Vibe Coding 101

"Vibe Coding" is the phrase we use to describe writing code with AI.

You can code purely by "vibing along with AI".

However, I think you can produce apps more reliably by having a process.

YouTube videos:

If you prefer to learn by watching videos, here are my videos to help:

• 5 minute overview
• 30 minute deep dive
• Just start by using ChatGPT???

Simple Vibe Coding Process

Here is a simple 5-step process for building software.

Simply generate a spec + a plan, then ship code in small milestones with rapid iteration.

1. Describe the goal

   Go to a chatbot (e.g. ChatGPT) and explain what you want to build.

2. Generate two docs

   Ask for:

   • spec.md — what the system should do (requirements, constraints, acceptance criteria)
   • plan.md — how to build it (milestones, tasks, file structure)

3. Bring it into your IDE

   Save the files locally and open your IDE (e.g. Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity).

   For suggestions on which IDE to use (plus costs), see tooling.md.

4. Reconcile the docs

   Ask the AI agent to read both documents and remove any discrepancies:

   • missing requirements
   • conflicting assumptions
   • unclear scope
   • unrealistic milestones

5. Code milestone-by-milestone

   Ask the AI to implement the project following plan.md, one milestone at a time. Run the code constantly. Fix issues. Repeat.

Adding features later

When you want a new feature:

1. Ask for a new plan.md document (how to implement it)
   • Ask AI for help. It isn't necessary to create another spec. The new plan can be detailed.
2. Implement milestone-by-milestone again

A few suggestions that should help

• Keep milestones small. LLMs are good at suggesting multiple tasks per milestone.
• Run the code after every change. Don’t “trust”, verify.
• Ask AI to debug errors." Ask AI to read error codes, or makes suggestions to fix bugs.
• Write acceptance criteria. Ask AI to help you define tests and then check them.

Copy/paste prompts

Create spec

Write spec.md for this project in markdown. Include: goals, non-goals, user stories, requirements, constraints, acceptance criteria.

Create plan

Write plan.md in markdown. Include: milestones, tasks per milestone, file structure, and exact commands to run.

Reconcile

Read spec.md and plan.md. List discrepancies and propose a corrected version of both as necessary.

Implement a milestone

Implement Milestone 1 from plan.md. Go step-by-step.