Google AI studio thinks it's updating files

Google AI Studio
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Hi team and community,
I’m building an app in Google AI Studio’s Build mode, and I’ve run into a frustrating bug. When the model is supposed to generate or update code (e.g., adding libraries, refactoring components), it outputs descriptions like “Updated files: index.html” with details, but nothing actually changes in the project files. It seems like the AI “thinks” it applied the updates, but the code remains the same.

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Is this a known issue?

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Hi @ivanbaluta,

This is a known synchronization bug in the AI Studio IDE where the model’s output isn’t correctly applied to the file system.

  • Action 1: Please try a hard refresh of your browser (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + R) to clear the local cache and force a re-sync.

  • Action 2: If that fails, close the AI Studio tab and re-open the project to start a fresh session.

  • Action 3: Try a small, simple code change in a different file to check if the issue is isolated to a specific file.

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Thank you for the suggested solutions! They really help with the file synchronization bug. Even a simple page refresh fixes the issue. However, it’s a shame that any refresh causes the entire chat history to be lost. This is very inconvenient for my workflow.

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I believe this is a deceptive practice by Google. As a paid member, this problem wasn’t apparent before I subscribed. Initially, it appeared occasionally, but later became very serious. Starting from the 26th, it stopped working altogether. No matter what method I used to instruct it to update the files, it became unresponsive, sometimes treating update requests as new tasks. I suspect Google has downgraded the model or the product has developed bugs. For example, these commands didn’t work for me.

[SYSTEM] File update rules (MUST FOLLOW)

  1. Whenever the user asks you to modify code or configuration, you MUST actually edit the real files in the workspace using your file-edit tools.

  2. Only output Updated files: when the file write has actually succeeded.

  3. After updating a file, you MUST read it back and print its final content (or at least the modified parts) so the user can verify.

  4. If you cannot actually edit files in this environment, you MUST clearly state: “I cannot actually modify files here.” In this case, you MUST NOT output Updated files.

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Problem Description
I’ve been developing an app in Google AI Studio using Build/App Builder mode for over 24 hours, but requested changes are not applied, despite the AI confirming successful “deployment”. This is blocking project progress and making the tool unusable.[web:7][web:14]

Symptoms

  • Request simple changes (e.g.: [describe here examples, like “add a new page”, “remove field X” or “change layout”]).
  • AI responds “Changes deployed successfully” or similar, but app preview and code in “Code” tab remain identical.
  • Already tried: reload page, clear chat, copy app to new project, manual edits – nothing works.
  • Expected behavior: preview and code reflect changes immediately.

Frequency and Severity

  • Always (100% of attempts in the last 24h+).
  • Critical: blocks full app development.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Go to aistudio.google.com, create or open an app in Build mode.
  2. In chat, request a change (e.g.: “Add a login button to the home page”).
  3. Confirm “deploy” – AI says OK, but nothing changes in preview/code.
    (Attaching screenshots of chat, before/after preview, and code.)

Environment

  • Browser: [e.g.: Chrome 120+, Firefox].
  • OS: [e.g.: Windows 11 / macOS].
  • Account: [personal / Workspace].
  • Region: Brazil (-03 timezone).

Impact
It’s complicated to continue using AI Studio App

1 Like