Systematic Debugging

Investigate recurring or elusive bugs by reproducing the issue, collecting evidence and testing hypotheses.

Testing & debuggingobra/superpowersMITSources checked: 2026-10-21

See installation steps View original Skill

Features

Reproduce the issue, collect logs and boundary evidence, then trace the call chain to its cause.
Turn guesses into testable hypotheses and verify the original problem after the smallest suitable fix.

When to use it

Useful for recurring bugs, environment-specific failures and issues spanning multiple modules.

Before you start

Provide reproduction steps, errors and relevant code. The agent needs access to the project’s tests or logs.

Usage example

Follow this illustrative workflow, replacing file names and goals with your own project details.

Diagnose intermittent login failures

What to prepare: Reproduction steps, sanitized error logs, authentication code and environment details.
Workflow: Establish reproduction, collect evidence along the request chain, test hypotheses and fix the identified cause.
Expected deliverables: A root-cause explanation, evidence, minimal fix and regression coverage for the original failure.

Recommended prompts

Replace the bracketed placeholders, then paste into an AI tool with this skill installed. Prompts follow the interface language; copying preserves the full text and line breaks.

Use the systematic-debugging skill to investigate login failures in [project path]. Reproduction steps: [steps]. Known errors: [sanitized logs]. Establish reproduction conditions and collect evidence along the request chain before testing hypotheses. Find the cause before making the smallest suitable fix. Run checks that cover the original failure, distinguish facts from unverified judgments and report actual results.

Check whether the fix addresses the cause. Repeat the original steps and test relevant boundaries and failure paths. If reproduction is still unreliable, list missing evidence and how to capture it next time instead of treating guesses as verification.

Supported AI tools

The original project documents plugins for Claude Code, Codex and Cursor. These methods install the full Superpowers plugin, including this skill.

Installation

Install and sign in to your AI tool first. Its version must support plugins.

Choose an AI tool

Run in: Chat input in the AI tool

Install Superpowers from the official Claude Code plugin marketplace.

/plugin install superpowers@claude-plugins-official

Restart the tool or open a new session, then mention this skill when describing your task.

Check the official setup guide

Source and license

This guide summarizes the original skill definition, README and setup documentation. Models, accounts and external services are provided by their respective tools.

SKILL.md README License terms