Debug Mode Skill

Specialized workflows for Debug Mode: hypothesis generation, log instrumentation, runtime analysis, and targeted fixes.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Debugging tricky bugs that are hard to reproduce
• Investigating regressions
• Analyzing performance issues
• Troubleshooting race conditions
• Standard agent interactions aren't working

Debug Mode Workflow

1. Exploration and Hypothesis

Agent will:

• Explore relevant code paths
• Generate hypotheses about root causes
• Identify potential failure points
• Plan instrumentation strategy

2. Instrumentation

Agent adds:

• Log statements at key points
• State tracking (variables, buffers, connections)
• Timing information
• Error condition checks

3. Reproduction

You provide:

• Detailed reproduction steps
• Expected vs actual behavior
• Error messages and stack traces
• Context about when bug occurs

4. Analysis

Agent analyzes:

• Collected logs
• State transitions
• Timing patterns
• Error conditions

5. Fix

Agent makes:

• Targeted fix based on evidence
• Minimal changes to address root cause
• Verification of fix
• Cleanup of instrumentation

Best Practices

1. Provide detailed context: More information = better hypotheses
2. Reproduce consistently: Follow steps exactly
3. Multiple reproductions: For intermittent bugs
4. Review fixes: Ensure root cause addressed
5. Clean up: Remove instrumentation after fix

Related Resources

• Rule: .cursor/rules/agent-modes.mdc
• Command: /debug
• Agent: .cursor/skills/debug-mode/agents/debug-specialist.md