Debugging and Error Recovery
addyosmani/agent-skills
Applies a stop-the-line rule and a step-by-step triage when tests fail, builds break or something stops working, aiming at the root cause instead of guesses.
A skill your agent uses when errors occur deep in execution and you need to trace back to find the original trigger - systematically traces bugs backward through call stack, adding instrumentation…
Install Root Cause Tracing
$ npx skills add sandgardenhq/sgai --skill root-cause-tracing -a claude-codeProject install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.
$ gh skill install sandgardenhq/sgai root-cause-tracing --agent claude-codeProject scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/sandgardenhq/sgai.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/cmd/sgai/skel/.sgai/skills/root-cause-tracing .claude/skills/root-cause-tracing && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.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/
Install the "root-cause-tracing" agent skill from https://github.com/sandgardenhq/sgai/tree/main/cmd/sgai/skel/.sgai/skills/root-cause-tracing into .claude/skills/root-cause-tracing/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "root-cause-tracing", 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 install https://github.com/sandgardenhq/sgai/tree/main/cmd/sgai/skel/.sgai/skills/root-cause-tracingType 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.
$ npx skills add sandgardenhq/sgai --skill root-cause-tracing -a codexProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.
$ gh skill install sandgardenhq/sgai root-cause-tracing --agent codexProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/sandgardenhq/sgai.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/cmd/sgai/skel/.sgai/skills/root-cause-tracing .agents/skills/root-cause-tracing && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.
Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/
Install the "root-cause-tracing" agent skill from https://github.com/sandgardenhq/sgai/tree/main/cmd/sgai/skel/.sgai/skills/root-cause-tracing into .agents/skills/root-cause-tracing/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "root-cause-tracing", 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.
$ npx skills add sandgardenhq/sgai --skill root-cause-tracing -a cursorProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.
$ gh skill install sandgardenhq/sgai root-cause-tracing --agent cursorProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/sandgardenhq/sgai.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/cmd/sgai/skel/.sgai/skills/root-cause-tracing .cursor/skills/root-cause-tracing && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.
Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/
Install the "root-cause-tracing" agent skill from https://github.com/sandgardenhq/sgai/tree/main/cmd/sgai/skel/.sgai/skills/root-cause-tracing into .cursor/skills/root-cause-tracing/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "root-cause-tracing", 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 https://github.com/sandgardenhq/sgai.git --path cmd/sgai/skel/.sgai/skills/root-cause-tracing--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.
$ npx skills add sandgardenhq/sgai --skill root-cause-tracing -a gemini-cliProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.
$ gh skill install sandgardenhq/sgai root-cause-tracing --agent gemini-cliProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/sandgardenhq/sgai.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/cmd/sgai/skel/.sgai/skills/root-cause-tracing .gemini/skills/root-cause-tracing && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.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/
Install the "root-cause-tracing" agent skill from https://github.com/sandgardenhq/sgai/tree/main/cmd/sgai/skel/.sgai/skills/root-cause-tracing into .gemini/skills/root-cause-tracing/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "root-cause-tracing", 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.
$ gh skill install sandgardenhq/sgai root-cause-tracingInstalls 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).
$ npx skills add sandgardenhq/sgai --skill root-cause-tracing -a github-copilotProject install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/sandgardenhq/sgai.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/cmd/sgai/skel/.sgai/skills/root-cause-tracing .github/skills/root-cause-tracing && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.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/
Install the "root-cause-tracing" agent skill from https://github.com/sandgardenhq/sgai/tree/main/cmd/sgai/skel/.sgai/skills/root-cause-tracing into .github/skills/root-cause-tracing/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "root-cause-tracing", 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.
$ npx skills add sandgardenhq/sgai --skill root-cause-tracing -a opencodeOpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.
$ gh skill install sandgardenhq/sgai root-cause-tracing --agent opencodeProject scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/sandgardenhq/sgai.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/cmd/sgai/skel/.sgai/skills/root-cause-tracing .opencode/skills/root-cause-tracing && rm -rf skills-srcUse ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.
OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/
Install the "root-cause-tracing" agent skill from https://github.com/sandgardenhq/sgai/tree/main/cmd/sgai/skel/.sgai/skills/root-cause-tracing into .opencode/skills/root-cause-tracing/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "root-cause-tracing", 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
root-cause-tracing- GitHub stars
- 137
- Used in
- 4 other repos
- Token cost
- ~1.4k tokens
- SKILL.md length
- 400 words
- Files
- 1
- Skills in repo
- 53
- Repo updated
- First seen
- Licence
- Custom licence
At a glance
A skill your agent uses when errors occur deep in execution and you need to trace back to find the original trigger - systematically traces bugs backward through call stack, adding instrumentation…
- Works in 5 steps: Observe the Symptom → Find Immediate Cause → Ask: What Called This? → …
- Adding instrumentation when needed
- SKILL.md covers Overview, When to Use, The Tracing Process and Adding Stack Traces, plus 5 more sections
- Calls npm and git
What it does
Root Cause Tracing is an agent skill from sandgardenhq/sgai. Use when errors occur deep in execution and you need to trace back to find the original trigger - systematically traces bugs backward through call stack, adding instrumentation when needed, to identify source of invalid data or incorrect behavior
Its SKILL.md is about 1.4k 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 Root cause analysis and Debugging. It works with Git. The repository describes itself as: Sandgarden AI Software Factory.
