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mvogt99

Bugfix Without Diagnosis

by mvogt99 · GitHub ↗ · v1.0.0 · MIT-0
macoslinuxwindows ✓ Security Clean
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Install in OpenClaw
/install bugfix-without-diagnosis
Description
A fix is proposed without first identifying the root cause; the symptom is masked rather than resolved.
README (SKILL.md)

bugfix-without-diagnosis

When a fix goes in without understanding why the bug occurred, the symptom disappears but the cause lingers. It will return under a different shape, or the "fix" will mask a more serious problem upstream.

Symptoms

  • Fix adds a null check without explaining why the value was null.
  • Retry loop wrapped around a flaky call with no investigation into why it was failing.
  • Try/except swallowing a specific exception without stating what conditions produce it.
  • Condition tweaked (>>=) to make a test pass, with no explanation of the underlying off-by-one.
  • PR description says "fix X" with no "because Y".

What to do

  • Before proposing a fix, write one sentence stating the root cause. If you can't, you don't understand the bug well enough to fix it.
  • Explain how the symptom follows from the cause — the chain of events from "bad thing happened" to "user saw this".
  • Confirm the fix addresses the cause, not just the symptom. A null check is valid only if you know why the value was null and concluded that null is acceptable.
  • Where the cause is upstream, fix it upstream. Only patch downstream if upstream is genuinely out of reach, and say so.
  • Leave a comment linking the symptom to the cause so future readers don't misread the fix as superficial.
Usage Guidance
This skill is low-risk: it's purely a guideline for proposing bug fixes and asks for no permissions, binaries, or installs. Before installing, confirm you want your agent to have this review-style guidance available (it may influence how the agent suggests fixes). Also remember this is advisory text — it won't enforce checks and the agent could still make incorrect changes if combined with other skills or instructions.
Capability Analysis
Type: OpenClaw Skill Name: bugfix-without-diagnosis Version: 1.0.0 The skill bundle consists of metadata and instructional documentation (SKILL.md) focused on software engineering best practices. It provides guidance on identifying root causes for bugs rather than applying superficial fixes and contains no executable code, network calls, or malicious instructions.
Capability Assessment
Purpose & Capability
The name and description describe review/fix guidance and the SKILL.md contains exactly that guidance. No unexpected binaries, env vars, or config paths are requested.
Instruction Scope
SKILL.md provides reviewer/developer guidance (how to reason about root cause versus symptom). It does not instruct the agent to read arbitrary files, access credentials, call external endpoints, or perform system actions.
Install Mechanism
No install specification or code files are present; this is instruction-only so nothing is written to disk or downloaded.
Credentials
The skill requests no environment variables, credentials, or config paths — which is appropriate for a policy/guidance document.
Persistence & Privilege
always is false and the skill is user-invocable. It does not request persistent presence or modify other skills or system settings.
How to Use
  1. Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
  2. Run the install command in chat: /install bugfix-without-diagnosis
  3. After installation, invoke the skill by name or use /bugfix-without-diagnosis
  4. Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
Version History
v1.0.0
- Initial release of the skill "bugfix-without-diagnosis" - Highlights common patterns where fixes address symptoms without identifying root causes - Provides practical guidelines for writing effective bugfixes, including documenting root causes and the path from cause to symptom - Suggests best practices, such as explaining the validity of downstream patches and linking symptoms to causes in code comments
Metadata
Slug bugfix-without-diagnosis
Version 1.0.0
License MIT-0
All-time Installs 1
Active Installs 1
Total Versions 1
Frequently Asked Questions

What is Bugfix Without Diagnosis?

A fix is proposed without first identifying the root cause; the symptom is masked rather than resolved. It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 63 downloads so far.

How do I install Bugfix Without Diagnosis?

Run "/install bugfix-without-diagnosis" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.

Is Bugfix Without Diagnosis free?

Yes, Bugfix Without Diagnosis is completely free, licensed under MIT-0. You can download, install and use it at no cost.

Which platforms does Bugfix Without Diagnosis support?

Bugfix Without Diagnosis is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (macos, linux, windows).

Who created Bugfix Without Diagnosis?

It is built and maintained by mvogt99 (@mvogt99); the current version is v1.0.0.

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