Emergency Rescue Prompts

Getting stuck is normal. It's not a sign you're bad at this. It's a sign you're building something real.

Every prompt below has saved me hours of frustration. Copy them exactly. Paste them into Claude Code. Get unstuck.

Bookmark this page. You'll come back to it.

When this happens: Claude edits a file you didn't want touched, or creates files in the wrong place.

Why it happens: Claude's context got confused about your project structure.

Copy this prompt:

Stop. Let's reset.

Show me my current project structure (list all folders and key files).

Then tell me: which file should I be editing for [describe what you're trying to do]?

Don't make any changes yet. Just show me the plan.

What this does: Forces Claude to map out your project first, then confirm the target before touching anything.

When this happens: Vercel shows a red X. Your app didn't deploy.

Why it happens: 99% of the time, it's environment variables or a build error.

Copy this prompt:

My Vercel deployment failed. Here's the error log:

[PASTE THE FULL ERROR FROM VERCEL]

Help me:
1. Explain what this error means in simple terms
2. Give me the exact fix
3. Tell me how to verify it's fixed before redeploying

Walk me through step by step.

Pro tip: Always paste the FULL error, not just the last line. Claude needs context.

When this happens: You have an idea but don't know the technical words to describe it.

Why this works: Claude is great at translating "I want users to..." into technical requirements.

Copy this prompt:

I want to add a feature to my app, but I don't know how to describe it technically.

Here's what I want users to be able to do:
[Describe it in plain English - "I want users to be able to..."]

Can you:
1. Tell me what this feature is called
2. Explain how it works at a high level
3. Break it into small steps to build
4. Give me the prompts to ask you for each step

Keep it simple. I'm still learning.

Example: "I want users to be able to upload photos" → Claude explains file uploads, storage, and gives you step-by-step prompts.

When this happens: Claude made a change that broke something, and you want to go back.

Why this works: Git is your time machine. Claude can drive it for you.

Copy this prompt:

I need to undo the last changes. Here's what happened:
[Describe what broke]

Show me:
1. What files changed in the last commit
2. How to revert those changes
3. How to verify everything works again

Guide me through the git commands step by step.

Nuclear option: If git feels scary, you can also say "Delete all changes since my last working version and start fresh."

When this happens: localhost:3000 works perfectly. Your Vercel URL shows errors.

Why this happens: Usually environment variables or API keys aren't set in Vercel.

Copy this prompt:

My app works locally but fails in production.

Local (works): http://localhost:3000
Production (fails): [your vercel URL]

Error I'm seeing: [paste error or describe what's broken]

Help me debug this. Check:
1. Are my environment variables set correctly in Vercel?
2. Is there a build-time vs runtime issue?
3. What's the most likely cause based on the error?

Walk me through the fix.

Quick check: 90% of the time, it's missing environment variables in Vercel settings.

When this happens: You tell Claude to fix something, but it keeps doing it wrong.

Why this happens: Claude's context drifted. Time to reset and be more specific.

Copy this prompt:

Let's start fresh on this issue.

What I'm trying to do:
[Describe the goal clearly]

What keeps going wrong:
[Describe the repeated mistake]

What I've tried:
[List what you already attempted]

Please:
1. Suggest a completely different approach
2. Explain WHY the previous approach wasn't working
3. Give me step-by-step instructions that avoid the mistake

I need a fresh perspective.

Pro tip: Sometimes you need to close Claude Code, take a 5-minute break, and restart with fresh context.

When this happens: Error messages mention "module not found" or "cannot find package."

Why this happens: A package didn't install correctly, or versions conflict.

Copy this prompt:

I'm getting a dependency error:

[PASTE FULL ERROR MESSAGE]

My package.json looks like this:
[Open package.json and paste the "dependencies" section]

Help me:
1. Identify which package is causing the problem
2. Fix any version conflicts
3. Give me the commands to reinstall correctly

Make sure I don't break anything else.

Quick fix that usually works: Delete node_modules folder and package-lock.json, then run npm install again.

When this happens: You add data, refresh the page, and it's gone.

Why this happens: Usually a connection issue or Row Level Security (RLS) blocking you.

Copy this prompt:

My data isn't persisting in the database.

What I'm doing:
1. [Describe the action - "I add a todo"]
2. [Describe what you see - "It appears on screen"]
3. [Describe the problem - "Refresh and it's gone"]

Help me check:
1. Is my Supabase connection working?
2. Are my RLS policies correct?
3. Am I actually writing to the database or just to local state?

Show me how to verify each step.

Quick test: Go to your Supabase dashboard → Table Editor. Do you see the data there? If yes, it's an RLS issue. If no, data isn't reaching the database.

When this happens: Users can't log in, or they're logged out immediately.

Why this happens: Session management or redirect issues.

Copy this prompt:

Authentication isn't working correctly.

The problem:
[Describe exactly what happens - "User enters email/password, clicks login, nothing happens" OR "User logs in but gets logged out on refresh"]

My setup:
- Using Supabase Auth
- [Any other auth details]

Help me:
1. Check if Supabase Auth is configured correctly
2. Verify my session handling code
3. Test the full auth flow step by step

Walk me through debugging this.

Common culprit: Supabase Auth callbacks need to be configured in your Supabase project settings. Check Site URL and Redirect URLs.

When this happens: Things are so tangled you don't even know where to begin fixing.

Why this is okay: Sometimes the fastest way forward is a clean slate. You'll rebuild faster the second time.

Copy this prompt:

I need to start fresh, but I want to save what I've learned.

Before I start over, help me:
1. Document what worked (so I don't lose good decisions)
2. Identify what went wrong (so I don't repeat mistakes)
3. Create a clean new project with the lessons learned
4. Give me a better step-by-step plan this time

This is a learning reset, not a failure.

Truth: Many professional developers restart projects when they get tangled. The second build is always cleaner because you understand the problem better.

If you've tried the prompts above and you're still stuck after 30 minutes, it's time to ask a human:

Getting stuck doesn't mean you're not a builder. It means you're building something real.

Every developer, no matter how experienced, uses these same rescue patterns. The only difference is they've memorized them.

Now you have them too.