If what you're looking for is a specific breakage or result that doesn't depend on something "working", then each commit does not necessarily need to be working

If what you're looking for is a specific breakage or result that doesn't depend on something "working", then each commit does not necessarily need to be working. You may also want to read about the git-bisect feature "old/new" which could help if you're just looking for a change and not a breakage.