No uninterpolated template variables in output
Why it matters
Strings like Hello [INSERT_USER_NAME]! or Total: {{amount}} render verbatim in the browser or email client. Users see the literal brackets, support tickets flood in, and the brand takes a direct credibility hit — especially in transactional email, which customers screenshot and share. This is pure placeholder-hygiene rot: the AI emitted a templating stub, no one swapped in real interpolation, and the string shipped.
Severity rationale
Medium because uninterpolated placeholders damage user trust immediately but rarely cause data loss or security impact.
Remediation
Replace placeholder tokens with the host language's interpolation and pass real values at render time. For React, use JSX expressions; for emails, use a templating library (React Email, Handlebars, MJML) that binds variables at render. Fix in src/components/Greeting.tsx:
<h1>Hello {user.name}!</h1>
DetectionPro
The detection method for this pattern is part of AuditBuffet Pro.
The full method (what to look for, pass and fail conditions, and how results get reported) ships inside the WIP-in-Production Audit. The pattern definition, severity rationale, and remediation remain openly licensed under CC-BY-4.0.
Taxons
History
- 2026-04-18·v1.0.0·Initial import from ai-slop-half-finished·automated