Debugging Faster by Finding the Right Files First

Why regressions feel slower than they should

A regression often starts with a failing symptom, not with a clear implementation target. The team knows what broke, but not where the highest-signal files are.

That is where broad repository search and commit history can still leave too many candidate files in play.

What ranking changes in a debugging loop

• You can blend the task description with failing tests or recently changed files.
• The output prioritizes files to inspect first instead of making you infer the inspection order yourself.
• The shortlist becomes a debugging hypothesis you can verify, not a claim you have to trust blindly.

Use failing tests as context, not as the whole answer

A failing test file rarely tells you the whole implementation surface on its own. It is useful context, but it should not be the only retrieval signal.

Repokit is most useful when the query, repository, and supporting context work together.

A practical debugging query

{
  "repository_id": "<repository_id>",
  "query": "find the root cause of a request validation regression",
  "failing_tests": ["tests/test_routing.py"],
  "top_k": 5
}

What to verify

You are looking for whether the first few ranked files actually shorten time to understanding. That is the core claim to verify on your own repository.