SU

superpowers-debug

A structured workflow for isolating and resolving software bugs.

Install

mkdir -p .claude/skills/superpowers-debug && curl -L -o skill.zip "https://agentskills.codes/api/skills/download/7987" && unzip -o skill.zip -d .claude/skills/superpowers-debug && rm skill.zip

Installs to .claude/skills/superpowers-debug

Activation

This is the description your AI agent reads to decide when to run this skill — the better it matches your request, the more reliably it fires.

Systematic debugging: reproduce, isolate, form hypotheses, instrument, fix, and add regression tests. Use when troubleshooting errors, failing tests, or unexpected behavior.
173 chars✓ has a “when” trigger
Intermediate

Key capabilities

  • Capture exact error and environment details
  • Isolate issues to minimal reproduction cases
  • Rank hypotheses by likelihood
  • Add temporary instrumentation for diagnostics
  • Implement root cause fixes
  • Add regression tests for future prevention

How it works

The skill enforces a strict seven-step workflow starting from reproduction and minimization, moving through hypothesis testing and instrumentation, and concluding with a verified fix and regression test.

Inputs & outputs

You give it
Symptom description and environment details
You get back
Verified fix with regression protection

When to use superpowers-debug

  • Troubleshoot runtime errors
  • Fix flaky test suites
  • Isolate regressions in legacy code
  • Add regression tests for new fixes

About this skill

Debug Skill

When to use this skill

  • runtime errors, flaky tests, wrong outputs
  • “it used to work” regressions
  • performance or timeout problems (initial triage)

Debug workflow (do not skip steps)

  1. Reproduce
    • Capture exact error, inputs, environment, command.
  2. Minimize
    • Reduce to smallest repro (one file, one function, smallest dataset).
  3. Hypotheses (2–5)
    • Rank by likelihood.
  4. Instrument
    • Add temporary logging/assertions or use existing diagnostics.
  5. Fix
    • Smallest change that removes root cause.
  6. Prevent
    • Add regression test or permanent guard/validation.
  7. Verify
    • Run the failing case + relevant suites.

Reporting format

  • Symptom
  • Repro steps
  • Root cause
  • Fix
  • Regression protection
  • Verification

When not to use it

  • When the issue is not reproducible
  • When the problem is not a runtime error, test failure, or regression

Limitations

  • Requires a reproducible case to be effective
  • Performance and timeout issues are limited to initial triage only

How it compares

Unlike ad-hoc debugging, this skill mandates a structured, repeatable process that prevents skipping critical verification and regression-protection steps.

Compared to similar skills

superpowers-debug side by side with the closest alternatives in the catalog.

SkillInstallsUpdatedSafetyDifficulty
superpowers-debug (this skill)06moNo flagsIntermediate
python-testing-patterns772moReviewIntermediate
chrome-devtools417moReviewIntermediate
bats97moReviewIntermediate

Try saying

Example prompts that trigger this skill in your AI assistant.

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