# Category listing for AI does not return full slugs **URL:** \ **Category:** UX\ **Tags:** ai\ **Created:** [May 21, 2025, 3:34pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-listing-for-ai-does-not-return-full-slugs/367072 "2025-05-21T15:34:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tvavrda](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/tvavrda/32/480674_2.png) [@tvavrda](https://meta.discourse.org/u/tvavrda)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 3:34pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-listing-for-ai-does-not-return-full-slugs/367072/1 "2025-05-21T15:34:54Z")
When the bot searches for categories and generates an output, it only displays a partial category slug for second-level categories. For example, #Documentation > Using Discourse, which has a valid slug `#documentation:using-discourse`, is only shown as `#using-discourse`. Which of course does not render as a link. The same happens when the bot tries to create a link to a subcategory – it still fails as it produces a wrong slug in the URL. It would be helpful if the bot had access to the complete slug so it can accurately display subcategories. ---
**Author:** ![Jagster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/jagster/32/192154_2.png) [@Jagster](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jagster)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 4:26pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-listing-for-ai-does-not-return-full-slugs/367072/2 "2025-05-21T16:26:58Z")
Because an AI bot is really stupid. You must explain that in a slug can be a hyphen, and even give an example. If that model is really hard headed you may list every such category slugs. It is like 3 years old kid. If you explain everything given simple rules to follow, where is no escape routes or doors to start guessing, it works decently good. Most of times. Well unti someone updates that model and it breaks something again. ---
**Author:** ![tvavrda](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/tvavrda/32/480674_2.png) [@tvavrda](https://meta.discourse.org/u/tvavrda)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 4:35pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-listing-for-ai-does-not-return-full-slugs/367072/3 "2025-05-21T16:35:15Z")
I tried. I explained. And tried again. It made the main categories right, but not the subcategories. I just think it is not getting the right source data. So even if it wanted, it could not get the slug right. It just does not know what the parent category is. And of course I can suggest and hard-code the category list in the persona definition, but why does it use “Search Categories” function then? ---
**Author:** ![Jagster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/jagster/32/192154_2.png) [@Jagster](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jagster)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 4:54pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-listing-for-ai-does-not-return-full-slugs/367072/4 "2025-05-21T16:54:17Z")
> [@tvavrda](#): > > It just does not know what the parent category is Propably not. It doesn’t know the structure of your forum. And how could it even know? No one has ever told it to it. If that is somehow an important part of your prompt, you have to explain that too. > [@tvavrda](#): > > Search Categories Because it uses that piece of information to find posts. It doesn’t use it to understand your sitemap 🤷‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![JammyDodger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/jammydodger/32/254611_2.png) [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 5:40pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-listing-for-ai-does-not-return-full-slugs/367072/5 "2025-05-21T17:40:01Z")
You can see a similar problem in the AI summaries here on meta: > **[Forum summaries](https://meta.discourse.org/c/news-and-events/forum-summaries/157)** > > Stay up-to-date with the pulse of our community through AI-crafted summaries posted daily. **ETA:** Perhaps a better example so no one has to go digging 🙂 > [@Daily Summary (1pm UTC)](https://meta.discourse.org/t/daily-summary-1pm-utc/291852/479): > > - **#Support** – [Kartoon](https://meta.discourse.org/u/kartoon) investigated a mysterious loss of desktop highlight colors in a custom theme, pinpointing a core CSS change after recent updates [read more](https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/366551/5?silent=true) > - **#Self-Hosting** – [Ethsim2](https://meta.discourse.org/u/ethsim2) detailed a full restore via s3/scp and a switch from Mailgun to Brevo, then asked how to remove the post-restore banner [read more](https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/108034/70?silent=true) > - **#bug::category** – [cuo\_wu](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cuo_wu) flagged a CORS error caused by a relative path, seeking any upstream fixes [read more](https://meta.discourse.org/t/-/333024/8?silent=true) I also could not get the bot to listen to me and do it properly… I’m hoping you can track down what the missing piece is as it’s been bugging me for awhile. 🙂 Does your prompt get better results @Jagster? ---
**Author:** ![tvavrda](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/tvavrda/32/480674_2.png) [@tvavrda](https://meta.discourse.org/u/tvavrda)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 5:41pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-listing-for-ai-does-not-return-full-slugs/367072/6 "2025-05-21T17:41:53Z")
> [@Jagster](#): > > It doesn’t know the structure of your forum. And how could it even know? You are not right. The bot is configured to search in categories and it does so. It properly writes down their list. It properly uses a slug and not the name when I tell it to. But it fails with the slug for a subcategory. Most probably because the function that returns the list of categories does not contain it. That is my point. ---
