Phase-Gated Debugging

Overview

AI coding agents see an error and immediately edit code. They guess at fixes, get it wrong, and spiral. This skill enforces a strict 5-phase protocol where you CANNOT edit source code until the root cause is identified and confirmed.

Based on claude-debug (full plugin with PreToolUse hook enforcement).

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• a bug keeps getting "fixed" without resolving the underlying issue
• you need to slow an agent down and force disciplined debugging before code edits
• the failure is intermittent, a regression, performance-related, or otherwise hard to isolate
• you want an explicit user confirmation checkpoint before any fix is applied

The Protocol