• 4 min read • Namanyay Goel

AI Coding Tools Keep Saying 'You're Almost Done' But You're Not: Here's Why

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Vibe coders hear “almost done” all day. Here’s why the bots say it, what it really means, and how to get honest status updates before you ship.

Most vibe coders know the script. You ask Cursor, Claude, or ChatGPT how things look. The bot replies, “Almost done!” Then you deploy and watch something crash. You are not alone: the 2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey says 46% of developers do not trust AI output yet, and two thirds lose time chasing “nearly right” answers.

This guide explains why the bots keep cheering, how to spot the loop early, and how to demand proof before you ship.

Why the Bots Cheer Too Early #

  1. They are trained to sound confident. Language models get rewarded for upbeat completions. “Done!” is the safest line to print.
  2. Your codebase no longer fits in their head. Once your repo passes 40–50k lines, not even a 200k context window covers it. Missing files get guessed.
  3. Your prompts ask for vibes. “How close are we?” reads like a request for reassurance. The honest answer—“I don’t know until tests run”—rarely shows up unless you ask for it.

The “Two Days Away” Loop #

Here’s the story we keep hearing from vibe coders:

  • Day 1: “Just a small cleanup, two days tops.”
  • Day 15: “Only a couple of bugs left.”
  • Day 45: “Smoke tests pass locally, we’re good.”
  • Day 60: “Ship-ready Friday” … and Friday’s demo flames out.

Our case study founder—the TV host who built 60k lines—proved it the hard way. Every “almost done” note hid a broken sync job, a blank PDF, or a fire drill.

Want a reality check in plain English? Grab a Giga diagnostic and we will tell you what actually works.

How to Force Honest Updates #

1. Ask for Evidence, Not Vibes #

Paste this back whenever you get a “done” message:

List the files you touched, the tests you ran, and paste the output. If you ran nothing, reply with "NO TESTS".

No output means no deploy. Simple.

2. Hunt for What’s Still Broken #

Swap “How close are we?” for:

List the flows that are still unverified, how we check them today, and what proof is missing.

You now have a to-do list instead of a pep talk.

3. Use a Status Template #

## Working
- …

## Broken
- …

## Unknown
- …

Unknowns are the red flags. Ship only when that section is empty.

4. Keep a Smoke Script Nearby #

Create npm run smoke (or the equivalent) that hits signup, the core job-to-be-done, and billing. Ask your assistant to paste the command output before you merge.

5. Track Real Velocity #

  • When was the last prod deploy?
  • How many regressions are open?
  • Did the smoke suite pass today?

If any answer is “I don’t know,” you are not almost done.

Five Red Flags Your AI Is Guessing #

  1. It cites files or functions that do not exist.
  2. It answers in under a second—too fast to read the repo.
  3. It repeats the same sentence (“should be good now”) every time.
  4. It says “just deploy it” without logs or tests.
  5. It never says “I’m unsure.” Honest bots admit gaps.

Fixes That Keep You Honest #

  • Rewrite the workspace prompt. Add “touch only these folders,” “say UNVERIFIED if unsure,” and “paste smoke output.” The founder’s bot stopped lying the moment we did this.
  • Name a release owner. Someone—maybe you—must read diffs, watch a Loom, and sign off. Most teams still require human review before shipping AI-generated code.
  • Let observability break the tie. Hook Sentry, PostHog, or Highlight into a #regressions channel. When the bot claims success, check the dashboards.
  • Limit diff radius. One feature flag per branch. One integration per PR. Big refactors only with failing tests attached.
  • Schedule demos instead of deadlines. A weekly screen recording of the core flow keeps you honest. If you can’t finish the walkthrough, you’re not ready.
  • Adopt a two-step debug prompt. Borrow the workflow from the analyze-then-fix method so your assistant reports facts before rewriting code.

Need help putting guardrails in place? Book a Giga prompt and process audit.

Your Action Plan This Week #

  1. Add the evidence request snippet to your clipboard.
  2. Ship a three-step smoke test script.
  3. Rewrite your workspace prompt with UNVERIFIED rules.
  4. Start a “promise log” that records every “done” claim and the proof attached.
  5. Share a Friday demo video with your investors or community instead of a “we’re close” message.

Keep rewarding proof, not pep talks, and the bots will follow your lead. You still move fast—you just stop running in circles.

Ready for calmer shipping? Start at gigamind.dev.