1 min lesson
Reproduce before you theorize
Tell someone how to act on this idea: "An issue you can't reproduce is an issue you can only guess about."
Step 1 of 3
Reproduce before you theorizethe step everyone wants to skip
An issue you can't reproduce is an issue you can only guess about. The pull is always to jump straight to a fix because you recognize the words. Resist it. A solid repro turns a vague "agent gives bad answers" into "on this 4-file repo, with this prompt, the agent ignores the open file 4 times out of 5" - and that sentence is most of the diagnosis.
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Advanced table
One variable at a time
One variable at a timebinary-search the problem space
When several things could be wrong, cut the space in half rather than poking at it. Bisect across whatever axis is cheapest to flip.
- Axis
- Version
- How to bisect
- Roll back to a prior Cursor build; test again
- What it rules in or out
- Regression introduced by an update
- Axis
- Extensions
- How to bisect
- Launch with extensions disabled, re-enable in halves
- What it rules in or out
- Third-party extension conflict
- Axis
- Model
- How to bisect
- Swap the selected model and rerun the same prompt
- What it rules in or out
- Model-specific quality or error
- Axis
- Workspace
- How to bisect
- Reproduce in a fresh minimal repo
- What it rules in or out
- Project size, rules or local config
- Axis
- Account
- How to bisect
- Try a second account or plan tier
- What it rules in or out
- Entitlement, billing or org policy
| Axis | How to bisect | What it rules in or out |
|---|---|---|
| Version | Roll back to a prior Cursor build; test again | Regression introduced by an update |
| Extensions | Launch with extensions disabled, re-enable in halves | Third-party extension conflict |
| Model | Swap the selected model and rerun the same prompt | Model-specific quality or error |
| Workspace | Reproduce in a fresh minimal repo | Project size, rules or local config |
| Account | Try a second account or plan tier | Entitlement, billing or org policy |
Flip exactly one column per test so the result actually means something.