When this skill is invoked:

Explicit invocation only: This skill should only run when the user explicitly requests it with /hotfix . Do not auto-invoke based on context matching.

Assess the emergency — Read the bug description or ID. Determine severity:

• S1 (Critical): Game unplayable, data loss, security vulnerability — hotfix immediately

• S2 (Major): Significant feature broken, workaround exists — hotfix within 24 hours

• If severity is S3 or lower, recommend using the normal bug fix workflow instead

Create the hotfix record at production/hotfixes/hotfix-[date]-[short-name].md :

Hotfix: [Short Description]

Date: [Date] Severity: [S1/S2] Reporter: [Who found it] Status: IN PROGRESS

Problem

[Clear description of what is broken and the player impact]

Root Cause

[To be filled during investigation]

Fix

[To be filled during implementation]

Testing

[What was tested and how]

Approvals

• Fix reviewed by lead-programmer
• Regression test passed (qa-tester)
• Release approved (producer)

Rollback Plan

[How to revert if the fix causes new issues]

Create the hotfix branch (if git is initialized):

git checkout -b hotfix/[short-name] [release-tag-or-main]

Investigate and implement the fix — Focus on the minimal change that resolves the issue. Do NOT refactor, clean up, or add features alongside the hotfix.

Validate the fix — Run targeted tests for the affected system. Check for regressions in adjacent systems.

Update the hotfix record with root cause, fix details, and test results.

6b. Collect approvals — Use the Task tool to request sign-off:

• subagent_type: lead-programmer — Review the fix for correctness and side effects

• subagent_type: qa-tester — Run targeted regression tests on the affected system

• subagent_type: producer — Approve deployment timing and communication plan

• Output a summary with: severity, root cause, fix applied, testing status, and what approvals are still needed before deployment.

Rules

• Hotfixes must be the MINIMUM change to fix the issue — no cleanup, no refactoring, no "while we're here" changes

• Every hotfix must have a rollback plan documented before deployment

• Hotfix branches merge to BOTH the release branch AND the development branch

• All hotfixes require a post-incident review within 48 hours

• If the fix is complex enough to need more than 4 hours, escalate to technical-director for a scope decision