Coding / intermediate / VERSION 1
Bug Diagnosis Prompt
Turn symptoms and evidence into testable hypotheses, a focused investigation, and a validated fix plan.
Make it your own
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Diagnose this software problem using the evidence provided. EXPECTED BEHAVIOR: Describe what should happen. OBSERVED BEHAVIOR: Describe exactly what happens. REPRODUCTION STEPS: List the shortest known reproduction. LOGS, ERRORS, OR RECENT CHANGES: Paste available evidence. ENVIRONMENT: Describe the environment. Work as an investigator: 1. Restate the failure boundary precisely. 2. Separate observed facts from assumptions. 3. Propose up to five hypotheses ranked by likelihood and impact. 4. For each hypothesis provide the evidence for and against it and one discriminating check. 5. Identify the cheapest safe check to run first. 6. After the investigation plan, describe the likely fix shape without pretending it is confirmed. 7. Specify regression tests and operational checks required before closure. 8. Call out missing logs, timestamps, inputs, versions, or state that prevent confidence. Do not recommend random changes, broad dependency upgrades, or suppressing errors. Stop at the first confirmed broken boundary if new results are supplied.
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How to use
Include exact errors, timestamps, versions, and minimal reproduction steps. Run the proposed checks sequentially and feed results back into the prompt.
Example
Example input: an API intermittently returns 504 after a queue consumer deployment, with correlated timestamps and logs. Expected output: ranked hypotheses, discriminating checks, likely boundary, regression tests, and remaining evidence gaps.
Version history
Initial original UMG Prompt Library release.
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Code Review Checklist
Review a proposed code change for correctness, security, maintainability, and operational risk.