Debug Pattern — Workflow

Pattern: Debug
Component: workflow.md
Version: 1.1 | Updated: 2026-07-16

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End-to-end flow

Step procedure

Step	Actor	Action	Exit criteria
1	Human / alert	Capture symptom package	Expected/actual/env set
2	Repro Locker	Pin versions, flags, dataset	Repro rate known
3	Debug	Characterize bug (verbatim error)	Characterization section done
4	Debug	Write ≥3 ranked hypotheses	Hypothesis table exists
5	Hypothesis Tester	Cheapest falsifying experiment first	Confirm or rule out
6	Debug	Iterate until one hypothesis holds	Root cause sentence
7	Debug / coder	Fix cause; add regression test	Test fails on old, passes on new
8	Debug	Verify in target env; scan similars	Report complete

Deviation rule

If containment actions (feature flag off, rollback) are needed mid-debug, do them, then resume hypothesis work for the durable fix. Do not treat containment as root cause.

Parallelism rule

Independent cheap experiments may run in parallel only if they do not mutate shared state. Never change code and infra “to see” in one step.