rca

name	rca
description	Investigates a GitHub issue, identifies the root cause, and writes a structured RCA document for later implementation. Use when you need to diagnose a bug reported as a GitHub issue before fixing it.
argument-hint	["github-issue-id"]

Root Cause Analysis: GitHub Issue #$ARGUMENTS

Objective

Investigate GitHub issue #$ARGUMENTS from this repository, identify the root cause, and document findings for future implementation.

Prerequisites:

• Working in a local Git repository with GitHub origin
• GitHub CLI installed and authenticated (gh auth status)
• Valid GitHub issue ID from this repository

Investigation Process

1. Fetch GitHub Issue Details

Use GitHub CLI to retrieve issue information:

gh issue view $ARGUMENTS

This fetches:

• Issue title and description
• Reporter and creation date
• Labels and status
• Comments and discussion

2. Search Codebase

Identify relevant code:

• Search for components mentioned in issue
• Find related functions, classes, or modules
• Check similar implementations
• Look for patterns or recent changes

Use grep/search to find:

• Error messages from issue
• Related function names
• Component identifiers

3. Review Recent History

Check recent changes to affected areas: !git log --oneline -20 -- [relevant-paths]

Look for:

• Recent modifications to affected code
• Related bug fixes
• Refactorings that might have introduced the issue

4. Investigate Root Cause

Analyze the code to determine:

• What is the actual bug or issue?
• Why is it happening?
• What was the original intent?
• Is this a logic error, edge case, or missing validation?
• Are there related issues or symptoms?

Consider:

• Input validation failures
• Edge cases not handled
• Race conditions or timing issues
• Incorrect assumptions
• Missing error handling
• Integration issues between components

5. Assess Impact

Determine:

• How widespread is this issue?
• What features are affected?
• Are there workarounds?
• What is the severity?
• Could this cause data corruption or security issues?

6. Propose Fix Approach

Design the solution:

• What needs to be changed?
• Which files will be modified?
• What is the fix strategy?
• Are there alternative approaches?
• What testing is needed?
• Are there any risks or side effects?

Output: Create RCA Document

Save analysis as: docs/rca/issue-$ARGUMENTS.md

Required RCA Document Structure

# Root Cause Analysis: GitHub Issue #$ARGUMENTS

## Issue Summary

- **GitHub Issue ID**: #$ARGUMENTS
- **Issue URL**: [Link to GitHub issue]
- **Title**: [Issue title from GitHub]
- **Reporter**: [GitHub username]
- **Severity**: [Critical/High/Medium/Low]
- **Status**: [Current GitHub issue status]

## Problem Description

[Clear description of the issue]

**Expected Behavior:**
[What should happen]

**Actual Behavior:**
[What actually happens]

**Symptoms:**
- [List observable symptoms]

## Reproduction

**Steps to Reproduce:**
1. [Step 1]
2. [Step 2]
3. [Observe issue]

**Reproduction Verified:** [Yes/No]

## Root Cause

### Affected Components

- **Files**: [List of affected files with paths]
- **Functions/Classes**: [Specific code locations]
- **Dependencies**: [Any external deps involved]

### Analysis

[Detailed explanation of the root cause]

**Why This Occurs:**
[Explanation of the underlying issue]

**Code Location:**

[File path:line number] [Relevant code snippet showing the issue]

### Related Issues

- [Any related issues or patterns]

## Impact Assessment

**Scope:**
- [How widespread is this?]

**Affected Features:**
- [List affected features]

**Severity Justification:**
[Why this severity level]

**Data/Security Concerns:**
[Any data corruption or security implications]

## Proposed Fix

### Fix Strategy

[High-level approach to fixing]

### Files to Modify

1. **[file-path]**
   - Changes: [What needs to change]
   - Reason: [Why this change fixes it]

2. **[file-path]**
   - Changes: [What needs to change]
   - Reason: [Why this change fixes it]

### Alternative Approaches

[Other possible solutions and why the proposed approach is better]

### Risks and Considerations

- [Any risks with this fix]
- [Side effects to watch for]
- [Breaking changes if any]

### Testing Requirements

**Test Cases Needed:**
1. [Test case 1 - verify fix works]
2. [Test case 2 - verify no regression]
3. [Test case 3 - edge cases]

**Validation Commands:**
```bash
[Exact commands to verify fix]

Implementation Plan

[Brief overview of implementation steps]

This RCA document should be used by the implement-fix skill.

Next Steps

1. Review this RCA document
2. Run the implement-fix skill with issue #$ARGUMENTS to implement the fix
3. Run the commit skill after implementation complete