Agent skill

Systematic Debugging

Four-phase debugging process - root cause first, then fix. An agent skill from itseffi/agentic-os.

Custom licenceAuto-check passedDevelopment

Install Systematic Debugging

skills CLI

$ npx skills add itseffi/agentic-os --skill systematic-debugging -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install itseffi/agentic-os systematic-debugging --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/itseffi/agentic-os.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/systematic-debugging .claude/skills/systematic-debugging && 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/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "systematic-debugging" agent skill from https://github.com/itseffi/agentic-os/tree/main/.agents/skills/systematic-debugging into .claude/skills/systematic-debugging/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "systematic-debugging", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/itseffi/agentic-os/tree/main/.agents/skills/systematic-debugging

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add itseffi/agentic-os --skill systematic-debugging -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install itseffi/agentic-os systematic-debugging --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/itseffi/agentic-os.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/systematic-debugging .agents/skills/systematic-debugging && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "systematic-debugging" agent skill from https://github.com/itseffi/agentic-os/tree/main/.agents/skills/systematic-debugging into .agents/skills/systematic-debugging/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "systematic-debugging", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add itseffi/agentic-os --skill systematic-debugging -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install itseffi/agentic-os systematic-debugging --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/itseffi/agentic-os.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/systematic-debugging .cursor/skills/systematic-debugging && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "systematic-debugging" agent skill from https://github.com/itseffi/agentic-os/tree/main/.agents/skills/systematic-debugging into .cursor/skills/systematic-debugging/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "systematic-debugging", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/itseffi/agentic-os.git --path .agents/skills/systematic-debugging

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add itseffi/agentic-os --skill systematic-debugging -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install itseffi/agentic-os systematic-debugging --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/itseffi/agentic-os.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/systematic-debugging .gemini/skills/systematic-debugging && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "systematic-debugging" agent skill from https://github.com/itseffi/agentic-os/tree/main/.agents/skills/systematic-debugging into .gemini/skills/systematic-debugging/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "systematic-debugging", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install itseffi/agentic-os systematic-debugging

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add itseffi/agentic-os --skill systematic-debugging -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/itseffi/agentic-os.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/systematic-debugging .github/skills/systematic-debugging && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "systematic-debugging" agent skill from https://github.com/itseffi/agentic-os/tree/main/.agents/skills/systematic-debugging into .github/skills/systematic-debugging/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "systematic-debugging", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add itseffi/agentic-os --skill systematic-debugging -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install itseffi/agentic-os systematic-debugging --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/itseffi/agentic-os.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/systematic-debugging .opencode/skills/systematic-debugging && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "systematic-debugging" agent skill from https://github.com/itseffi/agentic-os/tree/main/.agents/skills/systematic-debugging into .opencode/skills/systematic-debugging/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "systematic-debugging", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: systematic-debugging
GitHub stars: 115
Token cost: ~799 tokens
SKILL.md length: 412 words
Files: 2
Skills in repo: 28
Repo updated: Aug 27, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: Custom licence

At a glance

Four-phase debugging process - root cause first, then fix. An agent skill from itseffi/agentic-os.

Works in 4 steps: Root Cause Investigation → Pattern Analysis → Hypothesis and Testing → …
Encountering bugs
SKILL.md covers The Iron Law, The Four Phases, Red Flags - STOP and Follow… and Quick Reference, plus 2 more sections
Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Systematic Debugging is an agent skill from itseffi/agentic-os. Four-phase debugging process - root cause first, then fix. Use when encountering bugs or unexpected behavior.

Its SKILL.md is about 800 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 2 other files (for example `agents/openai.yaml`).

It sits in Development, covering Debugging and Root cause analysis. The repository describes itself as: Agentic personal OS to automate high-leverage workflows with Codex, Claude Code, Pi, OpenClaw and other coding agents/ runtime platforms.

When your agent uses it

Encountering bugs
Unexpected behavior

Example prompts

“/systematic-debugging”

Workflow steps

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

Root Cause Investigation
Pattern Analysis
Hypothesis and Testing
Implementation

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 7eaa71c. 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
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
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

Systematic Debugging loads about 799 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 33 tokens; SKILL.md has 412 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~33
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~799

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

Its licence (Custom licence) doesn't allow us to republish the file, so here is its outline and opening line. It has 412 words (~799 tokens).

