Agent skill

Regex Debugger

by OneWave-AI in OneWave-AI/claude-skills

Debug regex patterns with visual breakdowns, plain English explanations, test case generation, and flavor conversion.

MITAuto-check passedTesting & QA

Install Regex Debugger

skills CLI
$ npx skills add OneWave-AI/claude-skills --skill regex-debugger -a claude-code

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

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install OneWave-AI/claude-skills regex-debugger --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/OneWave-AI/claude-skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/regex-debugger .claude/skills/regex-debugger && 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
regex-debugger
GitHub stars
323
Used in
1 other repo
Token cost
~1.3k tokens
SKILL.md length
298 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
70
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Debug regex patterns with visual breakdowns, plain English explanations, test case generation, and flavor conversion.

  • Works in 8 steps: Analyze the Regex Pattern → Provide Plain English Explanation → Visual Breakdown → …
  • User needs help with regular expressions
  • SKILL.md covers When to Use This Skill, Instructions, Output Format and Generated Test Cases, plus 3 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Regex Debugger is an agent skill from OneWave-AI/claude-skills. Debug regex patterns with visual breakdowns, plain English explanations, test case generation, and flavor conversion. Use when user needs help with regular expressions or pattern matching.

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 Testing & QA, covering Test generation and Plain language and style rules. The repository describes itself as: 200+ production-ready Claude Code skills for sales, marketing, design, engineering, and AI agent architecture. Built and maintained by OneWave AI. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • User needs help with regular expressions
  • Pattern matching

Example prompts

  • “/regex-debugger”

Requirements

  • Python 3

Workflow steps

8 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Analyze the Regex Pattern
  2. Provide Plain English Explanation
  3. Visual Breakdown
  4. Test Against Examples
  5. Identify Common Issues
  6. Generate Test Cases
  7. Suggest Improvements
  8. Convert Between Flavors

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit fc5b785. 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 (its code samples are markdown, javascript and python).

    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

Regex Debugger loads about 1.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 51 tokens; SKILL.md has 298 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~51
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 OneWave-AI/claude-skills at commit fc5b785, republished under its MIT licence (© OneWave-AI). 298 words, ~1,307 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/regex-debugger/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
regex-debugger
description
Debug regex patterns with visual breakdowns, plain English explanations, test case generation, and flavor conversion. Use when user needs help with regular expressions or pattern matching.

Regex Visual Debugger

Interactive regex testing, explanation, and debugging tool.

When to Use This Skill

Activate when the user:

  • Provides a regex pattern to debug
  • Asks "why isn't my regex working?"
  • Needs a regex pattern explained
  • Wants to test regex against strings
  • Asks to convert regex between flavors (Python, JS, etc.)
  • Needs regex pattern suggestions
  • Mentions regular expressions or pattern matching

Instructions

  1. Analyze the Regex Pattern

    • Parse the regex structure
    • Identify each component (groups, quantifiers, character classes)
    • Check for common syntax errors
    • Validate regex syntax for specified flavor
  2. Provide Plain English Explanation

    • Break down pattern piece by piece
    • Explain what each part matches
    • Describe overall pattern behavior
    • Clarify quantifier greediness
    • Explain capture groups vs. non-capturing groups
  3. Visual Breakdown

    • Show pattern structure hierarchically
    • Highlight groups and alternations
    • Indicate character classes and ranges
    • Mark anchors and boundaries
  4. Test Against Examples

    • Test provided test strings
    • Show what matches and what doesn't
    • Highlight matched portions
    • Explain why matches succeed or fail
    • Show capture group contents
  5. Identify Common Issues

    • Unescaped special characters
    • Incorrect quantifiers
    • Greedy vs. non-greedy issues
    • Anchor misplacement
    • Unclosed groups
    • Flavor-specific incompatibilities
  6. Generate Test Cases

    • Create strings that should match
    • Create strings that should NOT match
    • Include edge cases
    • Test boundary conditions
  7. Suggest Improvements

    • More efficient patterns
    • More readable alternatives
    • Performance optimizations
    • Edge case handling
  8. Convert Between Flavors

    • Python (re module)
    • JavaScript
    • Perl
    • Java
    • .NET
    • PHP (PCRE)

Output Format

markdown
# Regex Analysis: `pattern`

## Plain English Explanation
This pattern matches [description]:
- `^` - Start of string
- `[A-Z]` - One uppercase letter
- `\d{3}` - Exactly 3 digits
- `$` - End of string

**Overall**: Matches strings like "A123", "Z999"

## Visual Structure

^ - Start anchor [A-Z] - Character class (uppercase letters) \d{3} - Digit, exactly 3 times $ - End anchor


## Test Results

### Matches
- `A123` -> Full match
- `Z999` -> Full match

### No Match
- `a123` -> Lowercase 'a' doesn't match [A-Z]
- `A12` -> Only 2 digits (needs 3)
- `A1234` -> Too many digits

