Output Debug Workflow

by growthxaia4f6bd40ab0eNo license440 starsListed Oct 8, 2026Updated Oct 8, 2026Repository updated today

Debug Output SDK workflow issues. Use when user reports a workflow failing, erroring, hanging, producing wrong results, or asks to debug, troubleshoot, or investigate a workflow execution.

Instructions onlySoftware Development
AI-generated overview

Systematically debugs Output SDK workflow failures in a local environment using traces and targeted fixes.

What it does
Guides an agent through a four-step debugging process for Output SDK workflows: verifying that Docker containers and local services are running, listing recent workflow runs to find the failing execution, retrieving and analyzing the execution trace, and suggesting fixes based on matched error patterns. It produces a diagnosis of the failing step and recommended remediation, with verification commands to re-run or reset the workflow. It is an instruction-only skill that references other skills for services checks, run listing, trace analysis, and specific error classes.
When to use it
Use when a user reports an Output SDK workflow that is failing, erroring, hanging, or producing wrong results, or asks to debug, troubleshoot, or investigate a workflow execution. It fits local development environments where the Output services and Temporal UI are available.
Requirements
Runs in a local development environment with Docker containers for Output, the Output API on localhost:3001, and Temporal UI on localhost:8080. Requires the npx output CLI and the referenced companion skills (pre-flight, post-flight, services check, workflow runs list, workflow trace, workflow reset, and error-specific skills). No scripts ship with the skill; it is instructions only.

Your task is to systematically debug an Output SDK workflow issue in a local development environment.

The arguments the user provided describe the problem they're experiencing, and may include a specific workflow ID.

Use the todo tool to track your progress through the debugging process.

Debugging Process

Overview

Follow a systematic approach to identify and resolve workflow execution issues: verify infrastructure, gather evidence, analyze traces, and apply targeted fixes.

<pre_flight_check>

EXECUTE: Claude Skill: output-meta-pre-flight

</pre_flight_check>

<process_flow>

<step number="1" name="verify_services">

Step 1: Verify Services Running

Before debugging, confirm that all required services are operational. The output-services-check skill provides comprehensive guidance.

<verification_commands>

bash
# Check Docker containers are runningdocker ps | grep output
# Verify Output services respondcurl -s http://localhost:3001/health || echo "API not responding"
# Check Temporal UI is accessiblecurl -s http://localhost:8080 > /dev/null && echo "Temporal UI accessible" || echo "Temporal UI not accessible"

</verification_commands>

<decision_tree>

IF docker_not_running: RUN: docker compose up -d WAIT: for services to start (30-60 seconds) IF output_dev_not_running: RUN: npx output dev WAIT: for services to initialize IF all_services_running: PROCEED: to step 2

</decision_tree>

Expected State:

  • Docker containers for output are running
  • API server responds at http://localhost:3001
  • Temporal UI accessible at http://localhost:8080

</step>

<step number="2" name="list_workflow_runs">

Step 2: List Workflow Runs

Identify the failing workflow execution by listing recent runs. The output-workflow-runs-list skill provides detailed filtering guidance.

<list_commands>

bash
# List all recent workflow runsnpx output workflow runs list
# Filter by specific workflow type (if known)npx output workflow runs list <workflowName>
# Get detailed JSON output for analysisnpx output workflow runs list --json
# Limit results to most recentnpx output workflow runs list --limit 10

</list_commands>

<identification_criteria>

Look for:

  • Status: FAILED or TERMINATED
  • Recent timestamp matching when the issue occurred
  • Workflow type matching the problem description

</identification_criteria>

<decision_tree>

IF user_provided_workflow_id: USE: provided workflow ID PROCEED: to step 3 IF failed_runs_found: SELECT: most recent failed run NOTE: workflow ID from output PROCEED: to step 3 IF no_runs_found: CHECK: workflow exists with npx output workflow list IF workflow_not_found: REPORT: workflow doesn't exist SUGGEST: verify workflow name and location ELSE: SUGGEST: run the workflow with npx output workflow run <name>

</decision_tree>

</step>

<step number="3" name="debug_workflow" subagent="workflow-debugger">

Step 3: Debug Specific Workflow

Retrieve and analyze the execution trace for the identified workflow. The output-workflow-trace skill provides analysis techniques.

<debug_commands>

bash
# Display execution trace (text format)npx output workflow debug <workflowId>
# Display full untruncated trace (JSON format) - recommended for detailed analysisnpx output workflow debug <workflowId> --json

</debug_commands>

Tip: Use --json for complete trace data without truncation.

<analysis_checklist>

  1. Identify which step failed
  2. Examine the error message and stack trace
  3. Check input data passed to the failing step
  4. Check output data from preceding steps
  5. Look for patterns matching common error types

</analysis_checklist>

<temporal_ui_guidance>

For visual workflow inspection, open the Temporal Web UI at http://localhost:8080:

  • Find your workflow execution by ID
  • View the event history timeline
  • Inspect individual step inputs and outputs

</temporal_ui_guidance>

</step>

<step number="4" name="suggest_fixes" subagent="workflow-quality">

Step 4: Suggest Fixes

Based on the trace analysis, identify the error pattern and suggest targeted fixes. Claude will invoke the relevant error skill based on symptoms.

<error_matching>

SymptomSkill
"incompatible schema" errors, type errorsoutput-error-zod-import
Replay failures, inconsistent resultsoutput-error-nondeterminism
Retries not working, errors swallowedoutput-error-try-catch
Type errors, undefined properties at step boundariesoutput-error-missing-schemas
Workflow hangs, determinism errorsoutput-error-direct-io
Untraced requests, axios errorsoutput-error-http-client

</error_matching>

<decision_tree>

IF error_matches_known_pattern: INVOKE: relevant error skill for detailed fix ELSE: CONSULT: workflow-quality subagent for additional patterns SUGGEST: Manual trace inspection in Temporal UI

</decision_tree>

<verification>

After applying fix:

bash
# Re-run the workflow to verifynpx output workflow run <workflowName> --input '<json>'
# Or start asynchronously and check resultnpx output workflow start <workflowName> --input '<json>'npx output workflow status <workflowId>npx output workflow result <workflowId>
# Or, if the fix only affects a specific step and earlier steps succeeded,# re-run from after the last known-good step (skips re-executing earlier work)npx output workflow reset <workflowId> --step <lastGoodStep> --reason "<fix description>"

For targeted rerun after fixing a downstream step, see the output-workflow-reset skill.

</verification>

</step>

</process_flow>

<post_flight_check>

EXECUTE: Claude Skill: output-meta-post-flight

</post_flight_check>

---- START ----

Use the problem description and any optional workflow ID the user provided.

Source and attribution

Source:growthxai/outputincoding_assistants/claude/plugins/outputai/skills/output-debug-workflowat commita4f6bd4

License: No license

Content belongs to its original authors. SourceWeft indexes it from a public repository.

Report or request removal

Output Debug Workflow Agent Skill | SourceWeft