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Agent skill

Debug Helper

by einverne in einverne/dotfiles

Systematic debugging strategies, troubleshooting methodologies, and problem-solving techniques for code and system issues.

GPL-3.0Auto-check passedDevelopment

Install Debug Helper

skills CLI
$ npx skills add einverne/dotfiles --skill debug-helper -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install einverne/dotfiles debug-helper --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/einverne/dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/skills/debug-helper .claude/skills/debug-helper && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
debug-helper
GitHub stars
121
Token cost
~1.3k tokens
SKILL.md length
484 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
39
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
GPL-3.0

At a glance

Systematic debugging strategies, troubleshooting methodologies, and problem-solving techniques for code and system issues.

  • Works in 5 steps: Understand the Problem → Gather Information → Form Hypotheses → …
  • The user encounters bugs
  • SKILL.md covers Debugging Methodology, Common Debugging Techniques, Shell/System Debugging and Performance Debugging, plus 3 more sections
  • Calls git, python and curl

What it does

Debug Helper is an agent skill from einverne/dotfiles. Systematic debugging strategies, troubleshooting methodologies, and problem-solving techniques for code and system issues. Use when the user encounters bugs, errors, or unexpected behavior and needs help diagnosing and resolving problems.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Development, covering Debugging. It works with Git. The repository describes itself as: my personal dotfiles managed by dotbot, zinit. The licence is GPL-3.0.

When your agent uses it

  • The user encounters bugs
  • Unexpected behavior and needs help diagnosing and resolving problems

Example prompts

  • “/debug-helper”

Requirements

  • Python 3
  • Node.js

Workflow steps

5 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Understand the Problem
  2. Gather Information
  3. Form Hypotheses
  4. Test Systematically
  5. Verify and Document

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit c6c0686. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • git
    • python
    • curl
    • pip
    • node
    • bash

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use git, curl and pip, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Debug Helper loads about 1.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 63 tokens; SKILL.md has 484 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~63
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.3k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from einverne/dotfiles at commit c6c0686, republished under its GPL-3.0 licence (© einverne). 484 words, ~1,336 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/debug-helper/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
debug-helper
description
Systematic debugging strategies, troubleshooting methodologies, and problem-solving techniques for code and system issues. Use when the user encounters bugs, errors, or unexpected behavior and needs help diagnosing and resolving problems.

You are a debugging expert. Your role is to help users systematically identify and resolve issues in their code, configurations, and systems.

Debugging Methodology

1. Understand the Problem
  • What is the expected behavior?
  • What is the actual behavior?
  • When did it start failing?
  • Can you reproduce it consistently?
  • What changed recently?
2. Gather Information
  • Read error messages carefully
  • Check logs and stack traces
  • Review recent changes (git diff)
  • Verify assumptions
  • Test in isolation
3. Form Hypotheses
  • What could cause this behavior?
  • List possible causes from most to least likely
  • Consider edge cases
  • Think about timing and concurrency
4. Test Systematically
  • Test one hypothesis at a time
  • Use scientific method: change one variable
  • Add logging/print statements strategically
  • Use debugger breakpoints
  • Verify each fix
5. Verify and Document
  • Confirm the fix works
  • Test edge cases
  • Document the root cause
  • Add tests to prevent regression
  • Clean up debug code

Common Debugging Techniques

Print/Log Debugging
python
# Strategic logging
print(f"DEBUG: variable value = {variable}")
print(f"DEBUG: Entering function with args: {args}")
print(f"DEBUG: Checkpoint 1 reached")

# Stack trace on demand
import traceback
traceback.print_stack()
Using Debuggers

Python (pdb)

python
import pdb; pdb.set_trace()  # Breakpoint
# Or with Python 3.7+
breakpoint()

Node.js

javascript
debugger;  // Breakpoint in Chrome DevTools

GDB (C/C++)

bash
gdb ./program
break main
run
step
print variable
Binary Search Method
  • Comment out half the code
  • Does problem still occur?
  • If yes, problem is in remaining code
  • If no, problem is in commented code
  • Repeat until isolated
Rubber Duck Debugging
  • Explain code line-by-line to rubber duck (or colleague)
  • Often reveals logic errors
  • Helps identify assumptions
  • Forces clear thinking

Shell/System Debugging

Check if Service is Running
bash
# Check process
ps aux | grep service_name
pgrep -l service_name

# Check systemd service
systemctl status service_name

# Check ports
netstat -tuln | grep :8080
lsof -i :8080
Trace System Calls
bash
# Linux
strace -e open,read,write command
strace -p PID

# macOS
dtruss -f command
Check Logs
bash
# System logs
journalctl -xe
tail -f /var/log/syslog

# Application logs
tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log

# Search logs
grep -i error /var/log/app.log
Network Debugging
bash
# Test connection
ping hostname
curl -v https://example.com
telnet hostname port

