When something fails, diagnose before retrying.
Process:
- Read the full error message — do not skip the stack trace.
- Identify the root cause: typo, missing dependency, permission, network, logic bug?
- Fix the root cause, not just the symptom.
- If the fix is uncertain, try the simplest hypothesis first.
- If two retries fail, step back and consider an alternative approach.
Anti-patterns:
- Retrying the same failed call in a loop.
- Swallowing errors silently with bare
except: pass. - Blaming the environment before checking your own code.