Debugging with AI Coding Tools: Lessons from Fixing a Stubborn Table Grid

I've been working on a comparison table for AI coding tools on Toolpod, and ran into one of those bugs that makes you question your career choices. The grid looked perfect in my head, decent in the code, but completely broken in the browser. Columns misaligned, content overflowing, the scrollbar looking janky. Classic frontend nightmare.

So naturally, I turned to the tools I was literally writing about. Cursor, Claude, the whole arsenal of AI coding assistants that promise to make debugging effortless. And honestly? It was a mixed bag.

What Worked

The AI tools were great at the initial diagnosis. I described the issue, shared a screenshot, and got back reasonable suggestions. "Try using sticky positioning for the first column." "Add a wrapper div for horizontal scrolling." "Update your table structure to separate the header."

These were all valid approaches. The problem wasn't the suggestions themselves, it was that I was implementing them one at a time, testing, then asking for the next fix. Each iteration introduced new quirks. The frozen column worked but broke the hover effects. The custom scrollbar looked good but the table stopped centering properly.

What Didn't Work

AI coding tools struggle with the iterative debugging process that frontend work often requires. They're excellent at generating solutions from scratch, but when you're three fixes deep and the previous solutions are interacting in weird ways, the context gets murky.

I'd explain the new issue, reference the previous fixes, and get suggestions that sometimes conflicted with earlier changes. "Remove the wrapper div" after it had just told me to add one. "Use flexbox instead" when we'd committed to grid layout two iterations ago.

The tools also can't see the actual rendered output in the browser. They're working from code and descriptions, which means subtle CSS cascade issues or specificity problems don't always register. I found myself screenshotting more and more, trying to convey what "the columns are slightly off" actually looked like.

What I Actually Learned

The real lesson wasn't about AI limitations. It was about my own debugging process. I was treating the AI like a magic fix machine instead of a pair programming partner. I wasn't stepping back to understand why the table was breaking in the first place.

When I finally took a breath and inspected the actual rendered HTML, I noticed the markdown wasn't converting to proper table structure in some cells. Empty cells were collapsing. The Cline column was missing data entirely. These weren't CSS problems at all, they were content problems.

The AI tools had been solving the problems I described, not the problems I actually had. And that's on me, not them.

The Right Way to Debug with AI

Here's what I should have done from the start:

Start with proper diagnosis. Look at the actual rendered output in dev tools. Check if it's a structure problem, a styling problem, or a data problem. Then ask the AI for help with the specific layer that's broken.

Provide complete context in one shot. Instead of iterative fixes, describe the full current state, what you've already tried, and what specifically isn't working. Let the AI see the whole picture.

Verify the fundamentals first. Make sure your data is complete, your HTML structure is valid, and your basic layout works before asking for advanced features like frozen columns or custom scrollbars.

Know when to step away. Sometimes the best debugging happens when you're not staring at the screen. The AI can't do that for you.

Still Not Fixed

The irony isn't lost on me that I'm writing this post while the table is still somewhat broken. But that's kind of the point. AI coding tools are incredibly powerful, but they're not a replacement for understanding what's actually happening in your code.

They're great at generating solutions, suggesting approaches, and writing boilerplate. They're less great at the messy reality of debugging, where the problem isn't always what you think it is and the solution requires understanding how five different systems interact.

I'll get the table fixed. Probably by going back to basics, ensuring all 13 tools have complete data in every row, and building up the styling layer by layer. The AI will help with that. But only because I'll finally be asking it the right questions.

For now, if you visit the AI coding tools comparison page, you might notice the grid isn't perfect. Consider it a work in progress. Much like my relationship with AI coding assistants.