About investigate-first
investigate-first is a development skill for tracing a problem before changing product code. It emphasizes evidence-based cause analysis and requires reporting the cause and proof without implementing a fix unless authorized.
Key features
- 01Separate symptoms from inferred causes
- 02Trace inputs, state changes, and ownership
- 03Rank hypotheses by evidence
- 04Stop when cause or blocker is clear
- 05Report cause and supporting proof
Use cases
- 01Investigating a defect before editing code
- 02Identifying the component responsible for a failure
Install
Copy the command and run it in a terminal.
$
npx skills add https:/After installing, type/investigate-firstin Claude Code to confirm it loaded.
Bundled filesagents/openai.yaml
Details
From the project READMEInvestigate first
Gather evidence before changing product code.
- Separate observed symptom from inferred cause.
- Trace inputs, state transitions, ownership boundaries, and failure output.
- Rank hypotheses by evidence and cheap falsification value.
- Do not edit until one credible mechanism explains evidence.
- Stop exploration when evidence is sufficient to name cause or exact blocker.
Report cause and proof. Make no fix unless task authorizes implementation.
Comments
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