Stuck in a fix loop: stop, go back, ask once
After two fixes that don’t work, stop. Go back to the last version that worked, then ask once more in a fresh chat. This page explains why, and how to do each step without writing code.
What a fix loop feels like
You ask the AI to fix a bug. It says it fixed it. It is still broken, or something else broke. You ask again. It changes more things. The same error comes back, or a new one shows up, and your credits or messages keep going down. That is a loop that has stopped moving forward.
The rule: after two failed fixes, stop
Two tries is enough to tell whether the AI understands the problem. After that, every new try is built on top of the tries that failed, so asking again in the same chat tends to pile up more changes, not fewer. Stopping is not giving up. It is how you get back to a place where one good request can work.
Go back to the last version that worked
Most AI app builders keep a history of versions, often called history, versions, checkpoints or restore. Find the last one where the app did what you wanted, and restore it. If your project is saved in Git, the same idea is called going back to an earlier commit; you can ask the AI to do it for you, in plain words: “Undo everything since the last version that worked.”
Then open the app and check that it really works again before you ask for anything new.
Ask once, in a fresh chat
Start a new chat so the failed tries are not in it. Give it one clear description of the problem:
- the whole error message, every line of it,
- what you expected to happen,
- the last thing you changed, and
- what you have already ruled out.
Hand It An Error is a ready-made form for exactly these four things. It also asks the AI to name the cause before it changes anything. When it says the fix is done, check that it is really done.
When to walk away for today
If the fresh chat’s fix does not work either, stop for the day. Keep the last version that worked, write down the error and what you tried, and come back later. If the problem is a service your app depends on, check whether it is down first; no prompt will fix that.
Questions
Why does a fresh chat help?
Each failed fix stays in the chat, and the next try reasons over it. A fresh chat starts from the working version and one clear description of the problem.
Do I lose my work if I go back?
You lose the changes made since that version, which is the point: those are the changes that did not work. Before you go back, copy anything you want to keep, like the error message or a piece of text you wrote, into a note.
The tool warned me I’m low on credits. Now what?
Stop asking it to fix the same bug. Go back to the last version that worked, then check your plan’s usage page to see what is left and when it resets. Spend what is left on one clear request in a fresh chat.
Is “keep trying” ever right?
Yes, while each try gets you somewhere new: the error changes, or one more part works. If you get the same error back, or something that used to work breaks, that is the loop. Stop.
Where to go next
- Hand It An Error — the form for asking once, clearly
- The AI said it’s done: how to check — once it says the bug is fixed
- The loop — ask, look, correct, ask again
- Is it down? — check the service before you blame your code