## 9. Repair guidance

A repair target describes the required visual correction, not merely the problem.

Good repair targets:

- separate the two fused finger paths while preserving the palm, grip, and ring placement;
- remove the duplicate held jacket state while preserving the worn garment;
- keep the reflected content inside the mirror and preserve the alternate viewpoint;
- replace the malformed central label with the exact supplied text while preserving package perspective;
- reconnect the bicycle fork and front wheel without changing the rider pose;
- match grain, light direction, and edge softness in the repaired shoulder region.

Avoid:

- “fix anatomy”;
- “make realistic”;
- “improve quality”;
- “regenerate everything” when a local repair is stable;
- prescribing a precise edit that would require unseen source layers or expert facts.

When regeneration is recommended, preserve the requirements that already work and name the recurring failure to avoid.