When you hit a cryptic error message, don’t Google it. Paste it into your Copilot chat.
But here’s the key: ask for the explanation first, not the fix.
“Here’s the error I’m getting: [paste]. Explain what’s causing this before suggesting a fix.”
The explanation often reveals the real issue — not the symptom the error message describes. Once you understand the root cause, the fix usually becomes obvious. And when it doesn’t, you can follow up with /fix on the problematic code.
Two shortcuts that save time:
/explain— select the code, type/explain, get a plain-language breakdown@terminal(VS Code only) — reference your terminal output directly in Chat. Copilot sees the error in context
GitHub proposes: “Instead of asking ‘What’s wrong with this function?’ try ‘Why is this function returning undefined when the input is valid?’” Specificity gets you better answers.
💡 Try this: Next time you hit a stack trace, paste it into Copilot chat and ask “explain this error” before you ask for a fix.
🔗 How to debug code with GitHub Copilot
Got a debugging workflow that works for you?