Based on the insights gained from our analysis, we strongly suggest that, for AFE simulations, researchers should establish comprehensive and system-specific rigorous validation protocols, e.g, t-tests on comparisons with 0.5 fs simulations. This is particularly crucial before employing a timestep greater than 2.0 fs for production-level simulations, as the use of larger timesteps without proper validation can potentially lead to inaccuracies and unreliable results in the calculated free energies.