Look for these signals that bit manipulation might help:
The problem mentions binary, bits, or powers of 2.
You need to represent subsets of a small set ().
You need to toggle, check, or modify individual flags or states.
The problem asks for space and involves finding unique elements or duplicates.
You need constant-time operations on small sets (bitmask DP).
If you see any of these patterns, consider whether bitwise operators could simplify your solution.