Follow a stack trace back to find whose file is failing

A red error shows up in the console and I can't tell if it's my own code or a script I added that's doing it.

Intermediate to advancedRead 7 minDoing: about twenty-five minutes7 steps

▶ Start

What you'll have at the end

A one-line answer: which exact file the error came from, and whether it is yours.

Before you start

You need

A page open in Chrome with a red console error, where at least one script tag on that page loads a file from a different domain: a CDN, an analytics tag, or a vendor widget.

Not covered

Fixing the bug once you know which function threw it; this only gets you to the correct file, line, and owner, not the code change itself.

Leans on

Chrome DevTools Cheat SheetThe Console's stack traces and the Sources panel's ignore list are the two features this whole recipe walks through.
HTML Cheat SheetThe crossorigin attribute on a script tag is what decides whether the browser hands you a real trace or hides it behind a masked message.

7 steps

Checked 21 Aug 2026

Part of the Chrome DevTools cookbook