Prompt Playbook: Getting Started with Vibe Coding your Business PART 4

My first proper debugging session with Lovable was a nightmare.

I'd fix the header styling, and suddenly the footer would disappear. Fix the footer, and the AI integration would break. Fix that, and the header would revert to its original broken state.

Classic whack-a-mole debugging. Hit one problem down, another pops up. Then another. Then the original problem returns like it never left.

I spent four hours going in circles, getting increasingly frustrated, until I finally gave up and closed my laptop in defeat. The tendency when this happens is to bounce off completely - decide vibe coding is rubbish and go back to whatever you were doing before.

Don't.

If this hasn't happened to you yet, congratulations - it will!

The difference is that you’ll have strategies for breaking out of these loops.

Let’s get started

The Debug Loop is Normal (Don't Bounce Off)

Here's what's actually happening: vibe coding tools like Lovable have context window limitations. They can't see your entire codebase at once, so when they make changes, they sometimes miss how it affects other parts of your app.

Traditional human developers can see all their code simultaneously and understand the connections. Well, good developers do at least! AI tools are (at least for now) working with partial information and making educated guesses about how things fit together.

This creates the whack-a-mole effect more frequently than normal coding. Fix one component, but the AI doesn't realise it connects to three other components that now need updating.

Signs you're in a loop

• Lovable suggests the exact same fix repeatedly

• Each "Try to Fix" attempt makes identical changes

• Error messages stay exactly the same

• You see the same code being added and removed

When you hit the debug loop, your natural instinct is to keep hammering away at the problem. "Just one more fix and it'll work." But that often makes things worse.

Instead, step back. Recognise what's happening. Then use systematic approaches to break out of the loop.

How to deal with debug loops

Method 1: The "Three Strikes" Rule Try the "Try to Fix" button maximum three times. Sometimes Lovable will just shake itself out of whatever problem it was having and work out the solution. BUT don’t just mindlessly keep hitting “try again” because if anything Lovable is more likely to turn your code into spaghetti. Three is sufficient. If it doesn't work by then, move to Method 2.

Method 2: Start Fresh Chat The easiest and most effective solution: start a new chat session. When Lovable gets stuck, it's often because the conversation context has become muddled. How to do it properly:

1. Take screenshots or note down your current issue

2. Note exactly what you were trying to achieve

3. Start completely fresh chat session

4. Describe the problem clearly (using notes+screenshots) without referencing previous fix attempts

5. Let Lovable approach it with fresh perspective

This gives Lovable a clean context window (memory) to work from and stops it from trying the same fix that didn’t work beforehand.

Method 3: Chat Mode Investigation If a fresh chat doesn't work, switch to Chat Mode to discuss the problem without making changes:

I'm getting this error: [paste exact error message]

This is what I was trying to do: [describe your goal]

Don't make any changes yet. First, explain what this error actually means and why the current approach might not be working. Then suggest a different strategy.

This will let us talk it out with Lovable and try to work out a new solution before rushing in and applying changes. Often Lovable will just got for it so we need to tell it to hold on, help us think it through and then try the new changes.

Method 4: Go Outside Lovable When you're still stuck after trying the above, step outside Lovable and use other AI tools to analyse your problem. This is basically the same as method 3 but we’re getting a “second opinion”! Generally you’d take your problem to ChatGPT or Claude.

Taking your problem to ChatGPT or Claude

1. Take screenshots of the error

2. Copy the exact error message

3. Describe what you were trying to build

4. Ask for diagnosis and alternative approaches

5. Tell it to ask supplemental questions and to gather context if needed

Here’s an example external debugging prompt

I'm building an AI-powered content tool using Lovable. I'm getting this error: [error message]

Here's what I'm trying to do: [your goal]

The AI has tried fixing this several times but keeps making the same changes that don't work. [Provide examples of Lovable's failed attempts if relevant]

What might be causing this error? What are some alternative approaches I could try?

Bringing solutions back to Lovable: Once you get insights from external AI, return to Lovable with specific instructions based on the new understanding. Ask your AI to provide instructions to take back to Lovable.

Best Practices

Version Management: Pin and Revert Pin every stable version as you build. When something breaks, don't keep pushing forward - revert to the last working version instead. This gives you a clean foundation to try a different approach rather than building on top of broken code. Otherwise we end up a few layers deep and don’t know where things went wrong.

Lock Critical Features When fixing one issue, explicitly tell Lovable not to touch working components: "Please don't touch component A, layout B, or shared logic unless necessary." This prevents the AI from accidentally breaking working parts while trying to fix unrelated problems. We’re explicitly telling it not to mess with parts that are good to go and only to focus it’s efforts on the task at hand.

Test One Thing at a Time Fix one issue, test it, confirm it works, then move to the next problem. Don't try to solve multiple issues in a single prompt. This prevents creating new problems whilst fixing old ones and helps you identify exactly what's causing issues when they occur. This is probably the most important rule!

What's Next

For now keep working with Lovable and get your basic basic version into a decent shape. Do NOT start adding features! Please!

Tomorrow, we deploy your application and make it live and available for real users. By then, you'll have a working MVP that demonstrates your core concept.

Keep Prompting,
Kyle