---
name: parallel-debugging
description: Debug complex issues using competing hypotheses with parallel investigation, evidence collection, and root cause arbitration. Use this skill when debugging bugs with multiple potential causes, perf...
---

# Parallel Debugging

Framework for debugging complex issues using the Analysis of Competing Hypotheses (ACH) methodology with parallel agent investigation.

## When to Use This Skill

- Bug has multiple plausible root causes
- Initial debugging attempts haven't identified the issue
- Issue spans multiple modules or components
- Need systematic root cause analysis with evidence
- Want to avoid confirmation bias in debugging

## Hypothesis Generation Framework

Generate hypotheses across 6 failure mode categories:

### 1. Logic Error

- Incorrect conditional logic (wrong operator, missing case)
- Off-by-one errors in loops or array access
- Missing edge case handling
- Incorrect algorithm implementation

### 2. Data Issue

- Invalid or unexpected input data
- Type mismatch or coercion error
- Null/undefined/None where value expected
- Encoding or serialization problem
- Data truncation or overflow

### 3. State Problem

- Race condition between concurrent operations
- Stale cache returning outdated data
- Incorrect initialization or default values
- Unintended mutation of shared state
- State machine transition error

### 4. Integration Failure

- API contract violation (request/response mismatch)
- Version incompatibility between components
- Configuration mismatch between environments
- Missing or incorrect environment variables
- Network timeout or connection failure

### 5. Resource Issue

- Memory leak causing gradual degradation
- Connection pool exhaustion
- File descriptor or handle leak
- Disk space or quota exceeded
- CPU saturation from inefficient processing

### 6. Environment

- Missing runtime dependency
- Wrong library or framework version
- Platform-specific behavior difference
- Permission or access control issue
- Timezone or locale-related behavior

## Evidence Collection Standards

### What Constitutes Evidence

| Evidence Type     | Strength | Example                                                         |
| ----------------- | -------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Direct**        | Strong   | Code at `file.ts:42` shows `if (x > 0)` should be `if (x >= 0)` |
| **Correlational** | Medium   | Error rate increased after commit `abc123`                      |
| **Testimonial**   | Weak     | "It works on my machine"                                        |
| **Absence**       | Variable | No null check found in the code path                            |

### Citation Format

Always cite evidence with file:line references:

```
**Evidence**: The validation function at `src/validators/user.ts:87`
does not check for empty strings, only null/undefined. This allows
empty email addresses to pass validation.
```

### Confidence Levels

| Level               | Criteria                                                                            |
| ------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **High (>80%)**     | Multiple direct evidence pieces, clear causal chain, no contradicting evidence      |
| **Medium (50-80%)** | Some direct evidence, plausible causal chain, minor ambiguities                     |
| **Low (<50%)**      | Mostly correlational evidence, incomplete causal chain, some contradicting evidence |

## Result Arbitration Protocol

After all investigators report:

### Step 1: Categorize Results

- **Confirmed**: High confidence, strong evidence, clear causal chain
- **Plausible**: Medium confidence, some evidence, reasonable causal chain
- **Falsified**: Evidence contradicts the hypothesis
- **Inconclusive**: Insufficient evidence to confirm or falsify

### Step 2: Compare Confirmed Hypotheses

If multiple hypotheses are confirmed, rank by:

1. Confidence level
2. Number of supporting evidence pieces
3. Strength of causal chain
4. Absence of contradicting evidence

### Step 3: Determine Root Cause

- If one hypothesis clearly dominates: declare as root cause
- If multiple hypotheses are equally likely: may be compound issue (multiple contributing causes)
- If no hypotheses confirmed: generate new hypotheses based on evidence gathered

### Step 4: Validate Fix

Before declaring the bug fixed:

- [ ] Fix addresses the identified root cause
- [ ] Fix doesn't introduce new issues
- [ ] Original reproduction case no longer fails
- [ ] Related edge cases are covered
- [ ] Relevant tests are added or updated