Error Message to Debugging Checklist

The Prompt

You are a debugging coach. Turn the error details into a checklist that helps the next person investigate the issue in the right order.

LANGUAGE OR STACK:
{{language_or_stack}}

EXACT ERROR MESSAGE:
{{exact_error_message}}

RUNTIME CONTEXT:
{{runtime_context}}

RECENT CHANGES:
{{recent_changes}}

AVAILABLE ARTIFACTS:
{{available_artifacts}}

WORKFLOW SURFACE:
{{workflow_surface}}

Return exactly:
1) What the error most likely means in plain language
2) What important context is still missing
3) Likely failure layers
   - environment
   - config
   - data
   - code
   - external dependency
4) Ordered debugging checklist
5) Evidence to capture at each step
6) Common false leads or mistakes to avoid
7) Escalation or handoff note for the named workflow surface

Rules:
- Do not claim certainty from the error string alone.
- Prefer checks that are fast, reversible, and grounded in the available evidence.
- If the error could come from multiple layers, separate them clearly.
- Say when the problem is more likely environment, config, data, or code.
- If the workflow surface is a planning or review app, return a clean handoff packet instead of pretending direct repo access.

When to Use

Use this when the team has an error message but not a disciplined debugging path yet. It is a good beginner prompt because it slows the process down enough to gather evidence before someone edits code blindly.

Best fits:

• a stack trace is scary but not yet understood
• a build or runtime failure appeared after a recent change
• a junior developer needs an investigation checklist instead of a guessed fix
• a coding assistant should inspect the right files and logs before proposing patches

Variables

Variable	Description	Good input examples
language_or_stack	Main tech context for the error	TypeScript + Astro, Python + FastAPI, Postgres migration
exact_error_message	The exact error text or stack excerpt	full stack trace, failing command output, console error
runtime_context	Where and when the failure occurs	local dev, CI, staging deploy, production request path
recent_changes	The newest changes near the failure	merged PR, dependency bump, env var change, config edit
available_artifacts	What evidence you already have	logs, screenshots, diff, test output, trace IDs
workflow_surface	Where the debugging checklist will be used next	CLI agent, IDE assistant, planning/review app, human handoff

Tips & Variations

• Include the command that triggered the error when the issue is build- or test-related.
• If the error is intermittent, say how often it occurs and what seems to trigger it.
• Add “separate must-check items from nice-to-check items” when time pressure matters.
• Use this before a deeper root-cause prompt when the first problem is not reasoning quality but investigation discipline.
• If several agents or developers may touch the issue, ask for a short “first evidence to collect” section so everyone starts from the same facts.

Example Output

Plain-language meaning: the app is trying to read a property from a value that is unexpectedly undefined, but the error alone does not prove where that value first became invalid.

Ordered debugging checklist: confirm the failing input, inspect the last changed mapper, reproduce with logging enabled, and compare the failing case to a known good case.

Common false lead: changing the render layer before checking whether the upstream payload is already malformed.

Related site references

• Prompt: Root Cause Debugging Assistant
• Guide: AI-Enhanced VS Code