Bug Fixing Workflow

Systematic approach to debugging and fixing issues using ClaudeKit’s specialized debugging agents.

Overview

The bug fixing workflow combines investigation, root cause analysis, fixing, and validation into a comprehensive debugging process.

When to Use This Workflow

  • Production bugs affecting users
  • Test failures in CI/CD
  • Performance issues
  • Security vulnerabilities
  • Unexpected behavior

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Initial Investigation

/debug "login button not working in production"

What happens:

  • Debugger Agent investigates the issue
  • Researcher Agent analyzes similar problems
  • Collects logs, error messages, stack traces
  • Identifies affected components and dependencies

Output: Investigation report with:

  • Issue description and reproduction steps
  • Error logs and stack traces
  • Affected components list
  • Initial hypothesis of root cause

2. Deep Analysis

/debug "analyze authentication flow for session issues"

What happens:

  • Debugger Agent performs deep code analysis
  • Database Admin Agent checks for data issues
  • Security Agent checks for vulnerabilities
  • Traces execution flow and data flow

Output: Detailed analysis with:

  • Root cause identification
  • Code locations needing fixes
  • Data consistency issues
  • Security implications

3. Fix Implementation

/fix:hard "session timeout causing login issues"

What happens:

  • Debugger Agent implements the fix
  • Code Reviewer Agent reviews fix quality
  • Security Agent validates security implications
  • Database Admin Agent handles data corrections if needed

Types of Fixes:

  • Code logic corrections
  • Configuration updates
  • Database migrations
  • Security patches
  • Performance optimizations

4. Comprehensive Testing

/fix:test

What happens:

  • Tester Agent writes regression tests
  • Debugger Agent verifies fix effectiveness
  • Performance Agent checks for regressions
  • Runs comprehensive test suite

Test Coverage:

  • Unit tests for fixed code
  • Integration tests for affected flows
  • Regression tests for related functionality
  • Performance benchmarks
  • Security tests

5. Validation & Deployment

/fix:ci "validate fix doesn't break production"
/git:cm

What happens:

  • Debugger Agent validates fix in staging
  • CI/CD Agent ensures pipeline passes
  • Git Manager Agent commits with proper format
  • Monitors for any post-deployment issues

Real Example

Let’s debug a production authentication issue:

Step 1: Investigate

/debug "users getting logged out randomly in production"

Investigation Results:

  • Issue: Session tokens expiring prematurely
  • Frequency: Affects 15% of users
  • Impact: Users lose work session
  • Pattern: Happens after 5 minutes of inactivity

Step 2: Analyze

/debug "session configuration and cookie settings"

Root Cause Analysis:

  • Session timeout set to 5 minutes instead of 24 hours
  • Cookie configuration missing secure flags
  • Redis session store connection issues
  • Load balancer stripping session headers

Step 3: Fix

/fix:hard "session timeout and cookie configuration"

Fixes Applied:

// Updated session configuration
const sessionConfig = {
  maxAge: 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000, // 24 hours
  secure: true,
  httpOnly: true,
  sameSite: 'strict'
}

Step 4: Test

/fix:test

Tests Created:

  • Session duration tests
  • Cookie security tests
  • Load balancer session persistence tests
  • Redis connection failover tests

Step 5: Deploy

/fix:ci
/git:cm

Specialized Debugging Commands

CI/CD Issues

/fix:ci "failing GitHub Actions for test suite"
  • Fixes pipeline configuration
  • Resolves dependency conflicts
  • Updates test commands

Type Errors

/fix:types "TypeScript errors in user service"
  • Fixes type definitions
  • Resolves interface mismatches
  • Updates type annotations

Performance Issues

/debug "slow API response times in user endpoints"
/fix "implement database query optimization"

Security Issues

/debug "potential XSS vulnerability in comment system"
/fix:hard "sanitize user input and implement CSP"

Debugging Best Practices

Before Starting

  1. Gather Context: Collect error logs, user reports, reproduction steps
  2. Narrow Scope: Be specific about the issue in your command
  3. Check Environment: Verify if it’s dev, staging, or production

During Investigation

  1. Document Everything: Keep track of findings and hypotheses
  2. Test Hypotheses: Validate each potential cause
  3. Consider Dependencies: Check external services and integrations

When Implementing Fixes

  1. Minimum Changes: Fix only what’s necessary
  2. Add Tests: Prevent regression with comprehensive tests
  3. Review Security: Ensure fixes don’t introduce vulnerabilities

After Deployment

  1. Monitor: Watch for related issues
  2. Document: Update knowledge base
  3. Communicate: Inform stakeholders about resolution

Troubleshooting Debugging

Common Debugging Challenges

  • Cannot Reproduce: Use /debug "analyze logs for pattern"
  • Intermittent Issues: Use /debug "setup monitoring and logging"
  • Performance Issues: Use /debug "profile application performance"
  • Memory Leaks: Use /debug "analyze memory usage patterns"

Advanced Debugging

/debug "comprehensive system health check"
# Analyzes entire application stack

/debug "security vulnerability assessment"
# Performs security audit

/fix:hard "complete system optimization"
# Implements multiple performance improvements

Getting Help