"set -x" is a life saver for debugging. Also "set -euo pipefail" so a script just exits on errors or unexpected behavior. If done well you can really reign in s

"set -x" is a life saver for debugging. Also "set -euo pipefail" so a script just exits on errors or unexpected behavior. If done well you can really reign in squirrely behavior. Bash has some odd behaviors and footguns but it can also be surprisingly reliable and versatile. Ive caught some seriously messed up stuff that I couldn't figure out otherwise, using set -x. Also shellcheck will forcefully hammer good practice into your head and catch a ton of hangups that are hard to know before making the mistakes. also setting backup variables is a good idea like: pictures="${pics_dir:-$HOME/Pictures}"