Individual skill
trace-and-isolate
Applies systematic tracing and isolation techniques to pinpoint exactly where a bug originates in code. Use when a bug is hard to locate, code is not working as expected, an error or crash appears with unclear cause, a regression was introduced between recent commits, or you need to narrow down which component, function, or line is faulty. Covers binary search debugging, git bisect for regressions, strategic logging with [TRACE] patterns, data and control flow tracing, component isolation, minimal reproduction cases, conditional breakpoints, and watch expressions across TypeScript, SQL, and bash.
packages/core/src/methodology/packs/debugging/trace-and-isolate/SKILL.md
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- Last checked
- Nov 3, 2026
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- Repository last updated
- Jun 2, 2026
- License
- Apache-2.0
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- debugging Declared skill tag
- tracing Declared skill tag
- isolation Declared skill tag
- bisect Declared skill tag
- testing Derived category
- data Derived category
- data-databases Derived category
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# Trace and Isolate
You are using systematic tracing and isolation techniques to narrow down where a bug originates. The goal is to find the exact location in code where behavior diverges from expectation.
## Quick Reference
| Scenario | Technique |
|---|---|
| Large codebase / complex flow | Binary search debugging |
| Bug appeared between commits | `git bisect` |
| Unclear data transformation | Strategic `[TRACE]` logging |
| Which component is faulty? | Component isolation + mocks |
| Bug hard to reproduce | Minimal reproduction case |
| Conditional or intermittent bug | Conditional breakpoints / watch expressions |