---
answer: direct
beat: dev-practices
source: 1 article · updated: October 8, 2026
---

Should every failed test trigger git reset --hard?

No. Preserve user work and inspect the failure first. A destructive reset is only appropriate inside a disposable, recoverable environment whose contents are understood.

Answered in

Context Rot and Coding-Agent Loops: Recovering Without Losing Work

Long contexts and repeated failed edits derail coding agents. Bounded retries, useful summaries and recoverable checkpoints help, without guaranteeing success.

Crashtech Editorial October 7, 2026 Development Best Practices

Read the full analysis

Other questions this article answers

More development best practices questions

Every answer on Crashtech is written by the editor of the article it comes from — never auto-summarised. Browse all answers or the Development Best Practices beat.