Investigate a production incident under pressure
Impose a disciplined investigation sequence when the temptation is to start changing code.
What this prompt helps you do
A ranked hypothesis list, the minimal safe investigation for each, and a fix strategy with a rollback path.
When to use it
A real user path is failing and the cause is not obvious.
What to prepare
The goal, relevant source material, constraints, examples, and the decision or action this should support.
How to get a strong result
Separate stopping the bleeding from finding the cause; conflating them is how incidents get longer.
How to use this prompt
Replace each placeholder with accurate context. Paste the complete prompt into Claude, review the response critically, resolve important questions, and use it as a considered input to the next decision—not as an unchecked final answer.