A variant row leaves one option empty while others fill it. Shopify cannot build a variant matrix with holes in it.
Design the matrix before writing the file. Three options means every row carries all three.
The free Shopify CSV checker names the exact line for each problem. The paid Rescue Kit adds 20 more error cases, a template in Shopify's column order, and the same checker as a script for your pipeline.
See the Rescue Kit →