When your agent uses it
- Adding instrumentation when needed
- Identify source of invalid data
- Incorrect behavior
Example prompts
- “/root-cause-tracing”
Workflow steps
5 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.
- Observe the Symptom
- Find Immediate Cause
- Ask: What Called This?
- Keep Tracing Up
- Find Original Trigger
What it can do on your machine
Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 9efbb7b. 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:
npmgit
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use npm and git, 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
Root Cause Tracing loads about 1.4k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 66 tokens; SKILL.md has 400 words of instructions outside code blocks.
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 400 words (~1,412 tokens).
“Bugs often manifest deep in the call stack (git init in wrong directory, file created in wrong location, database opened with wrong path). Your instinct is to fix where the error appears, but that's treating a symptom.”
- name
- root-cause-tracing
Files
Just SKILL.md in cmd/sgai/skel/.sgai/skills/root-cause-tracing of sandgardenhq/sgai.
Open the folder on GitHubat commit 9efbb7b
Used in 4 other repositories
We found 6 copies of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 4 other GitHub owners. This page covers the copy in sandgardenhq/sgai, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.
- michaleiatrak-star/Lex-Machinatools/claude-dev-config/skills/root-cause-tracing
- NeoLabHQ/context-engineering-kitskills/root-cause-tracingantigravity/skills/root-cause-tracing+1 more
- aiskillstore/marketplaceskills/dyai2025/root-cause-tracing
- Sidiora-Labs/centra-llm-agentsprotocol/skills/root-cause-tracing
Compare with similar skills
Root Cause Tracing 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.
| Skill | Stars | Used in | Tokens | Auto-check | Licence | Repo updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Root Cause Tracing this skillsandgardenhq/sgai | 137 | 4 repos | ~1.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | Custom licence | |
| Debugging and Error Recoveryaddyosmani/agent-skills | 105k | 1 repos | ~2.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Codexqa Rootcause Analyzeropenqa-cn/codexqa | 152 | — | ~2.6k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Debuggnomeria/usbtree | 691 | — | ~715 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT | |
| Root Cause Analysisrohitg00/skillkit | 1.5k | — | ~1.4k | Automated safety check: Pass | Apache-2.0 | |
| Investigateblueberrycongee/termcanvas | 405 | — | ~562 | Automated safety check: Pass | MIT |
Similar skills
Codexqa Rootcause Analyzer
openqa-cn/codexqa
Diagnoses exception root causes from stack traces, logs, call-chain dumps, and debug output using the CodexQA CLI for structured repo analysis.
Debug
gnomeria/usbtree
Systematic root-cause debugging — reproduce, isolate, fix at the source, prove the fix.
Root Cause Analysis
rohitg00/skillkit
Performs systematic root cause analysis to identify the true source of bugs, errors, and unexpected behavior through structured investigation phases — not just treating symptoms.
Investigate
blueberrycongee/termcanvas
Systematic debugging skill. An agent skill from blueberrycongee/termcanvas.
Production Error Hunt
different-ai/openwork
Traces an opaque production error in an OpenWork build to its cause using local server logs and Sentry, names the regressing PR and files a report.
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Related
Works with
Categories
Questions about Root Cause Tracing
What does Root Cause Tracing do?
A skill your agent uses when errors occur deep in execution and you need to trace back to find the original trigger - systematically traces bugs backward through call stack, adding instrumentation…. Root Cause Tracing is an agent skill from sandgardenhq/sgai.
When should I use Root Cause Tracing?
Root Cause Tracing fits situations like: adding instrumentation when needed; identify source of invalid data; incorrect behavior.
How do I install Root Cause Tracing in Claude Code?
Run `npx skills add sandgardenhq/sgai --skill root-cause-tracing -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (cmd/sgai/skel/.sgai/skills/root-cause-tracing in sandgardenhq/sgai) into .claude/skills/root-cause-tracing in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.
How do I install Root Cause Tracing in Codex?
Run `npx skills add sandgardenhq/sgai --skill root-cause-tracing -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (cmd/sgai/skel/.sgai/skills/root-cause-tracing in sandgardenhq/sgai) into .agents/skills/root-cause-tracing in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.
Can I use Root Cause Tracing 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 sandgardenhq/sgai --skill root-cause-tracing -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/root-cause-tracing, .gemini/skills/root-cause-tracing, .github/skills/root-cause-tracing and .opencode/skills/root-cause-tracing in your project.
What does Root Cause Tracing need to run?
Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Root Cause Tracing needs the command-line tools its instructions call (npm and git).
Does Root Cause Tracing access the network?
SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use npm and git, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.
Is Root Cause Tracing 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 Root Cause Tracing use?
Root Cause Tracing 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 Root Cause Tracing use?
About 1.4k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.6k 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 Root Cause Tracing?
Skills that share tags, products or a category with Root Cause Tracing: Debugging and Error Recovery (addyosmani/agent-skills, 105k stars), Codexqa Rootcause Analyzer (openqa-cn/codexqa, 152 stars), Debug (gnomeria/usbtree, 691 stars) and Root Cause Analysis (rohitg00/skillkit, 1.5k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.
Who maintains Root Cause Tracing?
sandgardenhq (a GitHub organization) maintains it in sandgardenhq/sgai, which has 137 GitHub stars. The repository holds 53 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 21, 2026.
Source: sandgardenhq/sgai on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.