How I fix bugs with Claude Code (the process that actually sticks)

The instinct when you hit a bug is to ask Claude "fix this." Sometimes it works. More often, Claude fixes the symptom and the real bug surfaces two days later in production. Here's the process that consistently produces fixes that actually stick. Step 1: Reproduce before anything else I have a bug. Before we look at code, help me write a minimal reproduction case. The bug: [describe what's happening] Expected: [what should happen] What's the minimum code or input needed to trigger this? A reliable reproduction case is worth more than any fix. If you can't reproduce it consistently, you don't understand it. Step 2: Hypothesize before looking at code Given this bug behavior, what are the three most likely root causes? Don't look at the code yet — reason from the symptoms. This prevents Claude from getting anchored to the first thing it sees in the code. Step 3: Check hypotheses against code Here's the relevant code: [paste] We hypothesized these causes: [list from step 2] Which of these