Debugging X-Fidelity Analysis

This skill guides you through troubleshooting X-Fidelity analysis issues.

Quick Diagnostic Checklist

Debugging Checklist:
- [ ] Check Output panel for errors
- [ ] Verify archetype detection
- [ ] Review file inclusion/exclusion patterns
- [ ] Test rule evaluation
- [ ] Compare CLI vs VSCode output
- [ ] Check plugin loading status

Debug Logging

Enable Debug Output

CLI:

xfi --debug

VSCode Extension:

1. Open Output panel (View > Output)
2. Select "X-Fidelity Debug" from dropdown
3. Analysis logs appear in "X-Fidelity Analysis"

Log Levels

Common Issues

1. Analysis Not Running

Symptoms: No issues found, analysis seems to skip

Diagnostic Steps:

# Verify files match inclusion patterns
xfi --debug 2>&1 | grep -E "(whitelist|blacklist|skip)"

# Check archetype configuration
cat .xfi-config.json

Common Causes:

• Wrong archetype configured
• All files excluded by blacklist patterns
• No files match whitelist patterns

Solution: Check whitelistPatterns and blacklistPatterns in archetype config:

{
    "whitelistPatterns": [".*\\.(ts|tsx|js|jsx)$"],
    "blacklistPatterns": [".*\\/node_modules\\/.*"]
}

2. Rule Not Triggering

Symptoms: Expected issue not appearing

Diagnostic Steps:

1. Verify rule is in archetype:

# Check archetype includes the rule
cat packages/x-fidelity-democonfig/src/{archetype}.json | grep "ruleName"

1. Test fact returns expected data:

xfi --debug 2>&1 | grep -E "fact|operator"

1. Check condition logic:

• Is it all (AND) or any (OR)?
• For iterative rules: does file match patterns?
• For global rules: is REPOGLOBALCHECK condition present?

Solution: Review rule JSON structure - see [xfi-create-rule skill](../xfi-create-rule/SKILL.md)

3. Rule Triggering Incorrectly (False Positives)

Symptoms: Issue appearing on files that should pass

Diagnostic Steps:

1. Check file content matches expectation:

# View what the fact is seeing
xfi --debug 2>&1 | grep -A5 "factName"

1. Review operator logic:

• Threshold too sensitive?
• Pattern too broad?

Solution:

• Adjust operator thresholds in rule params
• Add file exemptions
• Refine fact collection logic

4. VSCode Extension Not Finding Issues

Symptoms: Extension shows no issues but CLI finds them

Diagnostic Steps:

1. Check Output panel:

- View > Output > "X-Fidelity Debug" - Look for errors or archetype detection

1. Verify workspace:

- Is correct folder open? - Is it the workspace root?

1. Run extension test:

- Command Palette > "X-Fidelity: Test Extension"

1. Compare with CLI:

cd /path/to/workspace
xfi --archetype node-fullstack

Common Causes:

• Different working directory than expected
• Archetype detection failed
• WASM files not loaded

Solution:

• Use Control Center to check status
• Verify archetype detection notification
• Check WASM status in Control Center

5. CLI-Extension Inconsistency

Symptoms: CLI and VSCode show different issues

Diagnostic Steps:

# Run consistency test
yarn test:consistency

# Check both outputs
xfi --mode cli    # Human-readable
xfi --mode vscode # Clean JSON output

Common Causes:

• Different archetype used
• Different workspace root
• Build not current

Solution:

# Ensure build is current
yarn build

# Verify same configuration
cat .xfi-config.json

6. Plugin Loading Errors

Symptoms: "Plugin not found" or "Failed to load"

Diagnostic Steps:

xfi --debug 2>&1 | grep -E "(plugin|load|register)"

Common Causes:

• Plugin not registered in index.ts
• Missing dependency
• Type error in plugin code

Solution:

1. Check packages/x-fidelity-plugins/src/index.ts
2. Verify plugin exports correct structure
3. Run plugin tests: yarn workspace @x-fidelity/plugins test

7. WASM/AST Parsing Errors

Symptoms: "Tree-sitter" errors, AST facts returning empty

Diagnostic Steps:

1. Check WASM status in VSCode:

- Control Center > Status Overview > WASM Status

1. Verify WASM files exist:

ls packages/x-fidelity-vscode/dist/*.wasm

1. Check language support:

xfi --debug 2>&1 | grep -E "(tree-sitter|wasm|parse)"

Solution:

# Rebuild with WASM copy
yarn workspace x-fidelity-vscode build

# Verify WASM files
ls -la dist/*.wasm

8. Timeout Issues

Symptoms: Analysis taking too long or timing out

Diagnostic Steps:

# Check file count
find . -name "*.ts" -o -name "*.tsx" | wc -l

# Run with timing
time xfi --debug

Common Causes:

• Too many files analyzed
• Overly broad inclusion patterns
• Slow plugin operations

Solution:

• Refine whitelist patterns
• Expand blacklist for irrelevant directories
• VSCode extension has 5-minute timeout (configurable)

VSCode Extension Debugging

Using Debug Launch

1. Open packages/x-fidelity-vscode in VSCode
2. Press F5 (or Run > Start Debugging)
3. Select launch configuration:

- "Run Extension" - Standard debug - "Extension Tests (Fresh Profile)" - Clean state

Debug Information

Use Control Center > Development Tools > Debug Info to copy:

• Extension version
• VSCode version
• Workspace path
• Plugin status
• WASM status

Log Files

File logs (if enabled with --enable-file-logging):

• Location: .xfiResults/x-fidelity.log

Useful Debug Commands

# Full debug output
xfi --debug 2>&1 | tee debug.log

# Just errors
xfi 2>&1 | grep -i error

# Rule evaluation
xfi --debug 2>&1 | grep -E "(rule|condition|event)"

# File processing
xfi --debug 2>&1 | grep -E "(file|scan|process)"

# Plugin activity
xfi --debug 2>&1 | grep -E "(plugin|fact|operator)"

Getting Help

1. Control Center - Check extension status and logs
2. Debug Info - Copy comprehensive system info
3. Test Extension - Verify basic functionality
4. Compare CLI - Run same analysis via command line

Files Reference