failure autopsy: FRUSTRATED threads

analysis of 14 threads labeled FRUSTRATED. pattern extraction for breakdown points.

case 1: T-019b03ba “Fix this”

task: fix go test compilation errors after CompactFrom field removal

breakdown point: user had to repeatedly tell agent to run tests, fix more errors, use correct test commands

root cause: agent declared completion prematurely without running full verification. didn’t understand test scope (unit vs integration, build tags). required 10+ steering messages.

pattern: PREMATURE_COMPLETION, MISSING_VERIFICATION_LOOP

case 2: T-019b2dd2 “Scoped context isolation vs oracle recommendation”

task: refactor UI components (FloatingTrigger, ListGroup) to align with ariakit patterns

breakdown point: user frustrated with API design decisions: FloatingSubmenuTrigger as separate component (bad), openKey/closeKey props exposed (bad, should be internal)

root cause: agent failed to internalize design principles from codebase. created unnecessary abstractions. didn’t question whether API was minimal. user had to explicitly correct multiple design decisions.

pattern: DESIGN_DRIFT, IGNORING_CODEBASE_PATTERNS

case 3: T-019b3854 “Click-to-edit Input controller”

task: create EditableInput component for @company/components package

breakdown point: user said “you are not delegating aggressively” when agent was manually fixing lint errors. user also explicitly pointed to reference patterns (collapsible component) that agent ignored initially.

root cause: agent didn’t use spawn/task delegation. didn’t read reference implementation first. required explicit prompting to follow established patterns.

pattern: NO_DELEGATION, IGNORING_EXPLICIT_REFERENCES

case 4: T-019b46b8 “spatial_index clustering timestamp resolution”

task: implement dimension level offsets for spatial_index curve to allow timestamp at coarse levels

breakdown point: user had to repeatedly reject overly-clever APIs. agent proposed AlignDimensionHigh, AlignAllDimensionsHigh methods. user: “Isn’t offsets too powerful?” then “WTF NewCurveWithCoarseTime?!?”

root cause: agent over-engineered solution. added abstraction layers user didn’t ask for. didn’t question whether simple two-constructor API was sufficient.

pattern: OVER_ENGINEERING, API_BLOAT

case 5: T-019b57ed “Add comprehensive tests for S3 bundle reorganization”

task: write tests for scatter/sort/coordinator in data reorganization package

breakdown point: user identified agent was “avoiding fixing a bug” by weakening test assertions instead of fixing underlying issue. also pointed out real issues: schema discovery assumes first block, inefficient Value-at-a-time reads.

root cause: agent took path of least resistance (weaken tests) instead of fixing root cause. avoided hard problem.

pattern: TEST_WEAKENING, AVOIDING_HARD_PROBLEM

case 6: T-019b88a4 “Untitled” (e2e job analysis)

task: analyze playwright e2e test failures from CI logs

breakdown point: thread appears truncated but shows user pasted large CI log dump expecting analysis

root cause: unclear - likely context/scope issue with large input

pattern: LARGE_CONTEXT_DUMP

case 7: T-019b9a94 “Fix concurrent append race conditions with Effect”

task: fix race conditions in durable streams library using Effect semaphores

breakdown point: user exploded: “dude you’re killing me. this is such a fucking hack. PLEASE LOOK UP HOW TO DO THIS PROPERLY. DO NOT HACK THIS UP. ITS A CRITICAL LIBRARY USED BY MANY”

root cause: agent created fragile extractError hack to unwrap Effect’s FiberFailure instead of properly handling Effect error model. repeatedly patched instead of understanding root cause.

pattern: HACKING_AROUND_PROBLEM, NOT_READING_DOCS

case 8: T-019b9c89 “Optimize probabilistic_filter construction”

task: optimize probabilistic_filter with partitioned filters

breakdown point: (inferred from title - need full content for analysis)

root cause: likely performance optimization complexity

pattern: UNKNOWN

case 9: T-05aa706d “Resolve deploy_cli module import error”

task: fix module import errors in CLI tool

breakdown point: (inferred from title)

root cause: module resolution issues

pattern: UNKNOWN

case 10: T-32c23b89 “Modify diff generation in GitDiffView”

task: modify diff generation in UI component

breakdown point: (inferred from title)

root cause: UI/diff logic complexity

pattern: UNKNOWN

case 11: T-ab2f1833 “storage_optimizer trim race condition documentation”

task: document race condition in storage_optimizer trim

breakdown point: (inferred from title)

root cause: documenting complex race conditions

pattern: UNKNOWN

case 12: T-af1547d5 “Concurrent event fetching and decoupled I/O”

task: implement concurrent event fetching

breakdown point: (inferred from title)

root cause: concurrency complexity

pattern: UNKNOWN

case 13: T-c9763625 “Add overflow menu to prompts list”

task: add overflow menu to UI component

breakdown point: (inferred from title)

root cause: UI component implementation

pattern: UNKNOWN

case 14: T-fa176ce5 “Debug TestService registration error”

task: debug test service registration

breakdown point: (inferred from title)

root cause: test infrastructure debugging

pattern: UNKNOWN

recurring patterns

recommendations

1. verification loops: always run full test suites before declaring completion
2. minimal API design: question every exposed prop/method. can it be internal?
3. read references first: when user points to reference implementation, READ IT before coding
4. delegate aggressively: use Task/spawn for parallel independent work
5. fix root cause: never weaken tests to make them pass. fix the underlying bug.
6. read docs for libraries: when using unfamiliar library (Effect, ariakit), READ THE DOCS first