When something breaks
A calm path for when your app has errors or doesn't look right: how to report a bug so it gets fixed in one round, how to tell what kind of problem you're looking at, and what to send support if you're stuck.
First: which of these is it?
Most "something broke" moments are one of four situations, each with a different fix:
| What you're seeing | What it usually is | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Works in preview, broken on the live app | A configuration difference between the two environments, not the code | Check Preview → Manage → Secrets, production values are separate from preview. See Works in preview but breaks in production |
| The agent repeats the same failing fix over and over | A loop ("doom loop") | Don't keep re-asking the same way. Pause it, describe what went wrong and what to do differently, or fork to give it a fresh start (see below) |
| The agent stopped mid-job | A stop reason, often normal | See the stop-reasons list below |
| A feature that worked yesterday is broken after new changes | A regression | Roll back to the last good point in the chat timeline (see Checkpoints: undo anything), then re-request the new change more narrowly |
When the agent says it verified a fix, that means it confirmed the fix works in preview, the agent has no access to your live app. If it works in preview, it should work live too unless the two environments are configured differently, which is why the first row above is so common.
If you see an error message
When something breaks, grab the full error text from your browser console or the error modal - including stack traces, file paths, and line numbers. Paste it straight into the chat with a short note:
please solve this error
[paste the complete error here]The agent will read the stack trace, find the broken component or connection, and push a fix.
If the problem is visual - a button hidden off-screen, wrong colors, misaligned text - upload a screenshot (drag and drop into the chat) and describe what you expected to see:
This modal is cut off on mobile (see screenshot). The submit button is below the fold.For bugs that come and go, share the context:
- When - "only after I log in" or "on the second page load"
- Where - which page or feature
- What action - the button click or form that triggers it
This helps the agent trace state or routing issues.
Right-click an error in your browser console and select "Copy" to capture the full output, including all stack frames. To open browser console, right click anywhere on the page and click Inspect.
If the agent is stuck in a loop
The platform has built-in loop detection, and detected loops may earn you an automatic credit rebate (it appears in your credit history). If the agent keeps circling anyway:
- Stop repeating the same request. Describe what went wrong and what to try instead.
- Fork the conversation (Fork button in the chat input bar, web app). A fork starts a fresh conversation from the current code state, the agent loses the bad pattern but keeps your app.
- If the agent seems unresponsive because the AI provider itself is degraded, fork and switch to a different model in the model selector, each model runs on separate provider infrastructure.
If the agent stopped: what stop reasons mean
- Finished normally: the agent thinks it's done. If something's missing, just say what.
- Waiting for you: it asked a question and paused. Answer to resume.
- Out of credits: the job pauses; it resumes automatically after you top up.
- Context window full: the conversation got too long. Agent will start auto-compacting the conversation till that point.
- Job budget exhausted: the per-job budget ran out (this is separate from your account balance). Raise the budget or start a new job.
- Execution timeout: the job hit the 4-hour limit. Break the task into smaller jobs.
Roll back when you can't describe the fix
Ask the agent when the issue is small and you can describe what went wrong. Roll back when you're not sure what broke, or when multiple changes need undoing at once, the full how-to (and what rollback does and doesn't restore) is in Checkpoints: undo anything. Remember: rollback affects your preview only; Re-publish to update the live app.
Still stuck? What to send support
If a couple of rounds haven't fixed it, contact support with a package that lets them help on the first reply:
- Your job ID: open your job and click the info (i) button in the top panel. Copy the job ID from there.
- What you did, what you expected, what actually happened: three short lines.
- The full error text and/or a screenshot: the same material from the steps above.
- Where it happens: preview, the live app, or both (this one detail localizes most problems).
Reach the team at support@emergent.sh.
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