fix-fix-it

name	fix - Fix It
description	Take something broken, bad, or underperforming — diagnose what's wrong, then fix it in place. Works on code, skills, documents, plans, processes, or anything with a quality gap.
output	{"format":"prose"}

Fix

Input: $ARGUMENTS

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Interpretations

Before executing, identify what's being fixed:

Interpretation 1 — Code: Something in the codebase is broken, buggy, or underperforming. Read it, find the problems, fix them. Interpretation 2 — Skill/document: A skill file, plan, doc, or structured text is low quality, outdated, or wrong. Diagnose the quality gap, rewrite. Interpretation 3 — Output: Something produced in this conversation (analysis, categorization, generation) was bad. Identify why, redo it properly. Interpretation 4 — Process/approach: The way something is being done is wrong. Identify the failure pattern, propose and implement the fix.

If ambiguous: look at context. If the user just ran a skill and said "fix it," they mean the output. If they point at a file, they mean that file. If still unclear, ask: "What specifically needs fixing?"

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Core Principles

1. Read before diagnosing. Never guess what's wrong. Read the actual thing. All of it.
2. Diagnose before fixing. Name the specific problems. Don't just rewrite blindly — know WHY it's broken so the fix is targeted.
3. Fix in place. Edit the actual file/thing. Don't create a new one alongside it unless the user asks.
4. Verify the fix. After fixing, check that the problems are actually resolved and nothing new broke.
5. Minimum necessary change. Fix what's wrong. Don't refactor what's working. Don't add features. Don't "improve" adjacent code.
6. Say what you did. Report the specific problems found and the specific fixes applied.

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Step 1: Read the Thing

Read the entire target. If it's a file, read the file. If it's output, review the output. If it's a directory, scan the directory.

While reading, note:

• What is this supposed to do/be?
• What is it actually doing/being?
• Where is the gap?

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Step 2: Diagnose

List every specific problem. Number them.

PROBLEMS FOUND:
[P1] [specific problem] — SEVERITY: critical/serious/minor
[P2] [specific problem] — SEVERITY: critical/serious/minor
[P3] [specific problem] — SEVERITY: critical/serious/minor
...

Problem Types

Type	Signal	Example
Wrong	Produces incorrect results	Logic error, bad data, false claim
Missing	Something essential isn't there	Missing step, missing check, missing case
Excess	Something unnecessary is present	Dead code, redundant sections, padding
Weak	Present but insufficient	Vague instructions, shallow analysis, soft tests
Stale	Was right, now outdated	Old references, deprecated patterns, wrong counts
Misaligned	Works but serves wrong goal	Solves the wrong problem, optimizes wrong metric
Fragile	Works now but breaks easily	Hardcoded values, missing error handling, tight coupling

Quality Check: Is the Diagnosis Real?

• Can you point to the specific line/section/element that's broken?
• If you removed or changed it, would the thing measurably improve?
• Would someone else independently identify this as a problem?

If you can't answer yes to all three, it's not a real problem — drop it.

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Step 3: Plan the Fix

For each problem, state the fix. One sentence each.

FIXES:
[P1] → [what to change]
[P2] → [what to change]
[P3] → [what to change]

Fix Priority

1. Critical problems first (thing is broken/wrong)
2. Serious problems second (thing is weak/missing)
3. Minor problems last (thing is suboptimal)

If fixing one problem resolves others, note the cascade.

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Step 4: Execute the Fix

Apply all fixes. Use Edit for targeted changes, Write for full rewrites when >50% needs changing.

For code: Edit the files. Run tests if available. For skills/docs: Rewrite the broken sections. Preserve what works. For output: Re-execute the skill or analysis with corrections. For processes: Write the corrected process, noting what changed and why.

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Step 5: Verify

After fixing, check:

• Every numbered problem is resolved
• No new problems introduced
• The thing now does what it's supposed to do
• The fix is minimal (didn't over-engineer)

If verification fails, go back to Step 2 with the new state.

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Step 6: Report

FIXED: [what was fixed]

PROBLEMS FOUND: [N]
  Critical: [N]
  Serious: [N]
  Minor: [N]

CHANGES MADE:
- [P1]: [one-line summary of fix]
- [P2]: [one-line summary of fix]
...

VERIFIED: [yes/no — if no, what remains]

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Depth Scaling

Depth	Read	Diagnose	Fix	Verify
1x	Skim target	Top 1-2 problems	Quick fix	Spot check
2x	Full read	All problems listed	Fix all	Check each problem resolved
4x	Full read + context (related files, usage)	Problems + root causes	Fix + prevent recurrence	Check + regression test
8x	Full read + context + history (git blame, prior versions)	Problems + patterns + comparison to best examples	Fix + restructure if needed	Full verification + comparison to quality bar

Default: 2x.

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Anti-Failure Checks

Failure Mode	Signal	Fix
Blind rewrite	Rewrote everything without diagnosing	Stop. List problems first. Then fix only those.
Cosmetic fix	Changed formatting/wording but core problems remain	Check: did you fix the SUBSTANCE or just the SURFACE?
Over-fix	Added features, refactored working code, "improved" beyond scope	Revert extras. Fix only what was broken.
Diagnosis without fix	Listed problems but didn't change anything	Execute Step 4. The point is to FIX, not just diagnose.
Wrong target	Fixed something adjacent to the actual problem	Re-read the user's input. What did THEY say was broken?
New bugs	Fix introduced new problems	Verify step should catch this. If it didn't, verification was too shallow.

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Integration

• After /fix: user may want /araw to verify the fix holds up, or /cls to check against criteria
• /diagnose → /fix: diagnose finds the cause, fix applies the solution
• /fix differs from /diagnose: diagnose is about FINDING what's wrong. Fix is about MAKING IT RIGHT. Fix includes diagnosis as Step 2 but the goal is the repair, not the analysis.

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Execute now.