Why AI Keeps Writing Broken Code
It works perfectly... until you deploy. Then the hallucinations kick in. Missing APIs. Phantom dependencies. Deprecated patterns. Here's why—and how to fix it.
The Vibe Coding Death Spiral
You've been here. We all have.
Stage 1: Euphoria
"This is incredible! AI just wrote a full auth system in 2 minutes!"
(You don't notice it's using a deprecated OAuth library from 2019)
Stage 2: Confusion
"Why is this API endpoint returning 404? The AI said it was real..."
(It hallucinated a method that doesn't exist in your version)
Stage 3: Panic
"Nothing works. I'm 6 hours in debugging AI-written boilerplate."
(Welcome to Copy-Paste Debt Hell)
The Real Problem: Missing Context
LLMs don't hallucinate because they're "bad". They hallucinate because they're confidently guessing when you don't give them enough constraints.
No Spec = Wild Guesses
Without a schema or API contract, AI invents fields, endpoints, and types that sound right.
Training Data Lag
LLMs are trained on old Stack Overflow. They don't know your framework updated 3 months ago.
Vibe-Driven Prompts
"Make it work" isn't a spec. It's an invitation to hallucinate.
Real Hallucination Examples
// AI invents a method
await stripe.checkout.createPortalSession()
^ This method doesn't exist. It's `createBillingPortal()`
// Phantom dependency
import { validateUser } from '@auth/helpers'
^ You never installed this package
// Deprecated pattern
componentWillMount() { ... }
^ React 18 doesn't use this anymore
The Fix: Context Engineering
Give AI the constraints upfront. Lock the context. Eliminate guesswork with a Digital Shield of specs.
1. Spec-First Development
Define your API contracts, DB schemas, and architecture BEFORE prompting AI. No specs = no guardrails.
Generate Spec Pack2. Lock Context with Rules
Use `.cursorrules` or system prompts to enforce your stack, versions, and patterns. Make hallucinations impossible.
Generate Cursor Rules3. Define "Done"
Without acceptance criteria, AI doesn't know when to stop. Give it concrete Given/When/Then tests.
Build CriteriaStop Debugging AI Hallucinations
Run a free Context Readiness Score to see exactly which specs are missing from your project.
Diagnose Context Gaps (Free)Start here
Stop AI hallucinations with context engineering
Missing context = confident hallucinations. diagnose your gaps, then generate the docs to fill them.