Something went wrong. Now what?

What should you do first, whatever the error?

1. Don’t delete anything. Before anything else, check whether the tool has a version history and where it is.
2. Copy the whole message. Even if it looks like a jumble of letters. The part that matters is often in the middle.
3. Give the context. What you clicked, what you expected and what happened. Three sentences are enough.
4. Ask for a small fix. “Fix only this” works better than “fix the app”.
5. Test again the same way. Repeat exactly what you did before to confirm it’s fixed.

If you don’t know where to start, use this text. It works for almost any error:

My app has an error and I don't know how to code.

What I was doing: [describe it in one sentence, for example "I clicked Save on the sign-up form"]
What I expected to happen: [for example "the new sign-up to show up in the list"]
What happened: [for example "the screen went blank"]
Error message, copied in full:
[paste it here]

Explain in plain English what probably caused this. Then fix it, changing only what's necessary, and tell me what you changed and how I can test that it worked.

What are the most common errors?

1. 1

   My app shows a blank screen. What do I do?

   A blank screen almost always means the app crashed before it could show anything, because of an error in the code. Find the error message the tool shows, copy all of it and ask the AI to fix only that error.

2. 2

   I clicked the button and nothing happened. Why?

   Often the AI draws the button but never connects it to the action it should perform. Tell the AI what you clicked, what you expected and what happened, and ask it to check that the button is connected to an action.

3. 3

   The AI says it fixed it, but the error is still there. Now what?

   Say clearly that the problem is still there and send the new error message, if there is one. If nothing changes after two or three attempts, stop, go back to the last version that worked and ask for the change again in smaller steps.

4. 4

   My data disappeared when I reloaded the page. Why?

   The app probably isn't saving the data anywhere, or it saves it only in the browser on that device. Ask the AI where the data is stored and, if you need to see it on other devices, ask it to connect a database.

5. 5

   I ran out of credits in the middle of my project. What now?

   On free plans, the limit usually resets after a while, so you can wait and keep going. Meanwhile, plan your next requests. Clear requests, one at a time, use less than several attempts to fix something that was poorly explained.

6. 6

   The published link doesn't show my latest changes. Why?

   In most tools, publishing takes a snapshot of the app at that moment. Changes you make afterward show up in the preview, but only reach the public link when you publish again, using the same publish button.

7. 7

   The AI changed parts I didn't ask about. How do I prevent it?

   The AI tends to "take the opportunity" to improve other things. Say explicitly what must not change, ask for one thing at a time and, if it already touched something it shouldn't have, ask it to undo only that part or go back a version.

8. 8

   Could my app be exposing personal data?

   It can, if the app stores other people's data without a login or without well-configured access rules. Before you add real names, phone numbers or addresses, ask the AI to review who can see each piece of information, and test with two different accounts.

Haven’t built your first app yet? The first app in 30 minutes guide shows the way from the start. Strange words in error messages are usually in the glossary.