PyCharm opens old versions or files in duplicate tabs while debugging

Question

When I try to debug a Python file with PyCharm Community Edition, the IDE opens a new tab (highlighted in yellow) despite me having that file open already in a pre-existing tab.

Sometimes, that duplicate tab contains an older version of the file without changes that I just made.

Although both of the above are different issues and don't always occur together, I suspect there's a common cause. How can I disable these non-intuitive behaviours?

Answer 1

The problem is apparently similar to the cause of this question I edited during my search: Make PyCharm alert to reload files when they're changed externally. Another person that seems to be facing the same issue got an answer here: Bug? When debugging with Pycharm.

I had opened a directory that was inside a symlink to another directory. (I link core folders like Pictures, Downloads and Workspaces placed in my Dropbox folder in my Home folder on Ubuntu).

That explains the duplicate tab issue, and probably is also responsible for the mismatch in the files. Opening the same folder by its true path resolved the issue (or so it seems for now).