01Step 1: Pick a tool that matches you
The right tool depends less on which is "best" and more on whether you can read code. Browser builders hide the setup; editor agents give you control but assume you know your way around a project. The best vibe coding tools goes deeper on each.
| You are | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New to code, building an app | Lovable, Bolt or Replit | Hosting, database and setup are handled for you |
| Building a UI in React | v0 | Clean components that drop into a Next.js project |
| Comfortable with a code editor | Cursor | An agent inside your own repository |
| Comfortable in a terminal | Claude Code | Agentic changes across a whole codebase |
| Building a marketing website | A website builder | Design matters more than code here |
02Step 2: Write a one-page spec before the first prompt
A spec does not need to be formal. It needs to say who the app is for, what they can do, what data it stores, and what must never happen (for example, "users can never see each other's entries"). Paste it at the start of every session, or keep it in a file the tool reads.
This one habit fixes the most common failure: the AI making a different assumption in prompt 40 than it made in prompt 4. Developers in a Hacker News thread on vibe coding experiences named written plans as one of the things that made the biggest difference.
03Step 3: Build in small, testable steps
Big prompts produce big changes you cannot check. Small prompts produce changes you can verify by clicking.
- 1One feature per prompt"Add a signup form" is a step. "Build the user system" is ten.
- 2Use it straight awayClick through the new feature, including the cases that should fail.
- 3Commit when it worksA git commit is a save point. Most tools can do this for you; ask.
- 4Describe bugs, not fixes"Saving a second entry overwrites the first" helps the AI more than "fix the database".
04Step 4: Know when to stop prompting
Every vibe coder hits the loop: the AI fixes one bug, creates another, then reintroduces the first. Prompting harder rarely helps. Roll back to the last working commit, rewrite the request more narrowly, or ask the AI to explain the relevant code before changing it.
Switching models can also help, since different models get stuck in different places. And if a feature keeps failing, it may be the wrong feature for this stage; cut it.
- Three failed attempts at the same bug: roll back.
- A fix that touches ten files for a small change: ask why before accepting.
- The AI says it is done but nothing changed: check the diff, then re-prompt.
05Step 5: Review the parts that can hurt someone
You do not need to read every line. You do need someone to read the code that handles accounts, payments, file uploads and database access rules, because that is where AI-written code most often goes wrong. Veracode's 2025 testing found models chose insecure patterns in 45% of security-relevant tasks.
Ask the AI to list every place user data is read or written, and to explain how access is restricted. If the explanation is vague, that is your answer. Then ask it to write tests for those paths, so the next prompt cannot quietly undo them.
06Vibe coding a website instead of an app
Websites are easier to vibe code safely, since there is usually no user data. The harder part is making the result look designed rather than generated. Describe the audience and the feeling you want, not just the sections, and give one or two reference sites. How to vibe code a website covers this, and writing a prompt for an AI website builder has worked examples.
What people who tried it say
The practical advice on Hacker News is remarkably consistent: plan first, work in small steps, checkpoint with git, switch models when stuck, and treat anything you intend to keep as real code that needs tests.
- Ask HN: What's your experience with vibe coding?Hacker News
Workflow tips include documenting context up front, using git checkpoints to recover when an agent goes off track and switching models when one gets stuck. One commenter separates throwaway prototypes from code meant to last, which should get tests.
- Ask HN: What would you recommend a vibe coder learn about how all this works?Hacker News
Commenters recommend learning how state and data flow work, how to read stack traces, git basics and testing, and using the AI as a tutor that explains its own code.
Looking for more first-hand opinions? Search Reddit for “how to vibe code”. We link the live threads rather than summarizing them, so you read them in full.
Our take
the best vibe coders are not the best prompters; they are the best at scoping. A narrow spec and a habit of committing after every win will do more for your project than any clever prompt.
Where this falls short
This workflow reduces risk but does not remove it. If your app handles health, financial or children's data, or has legal obligations, it needs a qualified developer's review no matter how carefully it was prompted.
For websites, Orlume handles steps 2 to 4 for you: describe the site and it plans the design (layout, type, hierarchy) before writing code, then builds a Next.js site you can publish in one click.
Free to start · No card required · Live in one click
Sources
- 1.Lovable pricing · Lovable
- 2.Cursor pricing · Cursor
- 3.The hottest new vibe coding startup Lovable is a sitting duck for hackers · Semafor
- 4.AI-generated code poses major security risks in nearly half of all development tasks · SD Times, on Veracode's 2025 report
Researched and written by the Orlume team · Updated October 2026
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