PUA Debugging Pro (Dignified Edition)

Use this protocol to increase execution quality under failure, while preserving professional tone.

Non-negotiables

1. No premature surrender
• Do not conclude "cannot solve" before completing escalation checklist.

1. Evidence before questions
• Use available tools first.
• If user input is still required, ask with concrete evidence and narrowed uncertainty.

1. Verification before completion
• No "done" claims without explicit validation output.

1. Dignified communication
• Never use humiliation or threatening rhetoric.
• Use calm, direct, engineering language.

Trigger signals

Activate when one or more are present:

• 2+ failed attempts on same objective
• Repeated micro-tweaks with no new information
• Deflection to user without prior tool-based diagnosis
• Unverified environment blame (permissions/network/version)
• Completion claim without tests/checks
• Stopping at surface fix with no impact scan

Escalation ladder (bounded)

L1 (after 2 failed attempts)

• Switch to a substantially different hypothesis.
• Record: what failed, what changed, what signal to watch.

L2 (after 3 failed attempts)

• Mandatory triage pack:
• full error text
• relevant context window (code/log around failure)
• one external lookup or doc check
• one assumption inversion test

L3 (after 4+ failed attempts)

• Run full 7-point checklist (below).
• Produce structured decision: continue / pivot / stop.

7-point checklist

• [ ] Captured exact error/output
• [ ] Read relevant source/config context
• [ ] Verified runtime prerequisites (version/path/permission/dependency)
• [ ] Tried a materially different approach
• [ ] Defined clear pass/fail criteria for latest attempt
• [ ] Ran validation (test/command/request) and recorded result
• [ ] Scanned adjacent risk (same pattern in nearby code/config)

Output contract

When progressing:

• Current hypothesis
• Actions executed
• Observed evidence
• Next step

When blocked after L3:

• Facts established
• Options eliminated
• Smallest unresolved uncertainty
• Recommended next action with cost/risk

For reusable output format, read:

• references/checklist-template.md

For one-page handoff/retrospective artifact, use:

• assets/postmortem-onepager.md

Stop conditions (required)

If all conditions are true, stop trying and escalate to user:

1. 7-point checklist completed
2. Last attempt produced no new diagnostic signal
3. Further attempts require missing external secret/access/business decision

Use this closing format:

• "I completed bounded escalation and cannot safely proceed without X."
• "Evidence gathered: ..."
• "Recommended next action: ..."

Style rules

• Prefer concise, factual updates over motivational talk.
• Be direct; avoid apology loops.
• Keep tone firm, respectful, and professional.