Root Cause Tracing

Overview

Bugs often manifest deep in the call stack (git init in wrong directory, file created in wrong location, database opened with wrong path). Your instinct is to fix where the error appears, but that's treating a symptom.

Core principle: Trace backward through the call chain until you find the original trigger, then fix at the source.

When to Use

Use when:

• Error happens deep in execution (not at entry point)
• Stack trace shows long call chain
• Unclear where invalid data originated
• Need to find which test/code triggers the problem

Large Codebase Optimization

Use Explore subagent to trace call chains:

• Delegates investigation to subagent
• Returns focused summary without context bloat
• Essential for codebases with deep call stacks

This prevents main conversation pollution during investigation. The Explore agent can navigate through multiple files and return a clean summary of the call chain.

The Tracing Process

1. Observe the Symptom

Error: git init failed in /Users/jesse/project/packages/core

2. Find Immediate Cause

What code directly causes this?

await execFileAsync('git', ['init'], { cwd: projectDir });

3. Ask: What Called This?

WorktreeManager.createSessionWorktree(projectDir, sessionId)
  → called by Session.initializeWorkspace()
  → called by Session.create()
  → called by test at Project.create()

4. Keep Tracing Up

What value was passed?

• projectDir = '' (empty string!)
• Empty string as cwd resolves to process.cwd()
• That's the source code directory!

5. Find Original Trigger

Where did empty string come from?

const context = setupCoreTest(); // Returns { tempDir: '' }
Project.create('name', context.tempDir); // Accessed before beforeEach!

Adding Stack Traces

When you can't trace manually, add instrumentation:

// Before the problematic operation
async function gitInit(directory: string) {
  const stack = new Error().stack;
  console.error('DEBUG git init:', {
    directory,
    cwd: process.cwd(),
    nodeEnv: process.env.NODE_ENV,
    stack,
  });

  await execFileAsync('git', ['init'], { cwd: directory });
}

Critical: Use console.error() in tests (not logger - may not show)

Run and capture:

npm test 2>&1 | grep 'DEBUG git init'

Analyze stack traces:

• Look for test file names
• Find the line number triggering the call
• Identify the pattern (same test? same parameter?)

Finding Which Test Causes Pollution

If something appears during tests but you don't know which test:

Use the bisection script: @find-polluter.sh

./find-polluter.sh '.git' 'src/**/*.test.ts'

Runs tests one-by-one, stops at first polluter. See script for usage.

Real Example: Empty projectDir

Symptom: .git created in packages/core/ (source code)

Trace chain:

1. git init runs in process.cwd() ← empty cwd parameter
2. WorktreeManager called with empty projectDir
3. Session.create() passed empty string
4. Test accessed context.tempDir before beforeEach
5. setupCoreTest() returns { tempDir: '' } initially

Root cause: Top-level variable initialization accessing empty value

Fix: Made tempDir a getter that throws if accessed before beforeEach

Also added defense-in-depth:

• Layer 1: Project.create() validates directory
• Layer 2: WorkspaceManager validates not empty
• Layer 3: NODE_ENV guard refuses git init outside tmpdir
• Layer 4: Stack trace logging before git init

Key Principle

NEVER fix just where the error appears. Trace back to find the original trigger.

Stack Trace Tips

In tests: Use console.error() not logger - logger may be suppressed Before operation: Log before the dangerous operation, not after it fails Include context: Directory, cwd, environment variables, timestamps Capture stack: new Error().stack shows complete call chain

Integration

Used by: debug:systematic (Phase 1, Step 5) Pairs with: debug:defense-in-depth (add validation after finding root cause)