Debug Pattern — Failures

Pattern: Debug
Component: failures.md
Version: 1.2 | Updated: 2026-07-29

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Purpose

Recover when the Debug pattern is misapplied — without abandoning the gate.

Failure → detection → recovery

Failure	Detection	Recovery
Single hypothesis	First patch fails	Write ≥2 ranked hypotheses before next patch
Local-only verify	Prod still broken	Require failing-env confirmation
Catch-and-swallow	Errors hidden	Remove swallow; add regression test
Restart as fix	Fingerprint returns	Preserve evidence; treat restart as containment only

Escalation from Debug failures

• Security-class impact during Debug → Security skill + human security owner
• Production SEV while misusing Debug → Hotfix containment first
• Learning after Debug containment → Root Cause

Do not

• Skip the Debug human gate “just this once” after a failure
• Delete Debug evidence to hide a bad run
• Replace Debug with unstructured chat under pressure

Related

• Checklist
• Enterprise notes
• Example

Changelog

• 1.2 (2026-07-29): Debug failure recovery table and escalation paths expanded.