Case · 2026-07-12

Code that demos the happy path and lies on the edges

It type-checks. Your production pager still has a career.

Summary: Asked for a small utility with validation and error handling. Happy path looked clean. Edges were vibes.

Claimed pattern case (not a single dated official incident). Composite field-guide example of a known failure mode. Not attributed to a specific public post.

What happened

Claude shipped clean-looking TypeScript that type-checked and passed a trivial happy-path call. Empty input, partial failure, and retries were skipped or “handled” with comments that never threw useful errors.

Why it’s slop

• Production cosplay without the contract
• Confident comments over real branches
• Silent failure dressed as design

How to spot it

• Demo input only, no failing case
• TODO-shaped error handling
• “Production ready” with zero tests

What good looks like

• Failure modes in the first draft
• At least one case that should break
• No victory lap without proof

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