{
  "id": 10348719,
  "title": "Finding Duplicate Functions by Executing Them, Not Reading Them",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/finding-duplicate-functions-by-executing-them-not-reading-them",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-28T03:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/megapixel99/finding-duplicate-functions-by-executing-them-not-reading-them-20bf"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Assay-checks is a tool that detects duplicate functions by executing them, not reading their code. The utility first runs a series of predefined test cases on each function and compares the results. If two functions produce identical output vectors, they are considered duplicates. This method effectively identifies functions that differ by only a single predicate, such as isalpha vs. isalnum, without resorting to textual analysis of the code or its names. The tool's design ensures that comparisons focus on the actual execution of the functions, rather than their source code or naming conventions.",
  "summary": "Code: Megapixel99/assay-checks assay asks two questions about work that already passes its tests: could those tests have failed, and does the tree already answer this? The first half audits mutation harnesses, and an earlier post put its central property to four real frameworks; this one is about the second half, which hunts duplication by running code rather than reading it. pip install…",
  "key_points": [
    "Assay-checks detects duplicate functions by executing them, not reading code.",
    "Tool runs predefined test cases on each function and compares results.",
    "Identifies functions differing by a single predicate, e.g., isalpha vs. isalnum."
  ],
  "editors_take": "This approach shifts the focus of duplicate detection from static code analysis to dynamic execution, allowing for the identification of functionally identical code that may evade traditional text-based detection methods.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}