## Capture Groups
1. Group 1: `[captured text]`
2. Group 2: `[captured text]`

## Issues Found
**Issue 1**: Pattern is too restrictive
- **Problem**: Doesn't handle lowercase letters
- **Fix**: Use `[A-Za-z]` instead of `[A-Z]`

## Suggested Improvements
```regex
# More flexible version
^[A-Za-z]\d{3,5}$

Changes:

  • Added lowercase letters
  • Changed {3} to {3,5} for 3-5 digits

Generated Test Cases

Should Match
A123
Z999
B456
Should NOT Match
1ABC    (starts with digit)
ABCD    (no digits)
A12     (too few digits)

Flavor-Specific Notes

JavaScript: [any JS-specific notes] Python: [any Python-specific notes]

Conversion to Other Flavors

JavaScript
javascript
const pattern = /^[A-Z]\d{3}$/;
const match = str.match(pattern);
Python
python
import re
pattern = r'^[A-Z]\d{3}$'
match = re.match(pattern, string)

Performance Notes

  • Current complexity: O(n)
  • No backtracking issues
  • Consider using non-capturing groups: (?:...) for better performance

## Examples

**User**: "Why doesn't this regex match emails: `\w+@\w+\.\w+`?"
**Response**: Analyze pattern → Explain it matches simple emails only → Show test cases (fails on "user+tag@domain.co.uk") → Identify issues (doesn't handle special chars, multiple TLDs) → Provide improved pattern → Generate comprehensive test cases

**User**: "Explain this regex: `^(?:(?:25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|[01]?[0-9][0-9]?)\.){3}(?:25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|[01]?[0-9][0-9]?)$`"
**Response**: Break down pattern (IP address matcher) → Explain each component → Show it matches valid IPs (0-255 per octet) → Provide test cases → Visualize structure

**User**: "Convert this Python regex to JavaScript: `(?P<name>\w+)`"
**Response**: Identify named capture group (Python feature) → Convert to JS equivalent → Explain differences → Show both versions with usage examples

## Best Practices

- Always test regex with edge cases
- Explain in plain English first
- Show concrete examples (not just theory)
- Highlight common pitfalls for each pattern
- Provide both positive and negative test cases
- Consider performance implications
- Note flavor-specific features
- Suggest simpler alternatives when possible
- Use non-capturing groups for performance
- Escape special characters properly
- Be explicit about case sensitivity
- Test with Unicode characters if relevant

© OneWave-AI, MIT. 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 regex-debugger of OneWave-AI/claude-skills.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit fc5b785

Used in 1 other repository

We found 2 copies of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 1 other GitHub owner. This page covers the copy in OneWave-AI/claude-skills, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

Compare with similar skills

Regex Debugger 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.

Regex Debugger compared with similar skills
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Regex Debugger this skillOneWave-AI/claude-skills3231 repos~1.3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
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Manual Test Planningtestdouble/han279—~2.9kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Dx Devops Test Failures Analyzeforcedotcom/sf-skills1.1k—~1.4kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
QA Dopetrkindlmann/qa-skills165—~2.9kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Geb Identification Strategyfranklee16/academic-research-skills2231 repos~1kAutomated safety check: PassNone

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Questions about Regex Debugger

What does Regex Debugger do?

Debug regex patterns with visual breakdowns, plain English explanations, test case generation, and flavor conversion. Regex Debugger is an agent skill from OneWave-AI/claude-skills. Debug regex patterns with visual breakdowns, plain English explanations, test case generation, and flavor conversion.

When should I use Regex Debugger?

Regex Debugger fits situations like: user needs help with regular expressions; pattern matching.

How do I install Regex Debugger in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add OneWave-AI/claude-skills --skill regex-debugger -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (regex-debugger in OneWave-AI/claude-skills) into .claude/skills/regex-debugger in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Regex Debugger in Codex?

Run `npx skills add OneWave-AI/claude-skills --skill regex-debugger -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (regex-debugger in OneWave-AI/claude-skills) into .agents/skills/regex-debugger in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Regex Debugger 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 OneWave-AI/claude-skills --skill regex-debugger -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/regex-debugger, .gemini/skills/regex-debugger, .github/skills/regex-debugger and .opencode/skills/regex-debugger in your project.

What does Regex Debugger need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Regex Debugger is instructions for the agent only. Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does Regex Debugger 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 Regex Debugger 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 Regex Debugger use?

Regex Debugger is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Regex Debugger use?

About 1.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.2k 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 Regex Debugger?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Regex Debugger: Automated Test Planning (testdouble/han, 279 stars), Manual Test Planning (testdouble/han, 279 stars), Dx Devops Test Failures Analyze (forcedotcom/sf-skills, 1.1k stars) and QA Do (petrkindlmann/qa-skills, 165 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Regex Debugger?

OneWave-AI (a GitHub organization) maintains it in OneWave-AI/claude-skills, which has 323 GitHub stars. The repository holds 70 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 2, 2026.

Source: OneWave-AI/claude-skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.