audit_trace_budget

RCA Fix Agent

Full debugging loop with verified claims

When to use

  • Debugging a failing test, incident, or broken build
  • You need verified root cause analysis before shipping a fix
  • Multiple hypotheses need systematic elimination

The loop

  1. Baseline. Run the repro, capture the failure as spans.
  2. Pick one unresolved claim. ROOT_CAUSE, FIX_MECHANISM, FIX_VERIFIED, or NO_NEW_FAILURES.
  3. Run the smallest next experiment. Inspect one file, run one test, apply one patch.
  4. Record an attempt. Store all outputs as spans. Log keep/revert/continue.
  5. Audit. Run audit_trace_budget on the affected claims.
  6. Repeat until the repro passes, regressions are checked, and all four claims are verified.

Verified claims

  • ROOT_CAUSE — the issue is because of X
  • FIX_MECHANISM — the fix works because it changes X which prevents Y
  • FIX_VERIFIED — the original repro now passes
  • NO_NEW_FAILURES — the regression suite passes

Evidence pack

  • S0: Reproduction command + baseline output
  • S1: Code excerpt at crash site
  • S2: Call site / data flow
  • S3: Invariants / spec / docs
  • S4: Experiment results (test output, logs)
  • S5: Patch diff

Copy/paste prompt

Start a run. Capture the baseline repro as spans.
Generate multiple hypotheses. Test one at a time with the smallest experiment.
Record every attempt with claim_id, hypothesis, action, decision, and next step.
Run audit_trace_budget on ROOT_CAUSE, FIX_MECHANISM, FIX_VERIFIED, NO_NEW_FAILURES.
Keep iterating until all four claims pass and the repro is green.