principle-fix-root-causes

---
name: principle-fix-root-causes
description: Reproduce the symptom, trace causality until one mechanism explains it, and fix that mechanism rather than compensating for downstream effects. Use when during debugging and incident repair.
---
# Fix Root Causes

## Trigger

During debugging and incident repair.

## Rule

Reproduce the symptom, trace causality until one mechanism explains it, and fix that mechanism rather than compensating for downstream effects.

## Application

1. Name the concrete decision this principle changes.
2. Apply the rule to that decision, not as a decorative citation.
3. Prefer evidence from the current repository/runtime over generic preference.
4. If the principle conflicts with an explicit user constraint, keep the constraint and state the tradeoff.