Cannot Reproduce
What it is
Cannot reproduce (often 'CNR' or 'works on my machine') is the outcome when engineers follow the reported steps and don't see the issue. It's common when the bug depends on a specific account's data, configuration, region, or timing.
Why it matters
CNR tickets are expensive. They bounce between customer, support, and engineering while the customer keeps hitting the problem. Most of them are reproducible once someone looks at the customer's actual environment instead of a clean test account.
Best practices
- Compare environments – Diff the customer's config, plan, feature flagsFeature FlagA switch that turns code paths on or off per customer without a deploy., and data shape against the test setup.
- Use production evidence – Search logsLogsTimestamped records of events a system emits as it runs. and traces for the customer's failing requests instead of trying to recreate them.
- Ask for a time window – Exact timestamps turn a needle-in-a-haystack search into a short query.
How Decimal helps
Decimal investigates against the customer's real logs, traces, and configuration, which is where most cannot-reproduce bugs actually live.