it works on my machine
/ɪt wɜːrks ɒn maɪ məˈʃiːn/
Very CommonWhat a developer says when code passes locally but breaks in staging, production, or anyone else's environment.
Mostly self-deprecating or accusatory depending on who says it. Saying it unironically is considered a red flag. Used ironically it signals awareness of the joke.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | prod is down. dev says it works on his machine. classic | The classic scenario played out again: code fails in production while the developer cannot reproduce it. | x, 2023 |
| 02 | just ship the machine bro | If the only environment where it works is the dev's laptop, just deploy the laptop. | |
| 03 | three hours in and the fix is that it only works on my machine. i hate this job | The developer found the bug was environment-specific to their local setup. | x, 2024 |
| 04 | did you run it locally? it works on my machine so idk what to tell you | Dismissing a bug report by citing personal inability to reproduce it. |
Use it when
- Code passes locally but fails in CI, staging, or production.
- Mocking someone who dismisses a bug report because they cannot reproduce it.
- Self-deprecating humor about environment-dependent code.
Do not use it when
- You are genuinely trying to explain an environment difference without irony.
- You want to seriously describe a reproducibility problem.Use “environment mismatch” instead.
Variations and related forms
Origin and context
A long-running developer saying that predates internet forums. Gained meme status in the 2010s with widespread use on Reddit and developer Twitter. Its origin is informal and untraceable to a single source.
- First seen
- 2000s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/it-works-on-my-machineUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0