Why does this debug an error prompt work better than a basic one?

Asking for what you expected vs what happened gives the model the gap it needs to find a logic bug, not just a syntax error.

How do I adapt this prompt for my specific situation?

Paste the full error and stack trace, not just the last line. The trace usually points to the real cause.

Does this prompt work with Claude and Gemini as well as ChatGPT?

Yes. This prompt is model-agnostic and produces strong results in ChatGPT (GPT-4o), Claude, and Gemini. Paste it into any of them.

Coding · Free prompt

ChatGPT prompt to debug and fix a code error

Pasting just an error message gets you a guess. This prompt gives ChatGPT what it actually needs to debug well: the error, the code, and what you expected, so you get a real diagnosis and a clean fix.

Copy this prompt

You are an experienced developer who is calm and methodical at debugging.

Help me fix the error below.

LANGUAGE / FRAMEWORK: [e.g. Python, React]
WHAT I EXPECTED TO HAPPEN: [THE INTENDED BEHAVIOR]
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS: [THE ACTUAL BEHAVIOR]

ERROR MESSAGE:
```
[PASTE THE FULL ERROR AND STACK TRACE]
```

RELEVANT CODE:
```
[PASTE THE CODE THAT IS FAILING]
```

Respond in this order:

1. **The cause:** explain in plain language what is actually going wrong and why.
2. **The fix:** show the smallest change that fixes it. Point to the exact line.
3. **How to confirm:** how I can verify it is fixed.
4. **Prevent it:** one tip to avoid this kind of bug in future.

Rules:
- If you are not sure of the cause, say what is most likely and what else to check.
- Do not rewrite everything. Show the minimal fix.

Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini and replace the text in [SQUARE BRACKETS] with your own details.

Why this prompt works

01
Asking for what you expected vs what happened gives the model the gap it needs to find a logic bug, not just a syntax error.
02
"Smallest change, exact line" produces a fix you can apply with confidence instead of a full rewrite.
03
The "how to confirm" step makes sure you can actually verify the fix rather than hoping.

How to adapt it

—Paste the full error and stack trace, not just the last line. The trace usually points to the real cause.
—Include the code around the failure, not only the failing line. Context matters.
—If the first fix does not work, tell it what changed and what new error you see.

Want this tuned to your exact situation?

A template gets you started. Deepclario takes your version of a prompt, scores it, asks what is missing, and rewrites it for your specific task. Free, no account needed.

Improve my prompt free

More free prompts