---
name: aw:investigate
description: Reproduce, localize, and confirm bugs, alerts, and failing behavior before broad fixes are attempted.
argument-hint: "<bug, alert, failing behavior, log signal, or incident scope>"
status: active
stage: investigate
internal_skill: aw-investigate
---

# Investigate

Use `/aw:investigate` when the problem is real but the cause is not yet clear.

## Role

Turn vague breakage into a concrete reproduction, localized fault surface, and next-action recommendation.

## Modes

| Mode | Use when | Primary outputs |
|---|---|---|
| `bug` | product behavior is wrong | `investigation.md`, `state.json`, repro and fault-surface notes |
| `alert` | monitoring or runtime alert fired | `investigation.md`, `state.json`, signal triage and likely cause |
| `regression` | a previously working flow broke | `investigation.md`, `state.json`, diff and regression notes |
| `incident` | failure may span services or environments | `investigation.md`, `state.json`, scoped blast-radius and next probes |

## Outputs

- `.aw_docs/features/<feature_slug>/investigation.md`
- updated `.aw_docs/features/<feature_slug>/state.json`
- `.aw_docs/features/<feature_slug>/investigation.html` when docs output mode is `dual` or `html`
- reproduction, expected-vs-actual, hypothesis, and next probe or build handoff

## Human HTML Companion

Markdown `investigation.md` remains canonical for agents.
When `/aw:investigate` writes or materially updates investigation evidence, HTML sidecars are required in `dual` and `html` output modes. Use `platform-core:echo-direct` directly to generate or refresh `.aw_docs/features/<feature_slug>/investigation.html` with the `investigation-report` profile.

Resolve docs output mode in this order: explicit user or session request, stage-local request, `.aw_docs/config.json` `docs.outputMode`, `AW_DOCS_OUTPUT_MODE`, then default `dual`.
- `dual` mode keeps Markdown canonical and requires the HTML companion.
- `html` mode requires the HTML companion and still preserves any canonical Markdown the stage must write.
- explicit Markdown-only mode skips HTML and records `status: skipped` with `skip_reason: explicit_markdown_only`.

Do not use a subagent for HTML generation, and do not hand-roll or command-template HTML outside `platform-core:echo-direct`. In `dual` or `html` mode, the stage is not complete until the skill has generated the sidecar or recorded a concrete blocker. In explicit Markdown-only mode, do not generate HTML.

Record `html_companion_artifacts` in `state.json` with `source_path`, `html_path`, profile, `status: generated` when successful, `owner: platform-core:echo-direct`, `execution_mode: skill`, `runner: platform-core:echo-direct`, publish status, remote links, and any explicit Markdown-only skip or blocked reason. Do not record successful skill output as `generated_fallback` or `generated_hca_fallback`; those are legacy statuses to repair.

## Investigation Rules

1. Reproduce first.
2. Capture expected vs actual behavior.
3. Load `diagnose` for unclear bugs, regressions, performance problems, repeated failed fixes, or any case where a reliable feedback loop is not already established.
4. Use the smallest confirming probe before patching.
5. Load org-standard observability and platform playbooks when the baseline requires them.
6. For frontend issues, include runtime and responsive evidence when relevant.
7. Name the exact next probe or next command before stopping.
8. Do not broaden into implementation until the fault surface is concrete enough.
9. Generate or explicitly record the HTML companion status before handoff.

## Must Not Do

- must not guess through an unclear root cause
- must not stack speculative fixes without new evidence
- must not claim a fix without handing off to `/aw:build` or proving it directly

## Recommended Next Commands

- `/aw:build`
- `/aw:test`

## Echo Direct Human Docs Handoff

After canonical Markdown and `state.json` are current, run `platform-core:echo-direct` for every required human companion in `dual` or `html` mode. Pass the feature slug, source paths, profile, output mode, colocated HTML path, state path, and publish intent. This same skill is also the repair path for existing folders with missing, stale, blocked, local-only, legacy uncontrolled fallback, unpublished, or linkless companions.

Do not duplicate docs publish commands or publish configuration in this stage. `platform-core:echo-direct` owns HTML generation, publish handoff, companion state updates, and returned Devtools/GitHub links. Before the final response, inspect the skill result, feature `state.json`, and `.aw_docs/last-publish.json`. Add any returned or recorded `.html` links to the final `Remote Docs` section as plain-text absolute Devtools URLs rooted at `https://devtools.servers.stg.msgsndr.net/` (no Markdown link syntax around the Devtools URL) with compact clickable GitHub labels, not label-only text. Prefer `.html` companion links over `.md` links. A final handoff that lists only Markdown artifacts while `.html` remote links exist is incomplete. Each artifact must show `Devtools: <absolute remote URL>` as raw visible text and `GitHub: [spec.html](<absolute repository URL>)` or another short artifact label when both URLs are available. Never render Devtools as `[Devtools](...)`, `[Spec Devtools](...)`, or any other Markdown link label; never hide the Devtools URL behind Markdown-only links, never print long GitHub URLs inline when a compact label can point to the same URL, and never invent links. If publishing cannot run, record `publish_status: blocked` and the concrete blocker in `state.json`.

## Final Output Shape

Always end with:

- `Mode`
- `Reproduction`
- `Expected vs Actual`
- `Evidence`
- `Likely Fault Surface`
- `HTML Companion`
- `Remote Docs`
- `Next`
