MetaClaw debug-systematically

Use this skill when diagnosing a bug, unexpected behavior, test failure, or any situation where code does not behave as expected. Follow a structured debugging process instead of randomly changing code.

install
source · Clone the upstream repo
git clone https://github.com/aiming-lab/MetaClaw
Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/aiming-lab/MetaClaw "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/memory_data/skills/debug-systematically" ~/.claude/skills/aiming-lab-metaclaw-debug-systematically && rm -rf "$T"
manifest: memory_data/skills/debug-systematically/SKILL.md
source content

Debug Systematically

Process:

  1. Reproduce the bug with the smallest possible input.
  2. Isolate — narrow down which component/function causes it.
  3. Hypothesize — form a specific, falsifiable hypothesis.
  4. Test — verify or disprove the hypothesis with a minimal experiment.
  5. Fix — address the root cause, not just the symptom.
  6. Verify — re-run the failing test and related tests.

Useful tools:

print
/
logging
,
pdb
/
ipdb
, unit tests,
git bisect
.

Anti-patterns:

  • Changing multiple things at once and not knowing what fixed it.
  • Ignoring related test failures.
  • Commenting out code instead of understanding it.