Asking AI to Debug Code
Debugging prompts that include the code, the error message, and what you expected to happen produce the most useful debugging assistance.
10 min•By Priygop Team•Updated 2026
Debugging Prompt Template
Debugging Prompt Template
# Complete debugging prompt template
debugging_prompt = """
I have a [LANGUAGE] function that is not working as expected.
Problem: [DESCRIBE WHAT GOES WRONG]
What I expected: [WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN]
Error message (if any):
[PASTE THE EXACT ERROR MESSAGE]
Here is the code:
[PASTE YOUR CODE]
Please:
1. Identify the bug(s)
2. Explain why it causes the problem
3. Show the corrected version
"""
# Example filled in:
debugging_example = """
I have a Python function that is not working as expected.
Problem: When I pass an empty list, the function raises ZeroDivisionError.
What I expected: The function should return 0 when the list is empty.
Error message:
ZeroDivisionError: division by zero
Here is the code:
def calculate_average(numbers):
return sum(numbers) / len(numbers)
Please:
1. Identify the bug(s)
2. Explain why it causes the problem
3. Show the corrected version
"""
print("Debugging prompts work best when you include all three:")
print("1. The code")
print("2. The error message")
print("3. What you expected to happen")Diagram
Loading diagram…
Deep Learning ⊂ Machine Learning ⊂ Artificial Intelligence
Key Takeaways
- Always include the code, error message, and expected behavior in debugging prompts
- Ask AI to explain the bug as well as fix it
- Request the corrected code, not just a description of the fix
- Test the corrected code to verify it solves the problem
- Understanding why the bug occurred is as valuable as the fix
Key Takeaways
- Debugging prompts that include the code, the error message, and what you expected to happen produce the most useful debugging assistance.
- Always include the code, error message, and expected behavior in debugging prompts
- Ask AI to explain the bug as well as fix it
- Request the corrected code, not just a description of the fix