msd-core/gsd-core/templates/DEBUG.md

Debug Template

Template for .planning/debug/[slug].md — active debug session tracking.

---

File Template

---
status: gathering | investigating | fixing | verifying | awaiting_human_verify | resolved
trigger: "[verbatim user input]"
created: [ISO timestamp]
updated: [ISO timestamp]
---

## Current Focus
<!-- OVERWRITE on each update - always reflects NOW -->

hypothesis: [current theory being tested]
test: [how testing it]
expecting: [what result means if true/false]
next_action: [immediate next step — be specific, not "continue investigating"]
reasoning_checkpoint: null  <!-- populated before every fix attempt — see structured_returns -->
tdd_checkpoint: null  <!-- populated when tdd_mode is active after root cause confirmed -->

## Symptoms
<!-- Written during gathering, then immutable -->

expected: [what should happen]
actual: [what actually happens]
errors: [error messages if any]
reproduction: [how to trigger]
started: [when it broke / always broken]

## Eliminated
<!-- APPEND only - prevents re-investigating after /clear -->

- hypothesis: [theory that was wrong]
  evidence: [what disproved it]
  timestamp: [when eliminated]

## Evidence
<!-- APPEND only - facts discovered during investigation -->

- timestamp: [when found]
  checked: [what was examined]
  found: [what was observed]
  implication: [what this means]

## Resolution
<!-- OVERWRITE as understanding evolves -->

root_cause: [empty until found — may hold one OR a small set of contributing causes when the AND-gate fires; see gsd-core/references/debugger-rca-branching.md]
fix: [empty until applied]
verification: [empty until verified — holds the nested per-signal fix-acceptance guardrail record (map shape) when active; see gsd-core/references/debugger-fix-acceptance.md]
files_changed: []

---

<section_rules>

Frontmatter (status, trigger, timestamps):

• status: OVERWRITE - reflects current phase
• trigger: IMMUTABLE - verbatim user input, never changes
• created: IMMUTABLE - set once
• updated: OVERWRITE - update on every change

Current Focus:

• OVERWRITE entirely on each update
• Always reflects what Claude is doing RIGHT NOW
• If Claude reads this after /clear, it knows exactly where to resume
• Fields: hypothesis, test, expecting, next_action, reasoning_checkpoint, tdd_checkpoint
• next_action: must be concrete and actionable — bad: "continue investigating"; good: "Add logging at line 47 of auth.js to observe token value before jwt.verify()"
• reasoning_checkpoint: OVERWRITE before every fix_and_verify — seven-field structured reasoning record (hypothesis, confirming_evidence, falsification_test, fix_rationale, blind_spots, candidate_causes, and_gate) — see gsd-debugger.md Structured Reasoning Checkpoint
• tdd_checkpoint: OVERWRITE during TDD red/green phases — test file, name, status, failure output

Symptoms:

• Written during initial gathering phase
• IMMUTABLE after gathering complete
• Reference point for what we're trying to fix
• Fields: expected, actual, errors, reproduction, started

Eliminated:

• APPEND only - never remove entries
• Prevents re-investigating dead ends after context reset
• Each entry: hypothesis, evidence that disproved it, timestamp
• Critical for efficiency across /clear boundaries

Evidence:

• APPEND only - never remove entries
• Facts discovered during investigation
• Each entry: timestamp, what checked, what found, implication
• Builds the case for root cause

Resolution:

• OVERWRITE as understanding evolves
• May update multiple times as fixes are tried
• Final state shows confirmed root cause and verified fix
• Fields: root_cause, fix, verification, files_changed

</section_rules>

Creation: Immediately when /gsd:debug is called

• Create file with trigger from user input
• Set status to "gathering"
• Current Focus: next_action = "gather symptoms"
• Symptoms: empty, to be filled

During symptom gathering:

• Update Symptoms section as user answers questions
• Update Current Focus with each question
• When complete: status → "investigating"

During investigation:

• OVERWRITE Current Focus with each hypothesis
• APPEND to Evidence with each finding
• APPEND to Eliminated when hypothesis disproved
• Update timestamp in frontmatter

During fixing:

• status → "fixing"
• Update Resolution.root_cause when confirmed
• Update Resolution.fix when applied
• Update Resolution.files_changed

During verification:

• status → "verifying"
• Update Resolution.verification with results
• If verification fails: status → "investigating", try again

After self-verification passes:

• status -> "awaiting_human_verify"
• Request explicit user confirmation in a checkpoint
• Do NOT move file to resolved yet

On resolution:

• status → "resolved"
• Move file to .planning/debug/resolved/ (only after user confirms fix)

<resume_behavior>

When Claude reads this file after /clear:

1. Parse frontmatter → know status
2. Read Current Focus → know exactly what was happening
3. Read Eliminated → know what NOT to retry
4. Read Evidence → know what's been learned
5. Continue from next_action

The file IS the debugging brain. Claude should be able to resume perfectly from any interruption point.

</resume_behavior>

<size_constraint>

Keep debug files focused:

• Evidence entries: 1-2 lines each, just the facts
• Eliminated: brief - hypothesis + why it failed
• No narrative prose - structured data only

If evidence grows very large (10+ entries), consider whether you're going in circles. Check Eliminated to ensure you're not re-treading.

</size_constraint>