vc-debug

A step-by-step method for finding the underlying cause of software problems before changing code or configuration.

In plain words
What is it for?
Use it to investigate logs and symptoms, compare patterns, test possible explanations, apply a fix at the source, and verify the result.
Why use it?
It reduces guesswork when dealing with bugs, failed tests, build errors, service failures, slow systems, database issues, or CI pipeline problems.

Skill for Claude CodeCodex

Install

Getting it into your agent

One page per mod, every tool's command on it. A separate URL per tool would split the same page into five that compete with each other.

agentmods
npx agentmods add skills/withkynam/vibecode-pro-max-kit/vc-debug
Any agent
npx skills add withkynam/vibecode-pro-max-kit --skill vc-debug
Clone the repo
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/withkynam/vibecode-pro-max-kit

Made for: Claude Code, Codex.

Per session 33 Skills are progressive disclosure: only the name and description are preloaded; the body loads when the skill is used.
When invoked 1,234 The whole file, excluding the scripts and references it only reads on demand.
Security scan A 0 findings. Scan, not verified.
Origin original No closer match found in the catalogue.
Token cost

What it costs to keep this loaded

Counted locally with the o200k_base tokenizer, which is exact for GPT models; Claude uses its own tokenizer and its counts differ. Treat this as one consistent yardstick across the catalogue rather than a bill. Prices are per million input tokens.

ModelPer sessionOnce invoked
Fable 5 $0.00033 $0.01234
Opus 5 $0.00016 $0.00617
Sonnet 5 $0.00007 $0.00247
Haiku 4.5 $0.00003 $0.00123

Measured 2d ago against content hash acb05feab1a8, method: parsed. Prices are Anthropic first-party input rates as of 2026-08-30, from the pricing page.

Security

Grade A, and why

vc-debug scanned grade A with 0 findings against 26 rules in 11 categories — prompt injection, anti-refusal, data exfiltration, privilege escalation, supply chain, agent snooping, system-prompt leakage, SSRF and excessive agency — measured 2d ago.

The scan reads SKILL.md. This mod also ships 1 executable file (scripts/find-polluter.sh), listed below but not scanned — reading those needs a real analyzer, not pattern matching.

A static scan of the body, not an audit. Every finding is printed with the line that produced it so you can judge whether it matters here. A mod is markdown that instructs an agent; that is exactly why what it instructs is worth reading.

Nothing flagged

None of the 26 patterns this scan looks for appear in this file: no shell pipes, no recursive deletes, no credential paths, no hidden text, no instruction-override or anti-refusal phrasing, no agent-config snooping. That is not a guarantee, it is the absence of the things that are checkable.

Origin

Copies of this mod

1 near-identical copy found in the catalogue:

  • ck:debug — 86% identical, 26 lines differ
.claude/skills/vc-debug/SKILL.md · 128 lines

How it starts

The opening of the file, as written. The whole thing — 128 lines — stays where its author put it; the contents beside it link to each section on GitHub.

Debugging & System Investigation

Output style: Follow process/development-protocols/communication-standards.md — answer-first, plain language, no unexplained jargon, TL;DR on long responses.

Comprehensive framework combining systematic debugging, root cause tracing, defense-in-depth validation, verification protocols, and system-level investigation (logs, CI/CD, databases, performance).

Core Principle

NO FIXES WITHOUT ROOT CAUSE INVESTIGATION FIRST

Random fixes waste time and create new bugs. Find root cause, fix at source, validate at every layer, verify before claiming success.

When to Use

Code-level: Test failures, bugs, unexpected behavior, build failures, integration problems System-level: Server errors, CI/CD pipeline failures, performance degradation, database issues, log analysis Always: Before claiming work complete

Techniques

1. Systematic Debugging (references/systematic-debugging.md)

Four-phase framework: Root Cause Investigation → Pattern Analysis → Hypothesis Testing → Implementation. Complete each phase before proceeding. No fixes without Phase 1.

Load when: Any bug/issue requiring investigation and fix

2. Root Cause Tracing (references/root-cause-tracing.md)

Trace bugs backward through call stack to find original trigger. Fix at source, not symptom. Includes scripts/find-polluter.sh for bisecting test pollution.

Load when: Error deep in call stack, unclear where invalid data originated

3. Defense-in-Depth (references/defense-in-depth.md)

Validate at every layer: Entry validation → Business logic → Environment guards → Debug instrumentation

Load when: After finding root cause, need comprehensive validation

4. Verification (references/verification.md)

Iron law: NO COMPLETION CLAIMS WITHOUT FRESH VERIFICATION EVIDENCE. Run command. Read output. Then claim result.

Load when: About to claim work complete, fixed, or passing

5. Investigation Methodology (references/investigation-methodology.md)

Read the full file on GitHub · 128 lines

Changes

What this file has done since we first saw it

Hashed on every crawl. A supply-chain change to an agent config is a question of when, not whether, so the history is kept rather than the latest state alone.

  1. 2d ago First seen · 128 lines · 33 tokens per session scan A acb05feab1a8

Subscribe to this mod's changes

vc-debug is a skill published in the GitHub repository withkynam/vibecode-pro-max-kit (1,112 stars, last pushed 2mo ago), licensed MIT. It adds 33 tokens to every session and 1,234 once invoked, about $0.0002 per session on Opus 5. A static security scan graded it A with 0 findings. No closer match exists in the catalogue, so it is treated as the original; first seen 2026-08-30.

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