# Repeated Workarounds Are Unfiled Bug Reports ## Claim A repeated configuration workaround is an unfiled bug report because users encode the behavior they couldn't get the product to fix. <!-- atomicity: 1 idea ✓ --> ## Evidence > [!quote] > "In 90% of cases, it means something is broken in Rector and the user had to skip it to avoid unwanted changes over and over." Rector's skip sections preserve a structured record of which rules users repeatedly disable, giving maintainers product feedback even when no issue was opened. ## Scope & conditions - **Holds** when configuration contains repeated exceptions tied to named features, files, or rules. - **Strongest** when many repositories encode the same exception pattern independently. - **Weaker** when skips express personal preference rather than incorrect product behavior. ## Links - [[3. Resources/Permanent Notes/Friction Logging Is the DevRel Equivalent of Code Review]] — workaround mining reads the passive friction log users leave in configuration instead of asking them to recreate the journey - [[3. Resources/Permanent Notes/Maintainer Attention Is the Scarce Resource in Open Source]] — aggregating repeated exceptions helps maintainers spend limited attention on already-demonstrated pain - [[DevRel MOC]] — home for developer feedback loops that turn observed friction into product and documentation work - [[3. Resources/Literature Notes/The Developer Advocate's Guide to Addressing Product Friction]] — contrasts: an advocate-led friction audit makes recurring workarounds explicit before they remain hidden as passive configuration evidence. ## Source - [[3. Resources/Readwise/Articles/How I use Agents to Extract Hidden Feedback from Github and Improved Rector]] — Tomas Votruba, 2026; Rector skip sections as hidden feedback and agent-assisted triage.