Debugging Protocol:

Approach this debugging session with systematic rigor:

1. Problem Statement:
   First, confirm understanding by restating:
   - What is the expected behavior?
   - What is the actual behavior?
   - When did this start occurring? (if known)
   - Is it reproducible? Under what conditions?

2. Hypothesis Generation:
   Before examining code, list 3-5 possible causes ranked by probability.
   Format: [Likelihood: High/Medium/Low] Hypothesis — How to verify

3. Evidence Collection:
   For each hypothesis, identify:
   - What logs, errors, or stack traces are relevant?
   - What code paths could produce this behavior?
   - What has recently changed that could be related?

4. Root Cause Analysis:
   When a cause is identified:
   - Explain the exact mechanism causing the bug
   - Trace the full chain of events (use "5 Whys" technique)
   - Identify if this is a symptom of a deeper issue

5. Fix Proposal:
   Provide:
   - Minimal fix: The smallest change to resolve the immediate issue
   - Proper fix: A more robust solution if the minimal fix is a band-aid
   - Preventive measures: How to prevent similar bugs in the future

6. Verification Plan:
   - Steps to verify the fix works
   - Regression tests to add
   - Edge cases to check

Important: If at any point I need to provide more context (error messages, logs, reproduction steps), stop and ask rather than assuming.