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name: tracing-root-causes description: AI agent performs systematic root cause analysis using 5 Whys, Fishbone diagrams, and evidence-based investigation. Use when debugging, conducting post-mortems, or investigating incidents.

Tracing Root Causes

Quick Start

1. Identify Symptom - Document the observable problem
2. Gather Evidence - Collect logs, metrics, traces around incident
3. Apply 5 Whys - Ask "Why?" iteratively until fundamental cause found
4. Map Categories - Use Fishbone to explore all cause categories
5. Document Findings - Create RCA report with action items

Features

Common Patterns

Copy# 5 Whys Example
Problem: Website down for 2 hours

Why #1: Why down? -> Server out of memory
Why #2: Why out of memory? -> Connections unbounded
Why #3: Why unbounded? -> Not released after use
Why #4: Why not released? -> Early return skipped finally
Why #5: Why not caught? -> No test for cleanup path

Root Causes:
1. Technical: Missing cleanup execution
2. Systemic: Missing test coverage
3. Process: Code review missed pattern

# Fishbone Categories (Software)
CODE:       Logic errors, race conditions, memory leaks
DATA:       Invalid input, corrupt data, schema mismatch
CONFIG:     Wrong settings, env mismatch, feature flags
INFRA:      Resource exhaustion, network, scaling
EXTERNAL:   Third-party APIs, dependencies, attacks
PROCESS:    Missing tests, review gaps, monitoring blind spots

Copy# Cause Hierarchy
SYMPTOM: "App crashed"
    |
PROXIMATE CAUSE: "Out of memory"
    |
CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: "No memory limits"
    |
ROOT CAUSE: "Memory leak in event handlers"
    |
SYSTEMIC FACTOR: "No memory monitoring"

PRINCIPLE: Fix symptoms = problem returns
           Fix root cause = this problem prevented
           Fix systemic = class of problems prevented

Best Practices

Related Skills

• debugging-systematically - Four-phase debugging process
• solving-problems - 5-phase problem-solving framework
• thinking-sequentially - Numbered thought chains
• verifying-before-completion - Ensure fix completeness