fix-issue

name: fix-issue description: Analyze a GitHub issue, explore related code, and propose or implement a fix. Use when the user asks to investigate, fix, or resolve a GitHub issue. user-invocable: true argument-hint: "" allowed-tools: Bash, Read, Edit, Write, Glob, Grep, WebFetch, Task

Analyze and Fix a GitHub Issue

Given a GitHub issue number, investigate the problem, find the relevant code, and either propose or implement a fix.

Arguments

$ARGUMENTS — the GitHub issue number (e.g., 509). If not provided, ask the user.

Phase 1: Understand the Issue

Read the issue and extract key information:

gh issue view $ARGUMENTS --repo stillwater-sc/universal --json title,body,labels,state,comments

From the issue, identify:

• What's broken or missing — the core problem statement
• Which number type(s) are affected (posit, cfloat, lns, fixpnt, dd, qd, ereal, etc.)
• Which subsystem — api, conversion, arithmetic, math, operator<<, exceptions, etc.
• Severity — crash, wrong results, missing feature, documentation, performance
• Labels — enhancement, bug, help wanted, Epic, etc.
• Any code snippets or reproduction steps in the issue body or comments

Phase 2: Locate Related Code

Based on the issue analysis, search the codebase:

1. Find the relevant type's implementation:

   include/sw/universal/number/TYPE/TYPE_impl.hpp
   

2. Search for keywords from the issue:

   • Function names, error messages, type names mentioned in the issue
   • Use Grep and Glob to find related files

3. Check existing tests for the affected area:

   static/{category}/TYPE/api/
   static/{category}/TYPE/arithmetic/
   static/{category}/TYPE/conversion/
   static/{category}/TYPE/math/
   

   Examples: static/fixpnt/binary/api/, static/tapered/posit/api/, static/block/microfloat/api/

4. Check if there's a related PR or branch:

   gh pr list --repo stillwater-sc/universal --state all --search "related keywords"
   

Phase 3: Assess Complexity

Classify the fix:

Phase 4: Implement the Fix

For Trivial/Moderate fixes:

1. Create a feature branch:

   git checkout -b fix/issue-NNN-short-description
   

2. Make the code changes — follow existing patterns in the codebase

3. Build and test with BOTH compilers:

   • Build with gcc: cmake --build --preset gcc-debug --target TARGET
   • Run gcc test
   • Build with clang: cmake --build --preset clang-debug --target TARGET
   • Run clang test
   • NEVER skip the clang build — CI uses clang and it catches different issues

4. Run related regression tests to check for regressions

5. Commit with a descriptive message referencing the issue:

   fix(TYPE): description of what was fixed
   
   Resolves #NNN
   

6. Push and create a draft PR:

   git push -u origin fix/issue-NNN-short-description
   gh pr create --draft --title "fix(TYPE): short description" --body "..."
   

   Always create PRs as draft — this skips the expensive CI jobs (sanitizers, coverage, full 11-platform matrix) and only runs the fast tier (gcc + clang CI_LITE, ~8 min). When the user is satisfied, they promote with gh pr ready NNN.

For Significant/Epic issues:

1. Present a structured analysis:

   ## Issue #NNN: Title
   
   ### Root Cause
   [explanation]
   
   ### Affected Files
   - file1.hpp:line — what needs to change
   - file2.cpp:line — what needs to change
   
   ### Proposed Approach
   [step-by-step plan]
   
   ### Estimated Scope
   [number of files, complexity assessment]
   
   ### Risks
   [what could go wrong, what to watch for]
   

2. Ask the user how to proceed

Critical Rules

Build Safety

• ONE build at a time, max -j4
• Check pgrep -a 'make|cmake|ninja' before building
• Test with BOTH gcc AND clang

Code Quality

• Follow existing patterns — read similar implementations before writing
• Number types must be trivially constructible (no in-class initializers)
• Exception hierarchy: number types inherit universal_*, internal blocks inherit std::runtime_error
• Don't use constexpr on constructors that call math functions

Portability Pitfalls

• Don't use long double bit-shift division — use std::ldexp()
• Always initialize blockbinary temporaries (clang doesn't zero stack)
• MSVC has no operator long double() on blocksignificand
• MinGW has IPA ICF bugs with multiple template instantiations

Issue Communication

• If the user explicitly asks to notify the issue thread when starting work:

  gh issue comment NNN --repo stillwater-sc/universal --body "Working on this. Plan: [brief description of approach]"
  

• If the user explicitly asks to notify the issue after opening a PR, post a follow-up summary:

  gh issue comment NNN --repo stillwater-sc/universal --body "Implemented [summary] in PR #PPP."
  

• Do not comment on issues automatically; always ask for confirmation first.
• Reference the issue number in commits: Resolves #NNN or Fixes #NNN
• If the fix is partial, use Relates to #NNN instead
• Don't close Epic issues with a single PR — they track multi-step efforts

Common Issue Patterns