01
First rule: stop making more changes
When an AI change breaks something, the safest next move is usually to pause. More edits can overwrite evidence, create new errors, or make it harder to identify the original problem.
- Do not panic or delete the project
- Do not ask AI to “fix everything” before you understand the state
- Save the error message, screenshot, URL, and the action that caused it
- Avoid committing or pushing until the current state is understood
- If secrets may be exposed, stop sharing them and plan rotation separately
02
Recovery vocabulary in plain English
- GitHub commit = a named save point you may be able to return to
- Diff = the exact files and lines that changed
- Branch = a separate experiment that keeps work away from the main line
- Revert = create a new change that undoes an earlier change
- Last known good = the most recent version you can identify as working for the relevant flow
- GitHub is not a backup of your database, environment variables, payment dashboard, or uploaded files
03
Emergency checklist
- Run or inspect Git status
- Save current evidence before changing anything
- Identify the current branch and last known-good commit
- Inspect changed and untracked files
- Separate code problems from environment, database, payment, or deployment problems
- Run the narrowest useful test, then the build if appropriate
- Choose the least destructive recovery option
- Re-test the main flow before committing or pushing again
04
Tell me what changed
Prompt 31
Read-only change report
Copy-paste prompt
Inspect this project read-only. Report the current branch, Git status, recent commits, changed files, untracked files, and the difference between the last known-good commit and the current state. Do not edit, commit, reset, checkout, merge, push, pull, delete, or print secret values. Explain the result in plain English.
05
Find the likely breaking change
Prompt 41
Trace one failure
Copy-paste prompt
Investigate this failure: [DESCRIBE ERROR AND WHAT I DID]. Trace the user action through the relevant UI, code, API, database, environment, or deployment path. Give evidence, likely causes ranked by confidence, files involved, tests that would confirm each cause, and what you cannot verify. Do not edit anything or claim a cause without evidence.
06
Restore the last known good version
Prompt 51
Plan recovery before acting
Copy-paste prompt
Using the current Git status and recent history, identify the last known-good version for [FEATURE]. Compare the options of keeping the current changes, creating a branch, reverting specific files, or returning to a prior commit. Explain what each option could lose and what it will not restore, including database, environment, payment, or uploaded data. Do not run destructive commands or change history.
07
Fix only this one error
Prompt 61
Smallest safe fix
Copy-paste prompt
Fix only this verified error: [ERROR]. First inspect the relevant code and confirm the cause. Change the smallest number of files, do not refactor or clean up unrelated code, preserve existing behavior, run the narrowest useful test, and report the exact diff and remaining unknowns. Stop instead of guessing if the cause is not verified.
08
Compare before and after
Prompt 71
Behavior comparison
Copy-paste prompt
Compare the last known-good commit [COMMIT OR BRANCH] with the current project for [FEATURE]. Report changed files, behavior changes, data-flow changes, dependency or environment assumptions, and tests needed. Do not edit files, commit, or say the current version is better without evidence.
09
Recover from GitHub Desktop conflicts
Prompt 81
Explain conflicts safely
Copy-paste prompt
Explain these GitHub Desktop conflicts in plain English: [PASTE CONFLICT DETAILS]. For each conflict, identify the local behavior, incoming behavior, and decision I need to make. Do not choose “accept all,” resolve files, delete work, reset, or force-push. After I choose the intended behavior, give me a small resolution and test plan.
10
Prepare a safe rollback plan
Prompt 91
Rollback plan with boundaries
Copy-paste prompt
Prepare a rollback plan for [RELEASE OR CHANGE]. Include code version, database changes, environment variables, deployment, payment or auth impact, user communication, backups, and the point where rollback becomes unsafe. Separate steps I can verify locally from steps requiring GitHub, Supabase, Netlify, or payment-provider access. Do not execute the rollback.
11
Verify before I push
Prompt 101
Pre-push recovery review
Copy-paste prompt
Review the current project before I push. Report the branch, intended files, unrelated files, secrets risk, tests run, build result, remaining failures, and whether the original problem is actually resolved. Use READY, BLOCKED, UNKNOWN, or NOT APPLICABLE. Do not commit, push, or claim PASS unless the relevant test ran and its evidence is shown.
12
What not to say to AI
Broad instructions invite broad changes when you most need a controlled investigation. Replace them with a narrow audit and one decision at a time.
- “Fix everything”
- “Make it work”
- “Clean up the whole app”
- “Refactor while you’re there”
- “Just revert whatever you need”
- “Say PASS when it looks okay”
13
Before you push again
- The current branch and intended commit are clear
- The diff contains only the recovery or fix you approved
- No secrets, environment files, debug code, or unrelated formatting are included
- The original failure has a reproducible test or manual verification
- The build and focused tests have actually run
- Database, auth, payment, and deployment changes have separate checks where relevant
- The last known-good commit and rollback plan are recorded
- Unknowns remain visible instead of being described as fixed