How to Report a Bug to an AI Coding Assistant
Updated · Tech checked
Package expected, actual, steps, environment, last change, error text and tries; strip secrets; use the debugging brief tool for copyable output.
The direct answer
A useful bug report fits in ten lines: expected, actual, numbered steps, environment (browser plus file names), last change, exact error text, what you tried. Remove passwords, keys and personal data first. The debugging brief tool on this site assembles it locally.
Worked example
Expected: submit shows the quote. Actual: button does nothing. Steps: fill 3 hours, click Calculate. Last change: style edit. Error: none, console clean. Package names the event binding as suspect and lists three next checks.
Method and mistakes
Facts before guesses; exact error text, not paraphrase; smallest example that still breaks. The failure is it is broken plus a full-screen screenshot with zero steps.
Frequently asked questions
Screenshots or text? Both: cropped screenshot at the failing position plus copied error text. Text is searchable; screenshots show position.
What must never go in? Secrets, customer data, full addresses, tokens. Synthetic examples from the labs instead.
Sources and review
- Module 7, cage-three-bugs lab, debugging brief tool (this site). Last review: 2026-10-04.