crash'
List additional concrete actions beyond tracing, such as 'analyze stack frames', 'identify variable states', 'pinpoint failing function calls'
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Names the domain (debugging/bug tracing) and describes the core action (trace bugs backward through call stack), but lacks multiple concrete actions or specific techniques beyond the single tracing approach. | 2 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both what (systematically trace bugs backward through call stack to find original trigger) and when (errors occur deep in execution and need to trace back to find the original trigger) with an explicit 'Use when' clause. | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes relevant terms like 'bugs', 'call stack', 'errors', and 'trace', but misses common variations users might say such as 'stack trace', 'exception', 'crash', 'debug', 'root cause', or 'traceback'. | 2 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Somewhat specific to call stack tracing, but could overlap with general debugging skills or error handling skills. The focus on 'backward tracing' and 'deep in execution' provides some distinction but isn't highly unique. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 9 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
92%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This is a high-quality skill that teaches a valuable debugging methodology with concrete, actionable examples. The tracing process is clearly explained with a real-world example that demonstrates each step. Minor improvement could be made by extracting detailed patterns (like defense-in-depth strategies) to separate reference files.
Suggestions
Consider linking to a separate file for the bisection script details rather than just mentioning it exists
The defense-in-depth patterns could be expanded in a PATTERNS.md reference file for reuse across debugging scenarios
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The content is lean and efficient, assuming Claude's competence. No unnecessary explanations of basic concepts - jumps straight into the tracing methodology with concrete examples. | 3 / 3 |
Actionability | Provides fully executable code examples, specific commands (bun test, grep), and concrete debugging patterns. The stack trace instrumentation code is copy-paste ready. | 3 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | The 5-step tracing process is clearly sequenced with explicit checkpoints. The real example walks through each step demonstrating the complete workflow with validation (defense-in-depth layers). | 3 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | Content is well-organized with clear sections, but everything is inline in one file. The bisection script reference could link to an external file, and the defense-in-depth patterns could be expanded in a separate reference. | 2 / 3 |
Total | 11 / 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 | |
- Repository
- secondsky/claude-skills
- Commit
90d6bd7
- Reviewed
Table of Contents
Is this your skill?
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.