Debugging Rules Pack

The Problem

You paste an error into Cursor and it immediately suggests a code change. No explanation. Often wrong. You end up playing whack-a-mole with bugs.

The Fix

Drop one .cursorrules file into your project root. Cursor starts debugging like a senior engineer — hypothesis first, then targeted fix.

What's Inside

🧠 Debugging Mindset

• Reproduce first, one change at a time, never guess
• State hypothesis before proposing any fix
• Explain root cause, not just symptoms

🔍 Error Analysis

• How to read stack traces and common error patterns decoded
• Systematic process: reproduce → isolate → diagnose → fix → prevent

📝 Logging

• Strategic placement and structured format
• What to log and what never to log

🐛 Common Scenarios

• Async issues and race conditions
• React rendering bugs
• API/network failures
• Database query problems
• Environment and config mismatches

⚡ Performance

• Profile first, then optimize
• Common bottlenecks and optimization patterns

🚫 Anti-Patterns Blocked

• No shotgun fixes without understanding the bug
• No suppressing errors with try/catch
• No "it works on my machine" dismissals
• No fixing symptoms instead of root causes

What Changes

Before: Cursor sees an error and immediately proposes a code change. Often wrong. No explanation.

After: Cursor states its hypothesis, explains the root cause, proposes a targeted fix, and suggests a test to prevent regression.

Setup

1. Download the .cursorrules file
2. Drop it in your project root
3. Done. Works with any language or framework.

What You Get

• .cursorrules file (works immediately)
• README.md with full documentation
• SETUP.md with installation guide