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Root Cause Analysis Protocol

find-bug-root-cause

Deep investigation to find actual root cause (not just symptoms)

SKILL.md

Full skill instructions

Root Cause Analysis Protocol

When a feature is broken, don't just add logging - find and fix the ACTUAL problem.

Methodology

  1. Understand the Symptom:

    • What does the user see/​experience?
    • What SHOULD happen?
    • What ACTUALLY happens?
  2. Trace the Data Flow:

    • Follow code execution from UI → ViewModel → Service → Backend
    • Check each layer for failures
    • Use breakpoint logic (mental trace)
  3. Check Dependencies:

    • Is the service initialized? (DIContainer.shared.service)
    • Are databases/​indexes ready?
    • Are async operations completing?
    • Are errors being swallowed?
  4. Find the Bug:

    • Don't stop at "add try/​catch" or "add logging"
    • Find the EXACT line where logic fails
    • Understand WHY it fails
  5. Fix It Properly:

    • Fix root cause, not symptoms
    • Add defensive checks only AFTER fixing core issue
    • Test the fix logic
  6. Verify:

    • Does the fix address the root cause?
    • Are there edge cases?
    • Will this prevent recurrence?

Example: "Search returns no results"

❌ Bad approach:

// Just add logging
AppLog.info("Search started")
let results = await search(query)
AppLog.info("Search returned \(results.count) results")

✅ Good approach:

// Find WHY search returns nothing:
// 1. Is ScriptureDatabase initialized? → Check init
// 2. Are indexes built? → Check index creation
// 3. Is query being processed? → Check query transformation
// 4. FIX the actual issue (e.g., index not built on first launch)

// THEN add logging to prevent future issues

Return the root cause and the actual fix that solves it.

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