principle-fix-root-causes
Apply when debugging. Trace each symptom to its root cause and fix it there; reproduce first, ask why until you reach it, resist nil-check guards that silence crashes.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/michael-denyer/pstack-claude/tree/main/plugins/pstack/skills/principle-fix-root-causes
claude plugin marketplace add https://llmmart.ai/marketplace.json && claude plugin install michael-denyer-pstack-claude@llmmart
git clone https://github.com/michael-denyer/pstack-claude.git
The skills CLI installs just this skill, for any of its supported agents. Claude Code installs the whole michael-denyer/pstack-claude collection as a plugin from our marketplace. Git is the plain clone.
Skill manifest
Fix Root Causes
When debugging, do not fix symptoms. Trace every problem to its root cause and fix it there.
Why: Symptom fixes accumulate. Each workaround makes the system harder to reason about, and the real bug remains. Root-cause fixes are slower upfront but reduce total debugging time.
Pattern:
- Reproduce first
- Ask "why" until you hit the root cause
- Do not add guards (adding a nil check to silence a crash is a symptom fix)
- If a workaround needs a paragraph-long comment to justify it, the code is wrong (fix the code, not the comment)
- Check for the pattern, not just the instance (grep for the same pattern, fix all instances)
- When stuck, instrument. Don't guess (add logging, read the actual error)
Restart bugs: suspect state before code
When something "fails after restart," suspect stale persistent state first: config files, caches, lock files, serialized state. If clearing a state file restores behavior, prioritize state validation as the fix.
Files (pstack-claude)
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SKILL.md 1.2 KB
--- name: principle-fix-root-causes description: "Apply when debugging. Trace each symptom to its root cause and fix it there; reproduce first, ask why until you reach it, resist nil-check guards that silence crashes." user-invocable: false --- # Fix Root Causes When debugging, do not fix symptoms. Trace every problem to its root cause and fix it there. **Why:** Symptom fixes accumulate. Each workaround makes the system harder to reason about, and the real bug remains. Root-cause fixes are slower upfront but reduce total debugging time. **Pattern:** - Reproduce first - Ask "why" until you hit the root cause - Do not add guards (adding a nil check to silence a crash is a symptom fix) - If a workaround needs a paragraph-long comment to justify it, the code is wrong (fix the code, not the comment) - Check for the pattern, not just the instance (grep for the same pattern, fix all instances) - When stuck, instrument. Don't guess (add logging, read the actual error) **Restart bugs: suspect state before code** When something "fails after restart," suspect stale persistent state first: config files, caches, lock files, serialized state. If clearing a state file restores behavior, prioritize state validation as the fix.
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