debugging
Systematic debugging that applies the scientific method to failures. Use when the user says "debug this", "why is this failing", "help me find the bug", "this doesn't work", "track down the issue", or is stuck on a problem and thrashing without progress.
90
Quality
87%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
Pending
No eval scenarios have been run
Passed
No known issues
Quality
Discovery
89%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 a strong description with excellent trigger term coverage and clear 'Use when' guidance. The main weakness is the lack of specific concrete actions - it describes the approach (scientific method) but not the specific debugging techniques or capabilities. The trigger phrases are natural and comprehensive.
Suggestions
Add 2-3 specific concrete actions to improve specificity, e.g., 'Applies hypothesis testing, isolates variables, analyzes error messages and stack traces, and systematically narrows down root causes.'
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Names the domain ('debugging') and approach ('scientific method'), but lacks specific concrete actions like 'set breakpoints', 'analyze stack traces', 'isolate variables', or 'reproduce failures'. | 2 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both what ('Systematic debugging that applies the scientific method to failures') and when ('Use when the user says...' with explicit trigger phrases). | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Excellent coverage of natural user phrases: 'debug this', 'why is this failing', 'help me find the bug', 'this doesn't work', 'track down the issue', and 'stuck on a problem' - these are exactly what users would say. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Clear niche focused specifically on debugging failures with distinct triggers; unlikely to conflict with general coding skills or other problem-solving skills due to specific debugging-related phrases. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 11 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
85%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This is a well-crafted debugging skill that efficiently communicates a systematic methodology. Its strength lies in the clear workflow structure and concise presentation of Agans' 9 Rules. The main weakness is the lack of concrete, executable examples—while the methodology is clear, adding specific debugging commands or code snippets would make it more immediately actionable.
Suggestions
Add concrete code examples for common debugging techniques (e.g., strategic print statements, using pdb/debugger, git bisect for delta debugging)
Include a brief executable example showing the scientific debugging loop applied to a specific bug scenario
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | Every section earns its place. No explanation of what debugging is or concepts Claude already knows. The content is dense with actionable methodology without padding. | 3 / 3 |
Actionability | Provides clear methodology and checklists but lacks executable code examples. The guidance is concrete (Agans' 9 Rules, workflow steps) but remains at the instructional level rather than copy-paste ready commands or scripts. | 2 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | Clear 5-step scientific debugging loop with explicit sequence. The workflow section provides numbered steps with validation built in (reproduce before fixing, verify fix addresses root cause). Feedback loops are explicit throughout. | 3 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | Well-structured overview with clear sections. References to external files (references/nine-rules.md, related skills) are one level deep and clearly signaled. Content is appropriately split between overview and detailed references. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 11 / 12 Passed |
Validation
100%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 11 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
No warnings or errors.
- Repository
- tslateman/duet
- Commit
96a72fa
- Reviewed
Table of Contents
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