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The AI isn't following my brief
When output ignores your brand, changes things you didn’t ask about, or claims success it didn’t achieve.
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This is the most frustrating failure mode, and mostly it's fixable from your side. Here's what actually works.
Be absolute about non-negotiables
Soft phrasing gets treated as a preference. If something is fixed, say so in those terms:
Use exactly #0F3D2E and #F5F1E8. Do not introduce any other colours. Keep the existing copy exactly as written. Change layout only.
Watch for palette override
A common pattern: you specify brand colours, and a theme operation replaces them with a palette the model considers more harmonious. If your colours vanish, say so directly:
You replaced my brand colours. Set the primary back to #0F3D2E and don't change it again.
Verify, don't trust the summary
The chat sometimes reports a change as done when the canvas disagrees. Look at the screens. If they didn't move, the change didn't land — say so and ask again. See My style guide didn't apply.
Scope your instruction
"Make it dark" while focused on one element can hard-code colours into that element instead of re-theming the project. For anything global, ask at project level in chat, not inside edit mode.
Fewer changes per message
Two or three at a time. Long lists interact, and when something goes wrong you can't tell which instruction caused it.
Reference images don't override an existing theme
Attaching a reference image to a project that already has a theme will not repaint the project in the reference's colours. Ask for it in words: "Use the palette from this image instead of the current theme."
When it keeps happening
Tell us, with the project link and what you asked for. Repeated cases of the model ignoring an explicit brief are treated as bugs — they're the single most damaging thing the product can do — and specific examples are what let us fix them. Contact support.
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