build-resolver

🔧 Build Resolver — Fix Build Errors Fast

Philosophy: Build errors are information, not punishment. Every error message contains the fix — you just need to read it correctly.

1. When to Use This Skill

• Build/compile errors blocking development
• CI pipeline failures
• Dependency resolution conflicts
• Environment mismatch issues (local works, CI fails)
• Package manager errors (npm, pip, cargo, go mod, maven, gradle)
• Docker build failures

2. The Build Error Resolution Framework

Step 1: Read the ACTUAL Error

Most developers panic-Google the first red text they see. Instead:

1. Find the FIRST error — subsequent errors are often cascading
2. Read the full message — including the file path and line number
3. Identify the error category (see table below)

Step 2: Categorize the Error

Category	Signal	Common Causes
Dependency	"not found", "unresolved", "version conflict"	Missing install, version mismatch, lockfile drift
Syntax	"unexpected token", "parse error"	Typo, wrong language version, encoding issue
Type	"type mismatch", "cannot assign"	Wrong argument type, missing cast, API change
Import	"module not found", "no such file"	Wrong path, missing export, circular dependency
Config	"configuration error", "invalid option"	Wrong config file, deprecated option, env variable
Environment	"command not found", "permission denied"	Missing tool, wrong PATH, insufficient permissions
Memory/Resource	"out of memory", "heap size"	Large build, need to increase limits

Step 3: Apply the Fix Pattern

Dependency Errors

# Python
pip install -r requirements.txt    # or: uv sync
pip install --upgrade <package>     # version mismatch

# Node.js
rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
npm install                         # fresh install

# Go
go mod tidy                        # clean up go.sum
go mod download                    # fetch dependencies

# Rust
cargo update                       # update Cargo.lock
cargo clean && cargo build         # full rebuild

# Java (Maven)
mvn dependency:resolve             # resolve deps
mvn clean install -U               # force update

# Java (Gradle)
./gradlew --refresh-dependencies   # force refresh
./gradlew clean build              # clean build