“Use when encountering any bug, test failure, or unexpected behavior, before proposing fixes.”

— opening of SKILL.md by itseffi, Custom licence

name: systematic-debugging

Read the full SKILL.md on GitHub

Files

SKILL.md and 1 other file in .agents/skills/systematic-debugging of itseffi/agentic-os.

SKILL.md
agents/openai.yaml

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 7eaa71c

Compare with similar skills

Systematic Debugging 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.

Systematic Debugging compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Systematic Debugging this skillitseffi/agentic-os	115	—	~799	Automated safety check: Pass	Custom licence	1 mo ago
OpenLogi macOS Permissions TriageAprilNEA/OpenLogi	23k	—	~2.5k	Automated safety check: Notes	Apache-2.0	4 days ago
Bug Finder for daisyUIsaadeghi/daisyui	43k	—	~2.3k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	7 days ago
Root Cause Debugginggarrytan/gstack	136k	—	~1.4k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Graph-Based Bug Tracingtirth8205/code-review-graph	32k	1 repos	~287	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	yesterday
Systematic DebuggingChrisWiles/claude-code-showcase	6.1k	3 repos	~1.2k	Automated safety check: Pass	None	9 mo ago

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OpenLogi macOS Permissions Triage
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Root Cause Debugging
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Investigates bugs, errors and stack traces in phases and requires a root-cause hypothesis to be confirmed before any fix is written.
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Graph-Based Bug Tracing
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Traces a bug through a code knowledge graph, following callers, callees and execution flow before opening source files, within a small token budget.
32k GitHub starsUsed in 1 repo~287 tokens
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Systematic Debugging
ChrisWiles/claude-code-showcase
Applies a four-phase debugging routine that finds the root cause of a bug or failing test before any fix is written.
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Questions about Systematic Debugging

What does Systematic Debugging do?

Four-phase debugging process - root cause first, then fix. An agent skill from itseffi/agentic-os. Systematic Debugging is an agent skill from itseffi/agentic-os. Four-phase debugging process - root cause first, then fix.

When should I use Systematic Debugging?

Systematic Debugging fits situations like: encountering bugs; unexpected behavior.

How do I install Systematic Debugging in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add itseffi/agentic-os --skill systematic-debugging -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/systematic-debugging in itseffi/agentic-os) into .claude/skills/systematic-debugging in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Systematic Debugging in Codex?

Run `npx skills add itseffi/agentic-os --skill systematic-debugging -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/systematic-debugging in itseffi/agentic-os) into .agents/skills/systematic-debugging in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Systematic Debugging 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 itseffi/agentic-os --skill systematic-debugging -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/systematic-debugging, .gemini/skills/systematic-debugging, .github/skills/systematic-debugging and .opencode/skills/systematic-debugging in your project.

What does Systematic Debugging need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Systematic Debugging is instructions for the agent only.

Does Systematic Debugging access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Systematic Debugging 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 Systematic Debugging use?

Systematic Debugging has a licence file (the repository's licence) that doesn't match a standard licence. Read it on GitHub before reusing the skill.

How many tokens does Systematic Debugging use?

About 799 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 3.2k 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 Systematic Debugging?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Systematic Debugging: OpenLogi macOS Permissions Triage (AprilNEA/OpenLogi, 23k stars), Bug Finder for daisyUI (saadeghi/daisyui, 43k stars), Root Cause Debugging (garrytan/gstack, 136k stars) and Graph-Based Bug Tracing (tirth8205/code-review-graph, 32k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Systematic Debugging?

itseffi (a GitHub user) maintains it in itseffi/agentic-os, which has 115 GitHub stars. The repository holds 28 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on August 27, 2026.

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

Systematic Debugging

Install Systematic Debugging

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

OpenLogi macOS Permissions Triage

Bug Finder for daisyUI

Root Cause Debugging

Graph-Based Bug Tracing