Why progress can go backwards
A dirty toothbrush can put dirt back onto a cartridge instead of removing it. The bars on the back of the toothbrush show its dirt level. If progress falls while you keep brushing, check the tool before spending more time on the same groove.
This is different from a job that simply stops near completion. Cleaning the tool deals with dirt being reapplied; autocomplete deals with the final cleaning threshold.
Clean the brush and recheck the same area
- Stop brushing the cartridge when the percentage starts falling.
- Check the bars on the back of the toothbrush.
- Move the toothbrush to the sponge on the desk and wipe it there. Recheck the bars before returning to the cartridge.
- Brush the same dirty area again and watch whether progress resumes. Cleaning the tool does not instantly finish the cartridge.
For an example, watch the toothbrush and sponge sequence from 6:48. The progress in that demonstration falls from 44% to 41%, then returns to 44% after the sponge visit and resumed brushing.
If the cartridge is still near 99%
In Demo Patch 6, autocomplete requires dirt, ink, scratches and stickers each to reach at least 99%. A single overall percentage does not show that all four layers have reached the threshold.
Check the Accessibility autocomplete setting if you want the automatic finish. If you have turned it off, the automatic finish will not trigger. The earlier 99.5% average rule is not the Patch 6 rule.
See the demo content and autocomplete guide for the patch details.
Keep separate problems separate
The epic Toro 2 PAL cartridge had a specific groove problem. Patch 3 changed that cartridge’s shell to NTSC. That is a separate change from cleaning a dirty toothbrush; read the Toro 2 explanation if that is your cartridge.
The developer also mentioned checking whether an older, hard-to-see white-dirt bug had returned. That was an investigation, not confirmation that every progress drop is a new bug. Start with the dirty-tool check; a different symptom may need a different explanation.
Do not treat the demo’s $9999 upgrade restriction as a requirement to buy a stronger brush before trying this check.