How I Debug AI Hallucinations: A 5-Step Workflow

The function looked perfect. Clean types, good naming, solid error handling. One problem: the library it imported didn't exist. Not "wrong version." Not "deprecated." The package @utils/deep-validate has never existed, in any registry, ever. The AI made it up. Welcome to hallucination debugging. Here's the workflow I use to catch these before they waste my afternoon. Step 1: Run It Before You Read It This sounds obvious, but I watch developers carefully read AI-generated code, mentally trace the logic, nod approvingly — and then discover it doesn't compile. Don't review first. Run first. # For generated code: try to compile/run immediately npx tsc --noEmit # or node script.js # or python -c "import generated_module" Hallucinations often surface as import errors, undefined references, or type mismatches. A 5-second compile catches what 5 minutes of reading might miss. Step 2: Verify Every Import and External Reference This is where most hallucinations hide. The model generates plausible