AI Vibe Coding Starter

How It Works

Describe your app idea, the platform, and your technical comfort level. The guide gives you the actual iterative workflow: how to prompt for a first working version, how to describe bugs/changes so the AI fixes the right thing, and when you'll hit the limits of pure vibe-coding and need to look at the code yourself.

What to Provide

Vibe Coding Workflow

Replace [[tokens]] with your details. This is the finished deliverable.

1. First Prompt (Get a Working Skeleton)

"[[Build a {{app type}} that lets users {{core action}}. Use {{tech stack if you have a preference, otherwise let the tool choose}}. Keep it simple: just the core flow working, no extra features yet.]]"

2. Iterating (One Change at a Time)

Good iteration prompt: "[[The button on the homepage should say 'Get Started' instead of 'Submit', and clicking it should go to the signup page, not the dashboard.]]"

Why this works: Specific, one change, references exact UI elements: not "make it better."

3. Describing Bugs So They Get Fixed Correctly

"[[When I click X, I expect Y to happen, but instead Z happens. Here's what I see in the console/screenshot: {{error or description}}.]]"

4. Knowing When to Look at the Code Yourself

[[Signs you've hit a vibe-coding limit: the same bug keeps "getting fixed" and reappearing, the AI keeps rewriting unrelated parts of the app, or you need a specific integration the tool doesn't have a built-in pattern for. At this point, ask the AI to explain the relevant code section in plain English before asking for more changes.]]

Worked Examples

Example 1: Simple Waitlist Landing Page

First prompt: "Build a landing page with a headline, one paragraph of copy, and an email signup form that saves emails to a database. Use Lovable's default styling."

Iteration: "Change the headline to be more benefit-focused" → "Add a confirmation message after signup" → "Make the form validate that it's a real email format."

Example 2: Internal Tool for Tracking Tasks

First prompt: "Build a simple task tracker: add a task, mark it done, see a list of open vs. done tasks. No login needed yet: just local for now."

Iteration: "Add the ability to delete a task" → "Add a due date field" → "Sort the list by due date."

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Asking for everything at once in the first prompt instead of a working skeleton first
• Vague iteration requests ("make it better," "fix the bug") instead of specific, referenced changes
• Not describing the actual expected vs. actual behavior when reporting a bug
• Ignoring repeated bugs instead of recognizing it's time to look at the code directly
• Building on an unstable foundation: adding features onto a core flow that doesn't work reliably yet

Get the core flow rock-solid before adding features: vibe coding compounds problems fast if you build on a shaky base.