Very Bizarre Clone Stamp Behavior / Bug

[ThioJoe]

Context: I was experimenting with random stuff to try and find a technique for getting a better hair selection. I used the Quick Selection and Refine Mask for a smooth outline of me in the main layer (conveniently named "6I7A2391 copy 4"), and then used the color range tool to make a separate mask layer, then I was going to try and combine them somehow. So in the video below you see a white layer I made by converting the aformentioned color-range mask into a raster layer, which I figured I'd try to copy into the other layer's mask with the clone stamp tool (using "current and below" sample mode).

Bug / Behavior: Better to just see the video. The clone stamp tool starts cloning from, well I have no idea where lol. Expected behavior was copy the raster pixels from the below layer into the mask of the currently selected layer (with mask viewing mode enabled, or whatever it's called).

[J453]

I would first try resetting the clone tool. Instructions here: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/basic-troubleshooting.html#tool

I've that simple change doesn't help, let's make sure we're in a default state and there are no stale setting somewhere:
Restore your preferences using this manual method:
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/preferences.html#Manually
Does it work correctly?
If that doesn't solve it, you can quit Photoshop and put the Settings folder back.
If it does solve the problem, I would like to get the folder of settings to try and figure out what is bad with them.

[ThioJoe · Accepted solution]

I had tried the method for removing the settings folder, but it didn't make a difference.

However now a few days later, the strange behavior is gone, so it basically fixed itself.

Random Extra Info:

I've restarted my computer multiple times since then, so not sure if that would have fixed it in the first place (I should have tested it). Also I forgot to take note of the Photoshop version number at the time, but it would have been the latest version for that date, so I'm not sure if there have been any updates that would have changed it, but the current version is: Adobe Photoshop Version: 23.3.1 20220419.r.426 4d24a4c x64

I suspect it might have been a weird caching issue, because I noticed when it was acting weird, there were distinct square-shaped regions that were different (that I assume are Cache Tiles) it seemed to be pulling from randomly.