The anti-AI. Every other tool gives you answers. Nietzschian Debugger confronts you with questions.
nietzschian-debugger (DilawarShafiq/nietzschian-debugger)
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nietzschian-debugger README
The project's README from github.com/DilawarShafiq/nietzschian-debugger. As one markdown file: README.md.
Nietzschian Debugger
"What doesn't kill your code makes it stronger."
The anti-AI. Every other tool gives you answers. Nietzschian Debugger confronts you with questions.
You paste your bug. It doesn't fix it. Instead, it:
- Challenges your assumptions about what's happening
- Forces you to confront the evidence you're avoiding
- Tears apart your weak reasoning until only truth remains
- Guides you to the "aha!" moment — YOUR moment, not the AI's
Why?
AI is making developers weaker. Copy-paste from ChatGPT, ship, repeat. Nobody understands their own code anymore. Nietzschian Debugger forges stronger developers — through struggle, not shortcuts.
"He who has a why to debug can bear almost any how."
Installation
# Published release (npm, v0.1.0)
npx nietzschian-debugger
# Current source (Python 3.10+)
pip install git+https://github.com/DilawarShafiq/nietzschian-debugger.git
nietzschian debug "your bug"
Requirements:
- Node.js >= 20 for the npm release, or Python >= 3.10 for the current source
- An Anthropic API key (BYOK — bring your own key)
Setup
Set your Anthropic API key:
# Linux / macOS
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."
# Windows (PowerShell)
$env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = "sk-ant-..."
# Windows (CMD)
set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
Quick Start
# Start a debugging session (default: nietzsche intensity)
nietzschian debug "My API returns 500 but only on Tuesdays"
# Gentle mode — for when you need guidance, not punishment
nietzschian debug --intensity socrates "My login endpoint fails randomly"
# Maximum intensity — for seniors who want pain
nietzschian debug --intensity zarathustra "Memory leak in production"
# Point it at specific code
nietzschian debug "Auth fails in ./src/middleware/auth.ts"
Three Intensity Levels
| Level | Style | Best For |
|---|---|---|
socrates |
Warm, guiding, scaffolded questions | Juniors, learning fundamentals |
nietzsche |
Direct, confrontational, no hand-holding | Daily debugging (default) |
zarathustra |
Brutal, adversarial, hostile to weak reasoning | Seniors who want real pain |
How a Session Looks
Nietzschian Debugger v0.1.0 — intensity: nietzsche
You: My login endpoint returns 403 for some users
Nietzschian: You say "some users." That's vague. What separates
the ones who fail from the ones who don't?
You: I'm not sure, it seems random
Nietzschian: "Random" is the word we use when we haven't looked
hard enough. What do the server logs say for the 403
responses? Go look. I'll wait.
You: Let me check... oh, they all have expired JWT tokens
Nietzschian: Now we're getting somewhere. Why would some users
have expired tokens while others don't? What changed
recently in your auth system?
You: ... oh. We changed the token TTL last week and didn't
invalidate existing sessions.
Nietzschian: There it is. You didn't need me to tell you — you
needed to be forced to look.
Session Complete — 4 questions to root cause (Solved)
Your Debugging Profile:
┣ Assumption-checking ██████████ strong
┣ Evidence-gathering ██████░░░░ moderate
┗ Root cause speed ████████░░ strong
"Man is something that shall be overcome."
— Friedrich Nietzsche
Session Commands
| Command | Effect |
|---|---|
solved or found it |
End session — you found the root cause |
I give up |
Get one lifeline question, then exit |
exit or quit |
Abandon session immediately |
Ctrl+C / Ctrl+D |
Force quit |
Features
- Never Gives Answers — Every response is a question. The tool will NEVER tell you the fix.
- Real Code Reading — Reference a file path and it reads YOUR actual code, not generic examples.
- Contextual Philosophy — Nietzsche when you're avoiding, Seneca when overwhelmed, Sun Tzu when you need strategy.
- Growth Score — Track your debugging skills across sessions with visual bar charts.
- Session History — All sessions saved locally in
.nietzschian/sessions/for trend tracking. - Sliding Context — Long sessions don't crash; older turns are transparently summarized.
The Philosophy
| Traditional AI | Nietzschian Debugger |
|---|---|
| "Here's the fix" | "What have you tried?" |
| Makes you dependent | Makes you dangerous |
| You learn nothing | You learn everything |
| Fast but shallow | Painful but permanent |
| AI gets smarter | YOU get smarter |
Who Is This For?
- Junior developers who want to actually learn, not just copy-paste
- Senior developers who miss the struggle that made them good
- Engineering managers who want their team thinking, not just prompting
- Bootcamp students building real debugging intuition
- Anyone who believes the best developer is a self-reliant one
Development
# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/DilawarShafiq/nietzschian-debugger.git
cd nietzschian-debugger
pip install -e ".[dev]"
# Run tests (121 tests)
pytest
# Run the CLI locally
nietzschian debug "test problem"
Tech Stack
- Python >= 3.10
- Claude API via the Anthropic SDK
- Click for the CLI, Rich for the terminal UI
- pytest for testing
License
MIT