You asked Cursor to add a "forgot password" button to your login page. Simple request. Five minutes later, your signup form doesn't work, your email notifications stopped sending, and somehow your user profile page is throwing errors.
You didn't ask AI to touch any of those things. They were working fine yesterday. Now they're all broken.
This isn't a one-time glitch. It keeps happening. Every time you ask AI to add something new, something old breaks. You're spending more time fixing unexpected problems than actually building.
Why does Cursor keep breaking things you didn't ask it to change?
The Real Problem: AI Can't See Connections #
But first, let me explain what's actually happening:
Your app has lots of pieces that connect to each other:
- Your login page connects to your database
- Your database connects to your user profiles
- Your profiles connect to your settings
- Your settings connect to your email system
When you started building, your app was simple. AI could see all these connections. It knew "if I change this, it affects that."
But as you kept building and your app grew, AI lost track. Now when you ask it to change the login page, it literally cannot see that the login page connects to six other features.
Think of it like this: Imagine someone asks you to rearrange the furniture in a room you've never seen, while wearing a blindfold. You might move the couch... and accidentally block the door. You weren't trying to block the door—you just couldn't see that the couch and door were connected.
That's AI working in your app now. It's not being careless. It literally can't see the full picture anymore.
The Three Ways This Happens #
💥 Break Pattern #1: The Domino Effect
You ask AI to update one file. That file imports functions from another file. Those functions are used by three other features. AI changes the first file without realizing it just broke the three features that depend on it.
Real example: Someone asked Cursor to "make error messages friendlier." Cursor updated the error handling... and broke the entire payment system because payments were checking for specific error formats.
💥 Break Pattern #2: The Forgotten Dependency
You ask AI to add a new feature. AI creates it... but forgets your new feature needs to connect to your existing database setup. Now your new feature works in isolation but doesn't actually save any data.
Real example: Someone asked Claude to "add user reviews." Claude built a beautiful reviews section... that wasn't connected to the database. Reviews would display for that session, then disappear on refresh.
💥 Break Pattern #3: The Wrong Assumption
AI sees a pattern in your code and assumes that's how everything works. Then it changes things to match that pattern... breaking the parts that were intentionally different.
Real example: Someone had two types of users (customers and admins) with different permissions. AI saw customer code, assumed all users worked that way, and "fixed" the admin system to match. Admins lost their special permissions.
Why This Gets Worse Over Time #
| Feature Count | AI's Ability | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 3 features | Tracks everything perfectly | ✅ All good |
| 7 features | Mostly tracks connections | ✅ Still good |
| 15 features | Starts losing track | ⚠️ Issues begin |
| 25+ features | Mostly guessing | ❌ Frequent breaks |
💡 Important Reality:
This isn't your fault. This isn't AI being bad. This is just what happens when projects grow.
Every builder hits this wall.
If you're currently at the "AI is mostly guessing" stage, you might find this guide on when Cursor stops working helpful.
The Warning Signs #
You know you have this problem when:
Unexpected Files Change: You ask to update one file, git shows five files changed.
Working Features Break: Yesterday's features fail today, and you didn't touch them.
Mysterious Errors: Error messages about code you didn't modify.
AI Suggests Redoing Things: AI suggests rebuilding features that already exist because it forgot they exist.
You're Scared to Make Changes: You hesitate to ask AI for help because you're worried what else will break.
If any of these sound familiar, your app has outgrown what AI can track without help.
What Doesn't Fix It #
Before I tell you what works, let me save you time by explaining what doesn't:
❌ Making Smaller Requests #
"Maybe if I ask for tinier changes, AI won't break things?"
This helps a little, but it's exhausting. You'll spend all day making micro-changes when you could be building features.
❌ Being More Specific #
"Only change the login button, don't touch the database, email system, or profiles."
You'll burn out listing everything AI shouldn't touch. Plus you might forget something, and AI breaks it anyway.
❌ Starting Fresh Chats #
New conversations help temporarily, but the problem comes back within a few prompts. You haven't fixed anything—you've just reset the confusion.
❌ Testing More Carefully #
Testing helps you catch breaks faster, but it doesn't prevent breaks. You're still spending time fixing things that shouldn't have broken.
We have a detailed article about AI coding tools that keep promising "almost done" if this testing cycle sounds familiar.
What Actually Fixes It #
The only real fix is giving AI a map of how your app works.
Right now AI is making changes blind. Once it has a map showing "this connects to this, which affects that," it stops breaking things.
🎯 Stop AI From Breaking Your Features
Giga creates a complete map of your project so AI can see connections before making changes. Works with Cursor, Claude Code, and all AI tools.
Try Giga →The map needs to show:
- What your major features are
- How they connect to each other
- What depends on what
- What should never change (critical parts)
With this map, when you ask AI to change the login button, it checks: "Login button connects to database, user profiles, and email system. Let me make sure this change doesn't break those connections."
Two Ways to Create the Map #
Option 1: Write It Yourself #
Create a document explaining your app's structure. Update it every time you add features or change how things connect.
This works but requires constant maintenance. Forget to update it once, and AI breaks things again.
Option 2: Let Giga Build and Maintain It #
Giga scans your app automatically and creates the map for you:
- Figures out what each feature does
- Maps how features connect
- Updates automatically as you build
- Writes it in a format AI tools understand
Then when you ask Cursor or Claude to make a change, they check the map first. No more broken connections. No more unexpected breaks.
What Changes With a Map #
Before:
- You: "Add forgot password link"
- AI: adds link, breaks signup, breaks email, breaks profiles
- You: spends 2 hours fixing three unexpected problems
After:
- You: "Add forgot password link"
- AI: checks map, sees what login connects to, adds link without breaking anything
- You: keeps building
The relief is immediate. You stop being scared to make changes.
Setting It Up (5 Minutes) #
Here's what to do:
Step 1: Install Giga for your editor (works with Cursor, Claude Code, VSCode, others)
Step 2: Point it at your project folder
Step 3: Let it scan and build the map (takes 2-5 minutes depending on project size)
Step 4: Keep building—Giga runs in the background and updates the map automatically
Set up Giga to stop AI from breaking things →
Frequently Asked Questions #
Will this slow down AI? #
No. Giga works in the background. Cursor or Claude feels exactly the same speed—just more accurate.
Do I have to maintain the map manually? #
Nope. That's the whole point. Giga updates it automatically as you build.
What if my app is already pretty broken? #
Giga helps with both: preventing new breaks AND fixing the existing confusion. Once AI has the map, you can ask it to fix the broken features and it won't break other things in the process.
Does this work with all AI tools? #
Yes. Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf—they all have the same "can't see connections" problem. Giga's map works with all of them.
For more on specific tools, check out our guide on the best AI coding tools for non-programmers.
Is this admitting my app is too complicated? #
No! This is admitting your app is real. Apps with one feature don't need maps. Real apps with multiple connected features do. This is a sign you're building something people can actually use.
The Bottom Line #
AI breaking working features isn't random. It's not bad luck. It's not your fault.
It happens because your app grew past what AI can track in its head. The connections between features became too complex for AI to see without help.
The solution isn't to stop using AI or to simplify your app. The solution is to give AI a map so it can see the full picture again.
Do that (with Giga), and AI goes back to being helpful instead of destructive. You can build confidently without fear of breaking things. Your project keeps moving forward instead of two steps forward, three steps back.
Don't let this problem kill your project. You've built something real. Now just give AI the map it needs to keep helping you build.