[gnaritas]

> Short circuit returns are the devil

No, they're not.

> they make it much harder to factor out part of a function into a smaller function

They generally make the function smaller, that's what guard clauses are for.

> A function should have one entry point and one exit point

That's absurd and makes for very ugly and unnecessary code.

[lmm]

> They generally make the function smaller, that's what guard clauses are for.

My point is: frequently, one wants to extract a part from the middle of a function to make a new function. This is very easy (and can usually be done automatically) unless said part contains a return.

[gnaritas]

Suffering the unbearable burden of a single exit point just so your refactoring tool has an easier time breaking up the code isn't a trade worth making, especially when it's the single exit point that's probably making it too long to begin with.