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12.6Red Flags: When to Stop Generating and Start Writing
Switch from "generate + curate" to "write from scratch" when:
- You have deleted more than 40% of generated tests. The prompt is wrong or the domain is too specialized for AI.
- You spend more time fixing AI tests than it would take to write them. Break-even is typically at 30 minutes of curation for 30 tests.
- The tests require understanding race conditions or timing. AI consistently fails at concurrency testing.
- The domain has no public documentation. AI cannot generate tests for proprietary protocols or internal APIs with no spec.
- You need exact reproduction of a specific bug. Regression tests must replicate the precise conditions. AI generates generic scenarios.