# DNS lookup
nslookup domain.com
dig domain.com

# Trace route
traceroute hostname
mtr hostname

Performance Debugging

Find Slow Operations
bash
# Profile script
time command
hyperfine 'command1' 'command2'

# Find slow SQL queries
EXPLAIN ANALYZE SELECT ...

# Profile Python
python -m cProfile script.py
Memory Issues
bash
# Check memory usage
free -h
vmstat 1
htop

# Find memory leaks (Python)
pip install memory-profiler
python -m memory_profiler script.py

Common Problem Patterns

"It Works on My Machine"
  • Check environment variables
  • Verify dependencies versions
  • Compare configurations
  • Check file permissions
  • Consider OS differences
Intermittent Failures
  • Race condition?
  • Resource exhaustion?
  • External service timeout?
  • Caching issue?
  • Timing-dependent?
"Nothing Changed"
  • Check git log
  • Review deployed version
  • Check dependency updates
  • Verify environment config
  • Check system updates
Mysterious Behavior
  • Check for typos (similar variable names)
  • Verify imports/includes
  • Check scope issues
  • Look for hidden characters
  • Verify file encoding
Show full SKILL.md (184 more words)Show less

Debugging Tools by Language

Python
  • pdb: Built-in debugger
  • ipdb: Enhanced debugger
  • logging: Structured logging
  • pytest: Test runner with debugging
JavaScript/Node.js
  • Chrome DevTools
  • VS Code debugger
  • console.log / console.dir
  • node --inspect
Shell
  • set -x: Trace execution
  • set -v: Verbose mode
  • bash -x script.sh: Debug script
  • shellcheck: Static analysis
Git
  • git bisect: Find bad commit
  • git blame: Who changed line
  • git log -p: Show changes
  • git diff: Compare versions

Prevention Strategies

  • Write tests first (TDD)
  • Use type checking
  • Enable compiler warnings
  • Use linters and formatters
  • Add assertions
  • Code review
  • Document assumptions
  • Handle errors explicitly

Debugging Mindset

  • Stay calm and methodical
  • Don't assume - verify everything
  • Simple explanations are usually correct
  • Take breaks when stuck
  • Ask for help when needed
  • Learn from each bug
  • Build debugging tools as you go

Questions to Ask

  1. What changed?
  2. Can you reproduce it?
  3. What does the error message say?
  4. What do the logs show?
  5. Have you checked the basics? (file exists, permissions, connectivity)
  6. Does it fail in the same way every time?
  7. What have you tried already?
  8. What does the simplest test case look like?

© einverne, GPL-3.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in claude/skills/debug-helper of einverne/dotfiles.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit c6c0686

Compare with similar skills

Debug Helper next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Debug Helper compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Debug Helper this skilleinverne/dotfiles121—~1.3kAutomated safety check: PassGPL-3.0
Debugging and Error Recoveryaddyosmani/agent-skills103k1 repos~2.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Git History Bug Auditben-manes/caffeine18k—~3.3kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Leon Coding Agentleon-ai/leon18k—~1.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Adk Setupgoogle/adk-python22k—~993Automated safety check: NotesApache-2.0
Debug Tuitrasta298/keifu811—~1.3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Works with

Categories

Questions about Debug Helper

What does Debug Helper do?

Systematic debugging strategies, troubleshooting methodologies, and problem-solving techniques for code and system issues. Debug Helper is an agent skill from einverne/dotfiles. Systematic debugging strategies, troubleshooting methodologies, and problem-solving techniques for code and system issues.

When should I use Debug Helper?

Debug Helper fits situations like: the user encounters bugs; unexpected behavior and needs help diagnosing and resolving problems.

How do I install Debug Helper in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add einverne/dotfiles --skill debug-helper -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (claude/skills/debug-helper in einverne/dotfiles) into .claude/skills/debug-helper in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Debug Helper in Codex?

Run `npx skills add einverne/dotfiles --skill debug-helper -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (claude/skills/debug-helper in einverne/dotfiles) into .agents/skills/debug-helper in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Debug Helper in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add einverne/dotfiles --skill debug-helper -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/debug-helper, .gemini/skills/debug-helper, .github/skills/debug-helper and .opencode/skills/debug-helper in your project.

What does Debug Helper need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Debug Helper needs the command-line tools its instructions call (git, python, curl, pip, node and bash). Our summary lists: Python 3; Node.js.

Does Debug Helper access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use git, curl and pip, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Debug Helper safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Debug Helper use?

Debug Helper is published under the GPL-3.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Debug Helper use?

About 1.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.3k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Debug Helper?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Debug Helper: Debugging and Error Recovery (addyosmani/agent-skills, 103k stars), Git History Bug Audit (ben-manes/caffeine, 18k stars), Leon Coding Agent (leon-ai/leon, 18k stars) and Adk Setup (google/adk-python, 22k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Debug Helper?

einverne (a GitHub user) maintains it in einverne/dotfiles, which has 121 GitHub stars. The repository holds 39 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 9, 2026.

Source: einverne/dotfiles on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.