Evidence before conclusions
Reports, observations and conclusions are kept apart. An explanation becomes the answer only when the evidence supports it.
How it works
A systematic way to investigate software failures.
Mike Trace gives every bug a durable case file and a clear path from first symptom to verified fix. Developers and AI agents work through the same record, so investigation progress accumulates instead of resetting.
Four stages
A workflow designed to preserve progress.
TRACK, TRACE, TARGET and TACKLE aren't just steps to get through. Everything learned in an earlier stage remains part of the case, rather than disappearing between agents or sessions.
- 01
TRACK
Capture the problem and the first evidence.
Open a case for the failure and record what was observed, what was expected, screenshots, and the environment it happened in. That starting evidence stays with the case for every investigator who follows.
- Human reports are kept in their own words
- Screenshots and observations attach to the case
- Expected versus observed is recorded up front
- 02
TRACE
Follow the evidence across boundaries.
Follow the failure through code paths, services and environments, and record what has been observed, attempted and disproved along the way, so nobody has to rediscover it.
- Competing explanations stay visible
- Failed approaches are evidence too
- Contradictions are surfaced instead of buried
- 03
TARGET
Narrow in on supported hypotheses.
Narrow the investigation toward the explanations the evidence actually supports. Ruled-out alternatives stay on record instead of being re-tested later.
- Claims are kept separate from evidence
- Ruled-out explanations remain documented
- The case for the cause is reviewable
- 04
TACKLE
Apply the fix and verify it.
Apply the intervention, verify it with fresh evidence, and close the case with a complete record of what happened and why, ready for the next time something similar breaks.
- Verification is evidence, not a status message
- Investigations close only when the story is complete
- The resolved case becomes lasting knowledge
Carried forward in the case
- What was observed
- What was attempted
- What was disproved
- What the evidence supports
- What was verified
A new session, a new teammate or a different agent starts from that record, not from a blank page.
A real-world flow
One investigation, stage by stage.
Here are the same four stages inside an ordinary agent session. You talk to your coding agent the way you already do. The agent investigates through Mike Trace, and the case quietly keeps the trail.
- Developer
Investigate this with Mike Trace. Uploaded images render fine, but the generated stones come out too small and drift toward the top-left corner.
- Codex
Opening a case first. I'll record the symptom in your words and reproduce it before touching any code.
-
Mike Trace Case MT-0009
- TRACK Symptom recorded as reported
- TRACK Reproduction captured: expected vs. observed placement
- Codex
The render path behaves as expected. An earlier change to the scaling step was supposed to fix this, but the reproduction still fails with it in place, so I am ruling that path out.
-
Mike Trace Case MT-0009
- TRACE Render path confirmed
- TRACE Scaling-step attempt disproved
- Codex
Stone positions are calculated at one resolution and drawn against an image at another. The coordinate conversion boundary is the strongest lead, and I have the evidence for it.
-
Mike Trace Case MT-0009
- TARGET Lead: DPI / coordinate conversion boundary
- TARGET Supporting evidence attached
- Codex
Testing a correction against the failing reproduction, then running the targeted regression test.
-
Mike Trace Case MT-0009
- TACKLE Fix tested against the reproduction
- TACKLE Regression test passed
- TACKLE Verification recorded
- Codex
Confirmed: the coordinate conversion used a DPI that did not match the image. The fix, its evidence and the ruled-out scaling attempt are all on the case if this ever comes back.
Illustrative session showing the intended workflow. The case number and details are examples, not a recorded customer investigation.
What you did
- Described the bug once, in your own words
- Read the answer
What the case kept
- The symptom and the reproduction
- The render path that was confirmed
- The earlier attempt that was disproved
- The evidence behind the cause
- The fix test and its verification
If a similar symptom shows up later, this case is there to consult, including the path that didn't work. Current evidence still has to confirm the new cause.
The case
Each problem gets a case.
A case is the persistent record for one problem. It has its own reference, such as MT-0009, lives inside a project in your account, and keeps everything learned during the investigation: reports, evidence, explanations, attempts, the latest handoff and the final resolution.
- Open a case when something breaks and describe what you saw
- Attach screenshots, observations and context as you go
- Let an authorized connected agent continue the investigation from the latest handoff
- Close it with the cause, the fix and the proof, kept for future reference
AccountYour isolated space in Mike Trace
WorkspaceA team, product line or client
ProjectAn application or service
CaseOne problem, investigated start to finish
Principles
What Mike Trace holds every investigation to.
Nothing learned is lost
Failed attempts and ruled-out explanations are part of the record. Every failed attempt should make the next attempt more informed.
Proof closes the case
An investigation is closed only when the fix has been verified with fresh evidence and the story is complete.
People authorize, agents assist
Agents can investigate, propose and document. Decisions about risky changes stay with the humans responsible for them.
Mission Control
A console built for investigations.
The Mike Trace Console will bring your cases, evidence and agent activity together in one professional view. It is in development; this is an illustrative preview.