root-cause-investigation

name	root-cause-investigation
description	Use when failure evidence already exists and the likely file set is narrow. Finds the root cause and guides the smallest safe fix.

Root Cause Investigation

Steps

1. List 2-3 ranked hypotheses with confidence and falsification signal.
2. Check the highest-confidence hypothesis first.
3. Stop expanding once evidence identifies the root cause.
4. State the fix logic before editing.
5. Verify the exact failure mode after the fix.

Rules

• Do not patch symptoms without explaining the causal path.
• Use condition-based waits for async or concurrent behavior; avoid arbitrary sleeps where the repo has better primitives.
• If three hypotheses are falsified, stop and ask PM for new evidence.