claudegoodies
Skill

rest-graphql-debug

From NousResearch

Debug REST/GraphQL APIs: status codes, auth, schemas, repro.

Facts

Repository
NousResearch/hermes-agent
Status
Actively maintained
Last commit
Source file
optional-skills/software-development/rest-graphql-debug/SKILL.md

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The instructions Claude Code reads when this skill runs.

# API Testing & Debugging

Drive REST and GraphQL diagnosis through Hermes tools — `terminal` for `curl`, `execute_code` for Python `requests`, `web_extract` for vendor docs. Isolate the failing layer before guessing at the fix.

## When to Use

- API returns unexpected status or body
- Auth fails (401/403 after token refresh, OAuth, API key)
- Works in Postman but fails in code
- Webhook / callback integration debugging
- Building or reviewing API integration tests
- Rate limiting or pagination issues

Skip for UI rendering, DB query tuning, or DNS/firewall infra (escalate).

## Core Principle

**Isolate the layer, then fix.** A 200 OK can hide broken data. A 500 can mask a one-character auth typo. Walk the chain in order; never skip a step.

```
1. Connectivity   → can we reach the host at all?
1.5 Timeouts      → connect-slow vs read-slow?
2. TLS/SSL        → cert valid and trusted?
3. Auth           → credentials correct and unexpired?
4. Request format → payload shape match server expectations?
5. Response parse → does our code accept what came back?
6. Semantics      → does the data mean what we assume?
```

## 5-Minute Quickstart

### REST via terminal

```python
# Verbose request/response exchange
terminal('curl -v https://api.example.com/users/1')

# POST with JSON
terminal("""curl -X POST https://api.example.com/users \\
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \\
  -H "
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