Use when multiple fix attempts fail and you need to systematically restore to a working baseline and reimplement instead of fixing broken code.
Limited to specific tools
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name: baseline-restorer description: Use when multiple fix attempts fail and you need to systematically restore to a working baseline and reimplement instead of fixing broken code. allowed-tools:
Enforces methodical problem-solving by reverting to last known working state and reimplementing step-by-step instead of trying to fix accumulated broken changes.
When something breaks after multiple failed fix attempts:
# Find last known working state
git log --oneline -20
git show origin/beta:path/to/file.sh # Check beta/main branch
git diff origin/beta -- path/to/file.sh # What changed?
# Verify baseline works
git stash
git checkout origin/beta -- path/to/file.sh
# Test it - does it work?
# Get exact differences
git diff baseline..current -- path/to/file.sh
# Understand each change
# For EACH diff hunk, ask:
# - Why was this changed?
# - What problem was it trying to solve?
# - Did it actually solve that problem?
# Hard revert to working state
git checkout origin/beta -- path/to/file.sh
git add path/to/file.sh
git commit -m "Revert to working baseline from beta"
# Verify baseline works
./test-locally.sh
# Must pass before proceeding
Critical: Don't proceed until baseline is verified working.
Make ONE small change
# Example: Replace sed with awk in ONE function
# Don't change 5 things at once
Test locally immediately
./run-generation-script.sh
terraform validate
# Must pass before committing
Commit if working
git add changed-file.sh
git commit -m "Replace sed with awk in function X"
If it breaks, revert immediately
git reset --hard HEAD~1
# Try different approach or understand why it broke
Repeat for next change
# Run full test suite
make test
terraform validate
# Compare with original broken state
# Did we achieve the goal without breaking things?
# Push only after local verification
git push
Before committing ANY change:
# Made 10 changes trying to "optimize" variable filtering
# Each fix broke something new
# Spent day+ debugging
# Check beta branch - does it work?
git show origin/beta:terraform/build-module.sh > /tmp/beta-version.sh
bash /tmp/beta-version.sh # Verify it works
# Revert to beta version
git checkout origin/beta -- terraform/build-module.sh
# Now reimplement ONLY what's needed (e.g., sed→awk for portability)
# One function at a time, test each change
# Assume it's a CI environment issue
# Try 5 different "fixes" based on guesses
# Each creates new errors
# Find last passing pipeline
git log --oneline | head -20
# Check what changed since then
git diff <last-passing-commit>
# Revert suspicious changes
# Test locally before pushing
# Find working baseline
git log --oneline --all | grep "known working feature"
git show origin/beta:path/to/file
# Compare with baseline
git diff origin/beta -- path/to/file
git diff <working-commit> -- path/to/file
# Revert to baseline
git checkout origin/beta -- path/to/file
git checkout <working-commit> -- path/to/file
# Test locally
terraform validate
mix test
yarn test
# Verify no changes after running script
git diff # Should be empty if script is idempotent