# team-debug

Spawns several debugger agents in parallel, each testing a different theory about the bug and gathering evidence for or against it.

- command · `type=command` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor · ★ 41729
- Author: Seth Hobson
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/wshobson/agents/tree/HEAD/plugins/agent-teams/commands/team-debug.md
- Updated: 2026-10-24
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/commands/team-debug

## What it does

The command follows the Analysis of Competing Hypotheses method. It reads your error description or the file you point at, searches the codebase for related code and stack traces, and checks recent git changes and tests. Then it generates N hypotheses about the root cause — three by default — spread across logic errors, data issues, state problems, integration failures, resources and environment.

A team named `debug-{timestamp}` is created with `TeamCreate`, and each hypothesis gets its own `agent-teams:team-debugger` teammate spawned through the `Agent` tool. They investigate in parallel while you watch the completed-count. Afterwards the command compares the reports: which hypotheses were confirmed, which were falsified, which stayed inconclusive. Confirmed ones are ranked by confidence and strength of the causal chain, and you get a report with `file:line` citations plus a recommended fix.

Set `CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS=1` before running it, otherwise the command stops at the pre-flight check. The `--scope` flag takes `files`, `module` or `project`. Wider scope means longer investigations, so for a small bug there is little reason to point it at the whole project.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Plugin marketplace**
In the agent chat (not a shell):
```text
/plugin marketplace add wshobson/agents
```
In the agent chat (not a shell):
```text
/plugin install agent-teams@claude-code-workflows
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.claude/commands/team-debug.md` — Call it with /team-debug. For all projects use ~/.claude/commands/

### Codex

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.codex/prompts/team-debug.md` — Call it with /prompts:team-debug. Codex marks this format deprecated in favour of skills

### GitHub Copilot

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/prompts/team-debug.prompt.md`

### Gemini CLI

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.gemini/commands/team-debug.toml` — Gemini stores commands as TOML: the prompt text goes into the prompt field

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/wshobson/agents/tree/HEAD/plugins/agent-teams/commands/team-debug.md

## When to use it
- trace a stack trace back to its source in the code
- rule out wrong theories about a crash
- test several bug hypotheses at once
- get a report with file and line citations
- tell a logic error apart from a data or state problem

## Example prompts
- /team-debug TypeError: cannot read property 'id' of undefined
- /team-debug src/api/client.ts --hypotheses 4 --scope module
- /team-debug auth test keeps failing --scope project

## Source text · team-debug.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 14607ec6699a5637.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 14607ec6699a5637
````text
---
description: "Debug issues using competing hypotheses with parallel investigation by multiple agents"
argument-hint: "<error-description-or-file> [--hypotheses N] [--scope files|module|project]"
---

# Team Debug

Debug complex issues using the Analysis of Competing Hypotheses (ACH) methodology. Multiple debugger agents investigate different hypotheses in parallel, gathering evidence to confirm or falsify each one.

## Pre-flight Checks

1. Verify `CLAUDE_CODE_EXPERIMENTAL_AGENT_TEAMS=1` is set
2. Parse `$ARGUMENTS`:
   - `<error-description-or-file>`: description of the bug, error message, or path to a file exhibiting the issue
   - `--hypotheses N`: number of hypotheses to generate (default: 3)
   - `--scope`: investigation scope — `files` (specific files), `module` (module/package), `project` (entire project)

## Phase 1: Initial Triage

1. Analyze the error description or file:
   - If file path: read the file, look for obvious issues, collect error context
   - If error description: search the codebase for related code, error messages, stack traces
2. Identify the symptom clearly: what is failing, when, and how
3. Gather initial context: recent git changes, related tests, configuration

## Phase 2: Hypothesis Generation

Generate N hypotheses about the root cause, covering different failure mode categories:

1. **Logic Error** — Incorrect algorithm, wrong condition, off-by-one, missing edge case
2. **Data Issue** — Invalid input, type mismatch, null/undefined, encoding problem
3. **State Problem** — Race condition, stale cache, incorrect initialization, mutation bug
4. **Integration Failure** — API contract violation, version mismatch, configuration error
5. **Resource Issue** — Memory leak, connection exhaustion, timeout, disk space
6. **Environment** — Missing dependency, wrong version, platform-specific behavior

Present hypotheses to user: "Generated {N} hypotheses. Spawning investigators..."

## Phase 3: Investigation

1. Use `TeamCreate` tool to create the team with `team_name: "debug-{timestamp}"` and `description`
2. For each hypothesis, use `Agent` tool to spawn a teammate:
   - `name`: `investigator-{n}` (e.g., "investigator-1")
   - `subagent_type`: "agent-teams:team-debugger"
   - `prompt`: Include the hypothesis, investigation scope, and relevant context
3. Use `TaskCreate` for each investigator's task:
   - Subject: "Investigate hypothesis: {hypothesis summary}"
   - Description: Full hypothesis statement, scope boundaries, evidence criteria

## Phase 4: Evidence Collection

1. Monitor TaskList for completion
2. As investigators complete, collect their evidence reports
3. Track: "{completed}/{total} investigations complete"

## Phase 5: Arbitration

1. Compare findings across all investigators:
   - Which hypotheses were confirmed (high confidence)?
   - Which were falsified (contradicting evidence)?
   - Which are inconclusive (insufficient evidence)?

2. Rank confirmed hypotheses by:
   - Confidence level (High > Medium > Low)
   - Strength of causal chain
   - Amount of supporting evidence
   - Absence of contradicting evidence

3. Present root cause analysis:

   ```
   ## Debug Report: {error description}

   ### Root Cause (Most Likely)
   **Hypothesis**: {description}
   **Confidence**: {High/Medium/Low}
   **Evidence**: {summary with file:line citations}
   **Causal Chain**: {step-by-step from cause to symptom}

   ### Recommended Fix
   {specific fix with code changes}

   ### Other Hypotheses
````
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 14607ec6699a5637

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