Why Does My AI-Generated Code Break After a Few Months?
Key Takeaways
- The Speed Trap: Velocity exceeds comprehension, creating invisible debt.
- Prompt Drift: Successive fixes add layers of complexity that hide original intent.
- Hidden Dependencies: AI creates tight coupling that isn't visible in standard imports.
- Comprehension Debt: The team owns code they can't explain or safely modify.
The Phenomenon: The "Honeymoon" Phase
In the first few weeks, AI coding feels like magic. You build an MVP in days. Features fly out of the door. The code works, and the "vibe" is perfect. This is what we call The Honeymoon (Part I of the book).
However, around the 3-6 month mark, something changes. A simple bug fix takes 3 days instead of 3 minutes. Adding a small feature breaks three unrelated parts of the system. This is the Reckoning (Part III).
The 4 Main Reasons for the Collapse
1. Comprehension Debt
You reached the 3,000-line mark, but your team only truly understands 500 lines of it. You can't safely modify the "Magic Black Box" code because you don't know the side effects. Every new change is a guess, and guesses lead to bugs.
2. Prompt Drift
Over hundreds of chat iterations, the original architectural intent was lost. Each AI "fix" was optimized for the local problem but ignored the global structure. The codebase has become a series of "patches on patches."
3. Hidden Dependencies
AI models often generate code with implicit dependencies—relying on a specific global state or a CSS class that isn't explicitly imported. As you refactor or move files, these invisible threads snap, causing "silent failures."
4. The "Missing Middle"
Because the AI did all the "boring" work, your team didn't develop the deep, tacit knowledge of the project's internals. You lack the "Digital Archaeology" skills (Chapter 12) needed to reconstruct the logic of your own system.
The Statistics
How to Fix It (The Clean Path)
The collapse isn't inevitable. It's a result of Vibe Coding. To prevent it:
- Stop the Iteration Loop: Don't keep "fixing" broken AI sessions. Reset and start fresh with a Clean Prompt.
- Implement Boundaries: Use modular architecture to prevent AI from creating "Spaghetti Code."
- Review for Understanding: If you can't explain the change, don't merge it.
- Maintain a Debt Ledger: Make the invisible debt visible so you can manage it before it reaches critical mass.
Related Questions
Learn More
The journey from the "Honeymoon" to the "Reckoning" is simulated in detail through the TaskFlow case study in Clean Vibe Code.