Debugging7 min read287 words
Stuck in the vibe coding doom loop? Stop asking the model to fix the last fix
One error becomes another, then the original returns. Here is how to break the chat cycle and debug AI-written code like an engineer.
Rehan Goraya
Founder & Head of Product Development · Published 15 Sept 2026
Every vibe coder knows the loop: paste an error, get a patch, hit a new error, ask again, and somehow revive the first bug. The model is not malicious — it lacks a stable picture of your system and will happily thrash the same files.
Escaping the loop is less about better prompts and more about restoring a debugging process the assistant can support instead of replace.
1. Reproduce once, in writing
Write the exact steps, expected result, and actual result. If you cannot reproduce outside the chat, the model is guessing. Stable reproduction is the end of half of all doom loops.
2. Isolate the layer before editing code
Is it network, auth, database, build config, or UI state? Binary-search with logs or temporary stubs. Asking “fix everything” invites shotgun edits.
3. One hypothesis, one change
Apply a single focused change, run the reproduction, keep or revert. Multi-file speculative rewrites are how bugs teleport.
4. Pin behaviour with a failing test or script
Even a tiny script that asserts the broken behaviour gives the model a target that does not drift. When the test passes, you are done — not when the chat sounds confident.
5. Feed structure, not only stack traces
Point the assistant at the owning module, related types, and recent commits. Paste architecture notes. Raw logs without context produce confident nonsense.
6. Reset the chat when the thread goes circular
Long threads accumulate contradictory instructions. Summarise what is known, open a fresh session, and forbid revisiting discarded approaches unless new evidence appears.
7. Keep a human gate on risky areas
Auth, payments, migrations, and delete paths deserve a slow read even when the model “fixed” them. Doom loops in those areas are expensive.
Questions people ask
- Debugging
- AI coding
- Cursor
- Workflow
Written by
Rehan Goraya
Founder & Head of Product Development, Fixthevibecode
Building software products since 2019. Every enquiry is read and answered by me personally, not by a sales team.