**Author:** ![Jagster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/jagster/32/192154_2.png) [@Jagster](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jagster)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 5:48pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-listing-for-ai-does-not-return-full-slugs/367072/7 "2025-05-21T17:48:54Z")
I got, but I don’t have that many categories either. I have found that everytime when such list type things, meaning there is few with same structure, like category links, increasing over some, AI starts forget its rules and start to use that data it has collected. At that point it starts missing this and hallucinating rest. Everything else with summaries weren’t that big success… actually those were quite catastrophic, and I abandonded whole idea. I don’t have that much demand to get links for categories per se, so I don’t know if new OpenAI models are more stupid than old one. More lazier they are. ---
**Author:** ![Jagster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/jagster/32/192154_2.png) [@Jagster](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jagster)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 5:50pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-listing-for-ai-does-not-return-full-slugs/367072/8 "2025-05-21T17:50:14Z")
And yet it doesn’t know, because it never uses such data for understanding the structure. ---
**Author:** ![tvavrda](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/tvavrda/32/480674_2.png) [@tvavrda](https://meta.discourse.org/u/tvavrda)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 6:46pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-listing-for-ai-does-not-return-full-slugs/367072/9 "2025-05-21T18:46:44Z")
Then why does it say “Listing Categories” and why does it print an exact list? It can also read topics and search. It understands pretty much very well what is going on. Otherwise I don’t know how else would it be useful inside Doscourse? I am confused. The only thing I was pointing out that the category list function it can call does not return the full path/slug for subcategories. So it doesn’t use it. Nothing else. And I think that the summaries lack exactly the same from what I can see. I am talking about this feature: ![The image shows a settings screen with options related to image captioning tools, including a highlighted section for "Enabled tools" with "Search, Read, Categories, Tags" and "Forced tools" with "Select...". (Captioned by AI)](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/c/d/0/cd0d4daf537038e4188af4aaa5b4bf868c2debf1.png) ---
**Author:** ![Jagster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/jagster/32/192154_2.png) [@Jagster](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jagster)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 6:51pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-listing-for-ai-does-not-return-full-slugs/367072/10 "2025-05-21T18:51:55Z")
That can use categories for search. ”Explain what kind issues use of AI can make. Use information from category Support.” ---
**Author:** ![tvavrda](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/tvavrda/32/480674_2.png) [@tvavrda](https://meta.discourse.org/u/tvavrda)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 7:01pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-listing-for-ai-does-not-return-full-slugs/367072/11 "2025-05-21T19:01:58Z")
What is this then? List Categories. And then it gives you an exact list. That works with main categories and always fails with subcategories ![The image shows categories found in a forum with a highlighted suggestion to add categories related to inspiration and didactics. (Captioned by AI)](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/a/3/4/a346fbf7fab23d271e380629beccd78c33f065f1.png) ---
**Author:** ![JammyDodger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/jammydodger/32/254611_2.png) [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 7:19pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-listing-for-ai-does-not-return-full-slugs/367072/12 "2025-05-21T19:19:46Z")
I think we may need the AI team to weigh in on this one and break the deadlock. 🙂 The idea that there’s something ‘meta’ about the subcategories that the AI bot is just not picking up on is very appealing to me (based on the time I sunk in trying to do it via prompt 🙂). Unfortunately I’m at the :derp: end of the AI spectrum so I have no idea if this is a reasonable assumption. 🤷 However I did spot this post from Don that says the workaround proved successful for him: > [@Daily Summary Feedback](https://meta.discourse.org/t/daily-summary-feedback/291853/243): > > I just start test it on my site and the categories especially the subcategories are most of time broken. No matter how I try to write the system message. So finally I’ve decided to handle this with adding a list of used tags, categories and subcategories in markdown format which seems works great… grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes ---
**Author:** ![Jagster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/jagster/32/192154_2.png) [@Jagster](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jagster)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 9:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-listing-for-ai-does-not-return-full-slugs/367072/13 "2025-05-21T21:56:25Z")
> [@Daily Summary Feedback](https://meta.discourse.org/t/daily-summary-feedback/291853/243): > > adding a list of used tags, categories and subcategories in markdown format As I said here 😏 > [@Jagster](#): > > No one has ever told it to it. If that is somehow an important part of your prompt, you have to explain that too. A table is one solution. I used a list. ---
**Author:** ![sam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/sam/32/102149_2.png) [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 1:16am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/category-listing-for-ai-does-not-return-full-slugs/367072/14 "2025-05-22T01:16:29Z")
> [@JammyDodger](#): > > I think we may need the AI team to weigh in on this one and break the deadlock. Built in tools should be a bit smarter about subcategories, I agree with this. Category listing tool is not the only one. Search probably as well and Deep Research.