service-debugging — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install
A structured backend troubleshooting runbook that guides the agent from symptom gathering and log analysis to root-cause isolation.
npx skills add c0x12c/ai-toolkit --skill service-debugging -a claude-codeWhat service-debugging does
This skill guides the agent through investigating backend incidents systematically instead of jumping straight into editing code. First, it collects failure details. The agent determines when the failure started, checks which users are affected, and inspects error messages. It then runs baseline sanity checks using curl, grep, and psql to rule out recent deployments, dropped database connections, or missing environment variables.
Next, the runbook correlates symptoms with targeted checks. A 500 error triggers a stack trace inspection, while slow endpoints call for query profiling via EXPLAIN. When regressions appear after a release, the agent relies on git bisect and targeted text searches. Before landing any fix, the workflow enforces writing a failing test to prove the bug.
Execution depends on terminal access via Bash, Grep, Read, and Glob. Without permission to inspect application logs and run shell checks, the diagnostic steps cannot run.
What it helps with
- Pinpoint backend failures using HTTP status codes and application logs
- Isolate breaking commits across the codebase with git bisect
- Verify database connectivity and environment variables during outages
- Reproduce an incident with a minimal request and a failing test
Example prompts for the agent
- The
/api/ordersendpoint returns 500 errors after our deploy, investigate the issue - Database responses degraded suddenly, run diagnostics to locate the bottleneck
- The service crashes on startup, check our configuration and container logs
How to install service-debugging
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add c0x12c/ai-toolkit --skill service-debugging -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/service-debugging/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/service-debugging/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add c0x12c/ai-toolkit --skill service-debugging -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/service-debugging/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add c0x12c/ai-toolkit --skill service-debugging -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/service-debugging/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install c0x12c/ai-toolkit service-debugging2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/service-debugging/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add c0x12c/ai-toolkit --skill service-debugging -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/c0x12c/ai-toolkit --path toolkit/skills/service-debuggingManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/service-debugging/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add c0x12c/ai-toolkit --skill service-debugging -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about service-debugging
How to install service-debugging in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add c0x12c/ai-toolkit --skill service-debugging -a claude-code in your terminal. You can also place the skill file directly at ~/.claude/skills/service-debugging/SKILL.md.
What does service-debugging do?
It provides a step-by-step diagnostic runbook for investigating backend bugs. The model examines symptoms, verifies runtime environments, reproduces the failure, and writes a test before applying a fix.
Which tool permissions does service-debugging require?
The skill requires Read, Glob, Grep, and Bash. The agent uses these permissions to search source trees, view logs, and run shell checks.
