Multiple plausible-sounding theories for a bug each turned out to be wrong when actually tested – time was spent building fixes for theories that sounded right but weren’t confirmed first.
Bisect to an Empty Baseline Before Trusting Any Single Theory
Field Note #269
⚡ Quick Fix (TL;DR)
The Culprit: Reasoning about what code "looks like" it might be responsible for a bug is a weaker signal than actually testing it – several confident-sounding explanations (a specific function call, a naming collision, an execution-order issue) were each individually ruled out once tested directly.
The Fix: Reducing the suspect code down to the smallest possible non-functional stub, confirming that baseline works, then adding pieces back one at a time until it breaks again pinpoints the exact cause directly, rather than guessing based on appearance.
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