# Diagnose a failed generation

URL: https://docs.testvibe.com/testvibe-api/guides/diagnose-a-failed-generation

A feature stuck at `failed` almost always means the AI couldn't make the Gherkin's scenarios pass against the real site. The transcript tells you why.

1. ### Confirm what happened

```bash
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $TESTVIBE_API_KEY" \
  "$TESTVIBE_SERVER/api/v1/ops/projects/$PROJECT/features/12/generation"
```

[`get_generation_status`](/testvibe-api/reference/generation/get_generation_status) shows which section concluded `failure` and when.

- ### Read the transcript

[`get_generation_log`](/testvibe-api/reference/generation/get_generation_log) returns the per-section log — what the agent explored, what it generated, and what verification said. Look at the section's `statusReason` and final `log` lines first.

- ### Fix the cause

The common failure modes, in order of frequency:
| Symptom in the log | Likely cause | Fix | Couldn't find a page or element the scenario names | Gherkin describes UI that doesn't exist (yet) or names it differently | Reword the scenario to match the real UI, or deploy the feature first. | Stuck at a login wall | The flow needs credentials the agent doesn't have | Put test credentials in the scenario ( `When I sign in as "user@example.com" / "secret"` ). | Wrong site explored | Project base URL points elsewhere (staging moved?) | Pass `siteUrl` on the next generate, or fix the project URL in the app. | Verification flaky/timeouts | Slow environment | Often passes on retry; consider a calmer test environment.

- ### Update and retry

```bash
testvibe features update 12 --file login.feature
testvibe generate 12 --watch
```

[`update_feature`](/testvibe-api/reference/features/update_feature) then [`generate_feature`](/testvibe-api/reference/generation/generate_feature) — each retry is a fresh generation (and fresh credits), so fix the Gherkin before re-rolling.
2. ### Read the transcript

[`get_generation_log`](/testvibe-api/reference/generation/get_generation_log) returns the per-section log — what the agent explored, what it generated, and what verification said. Look at the section's `statusReason` and final `log` lines first.

- ### Fix the cause

The common failure modes, in order of frequency:
| Symptom in the log | Likely cause | Fix | Couldn't find a page or element the scenario names | Gherkin describes UI that doesn't exist (yet) or names it differently | Reword the scenario to match the real UI, or deploy the feature first. | Stuck at a login wall | The flow needs credentials the agent doesn't have | Put test credentials in the scenario ( `When I sign in as "user@example.com" / "secret"` ). | Wrong site explored | Project base URL points elsewhere (staging moved?) | Pass `siteUrl` on the next generate, or fix the project URL in the app. | Verification flaky/timeouts | Slow environment | Often passes on retry; consider a calmer test environment.

- ### Update and retry

```bash
testvibe features update 12 --file login.feature
testvibe generate 12 --watch
```

[`update_feature`](/testvibe-api/reference/features/update_feature) then [`generate_feature`](/testvibe-api/reference/generation/generate_feature) — each retry is a fresh generation (and fresh credits), so fix the Gherkin before re-rolling.
3. ### Fix the cause

The common failure modes, in order of frequency:
| Symptom in the log | Likely cause | Fix | Couldn't find a page or element the scenario names | Gherkin describes UI that doesn't exist (yet) or names it differently | Reword the scenario to match the real UI, or deploy the feature first. | Stuck at a login wall | The flow needs credentials the agent doesn't have | Put test credentials in the scenario ( `When I sign in as "user@example.com" / "secret"` ). | Wrong site explored | Project base URL points elsewhere (staging moved?) | Pass `siteUrl` on the next generate, or fix the project URL in the app. | Verification flaky/timeouts | Slow environment | Often passes on retry; consider a calmer test environment.

- ### Update and retry

```bash
testvibe features update 12 --file login.feature
testvibe generate 12 --watch
```

[`update_feature`](/testvibe-api/reference/features/update_feature) then [`generate_feature`](/testvibe-api/reference/generation/generate_feature) — each retry is a fresh generation (and fresh credits), so fix the Gherkin before re-rolling.
4. ### Update and retry

```bash
testvibe features update 12 --file login.feature
testvibe generate 12 --watch
```

[`update_feature`](/testvibe-api/reference/features/update_feature) then [`generate_feature`](/testvibe-api/reference/generation/generate_feature) — each retry is a fresh generation (and fresh credits), so fix the Gherkin before re-rolling.
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Doing this from an MCP client? The assistant can run this whole loop itself — see [Your first test from Claude Code](/testvibe-api/guides/first-test-from-claude-code) .