How to stop an AI coding tool stuck in a fix loop

Short answer: paste the prompt below into your AI coding tool (Cursor, Claude Code, Replit, Lovable, Bolt or ChatGPT), fill in the [PLACEHOLDERS], and send. SI's tip: no stress, getting stuck is totally normal. You've got this. This is prompt "14. Break the Loop" from the Hey SI Starter Pack.

When to use it: When the AI has "fixed" the same problem 2–3 times and it's still broken, or it keeps going back and forth between two broken versions, or every fix breaks something else. This is the most common way beginners get stuck. The answer isn't to try harder. Stop and reset.

The prompt

Stop. We've tried to fix this [NUMBER] times and it's still not working. Don't write any code in this reply.

The problem: [ONE SENTENCE - e.g. "plants don't stay marked as watered after refresh"]
What we've tried so far (as far as I know): [LIST, OR "please list everything we've tried from this conversation"]

Please:
1. Summarize what we tried and why each attempt didn't work.
2. Tell me honestly: do you think the cause is something we haven't looked at yet? What assumptions might be wrong?
3. Suggest ONE completely different approach, simpler if possible.
4. Tell me which files we should look at first.
5. Write a short "handoff note" (5–10 lines) that I can paste into a fresh chat, describing the problem, what's been ruled out, and the new approach.

If you think the best move is to roll back to my last save point and redo this step more simply, say so.

Example (filled in)

We've tried to fix this 4 times. The problem: plants don't stay marked as watered after refresh. What we've tried: please list everything we've tried from this conversation.

Tips

• Start a new chat and paste the handoff note. A fresh chat often solves in one go what a long, confused chat can't.
• Rolling back is not failure. Going back to the last working save point (Prompt 16) and redoing a step more simply is often the fastest fix.
• If the AI is changing lots of files for a small bug, that's a red flag. Ask it to undo those changes.
• Add what you learned to AGENTS.md under "Things the AI keeps getting wrong."

New here? Start with how to vibe code your first app and set up an AGENTS.md rules file.