Matt Turley, Continuum. Updated November 5, 2026.
What is actually happening under the loop, how to tell it from a normal bug, and the order to repair it in.
Because the AI tool changes code it cannot fully see, and nothing tests the parts you did not touch. Each fix rewrites shared logic, so something unrelated stops working. The way out is to add tests around what already works, split the tangled pieces, and let one person own the structure.
AI coding tools work on a window of your project. When you ask for a fix, the tool edits the files it can see, and it can reshape logic that five other screens rely on. There is no test suite telling it that checkout still works, so the first you hear is when a customer finds out.
Over many rounds the code also drifts into copies of the same idea written slightly differently. A fix lands in one copy and the others keep the bug, which feels like the bug moving around.
Stop adding features first. Then write a short list of the journeys that must always work: sign up, sign in, pay, the one action your customers come for. Turn each into an automated test, so a break shows up in minutes. Only then untangle the duplicated logic, one area at a time, with a person deciding the structure and the AI tool doing the typing.
If the loop has run for more than a few rounds on the same feature, more prompting rarely helps. A senior engineer reading the whole project can usually name the cause in a short read. Ship Fix is built for exactly this, at $4,000 to $15,000 fixed, and the Ship Check read at $299 tells you first whether the app is worth repairing or should be rebuilt.
Paste your live app URL and your email. A short automated check runs three public-security spot-checks and sends back one specific finding and what to do about it. It is free, and it is a preview, never a clean bill of health.
Run the free is-it-safe-to-ship check. Or book a call and talk it through.