Agent used stale project memory
An outdated AGENTS.md / memory file sent the agent down a path that no longer matched the codebase.
What happens
The agent follows instructions or facts from a stale memory file — an old build command, a renamed module, a removed convention — and produces work that does not fit the current project.
Why it happens
Durable instructions (AGENTS.md, memory) were not kept current, and nothing verified them against the actual codebase.
The loop engineering fix
Keep AGENTS.md short, current, and free of outdated history.
Verify commands and structure against the real repo before trusting memory.
Prefer machine-checkable validation over remembered assumptions.