Vibe Coding
Innovation in the Right Hands, Instability in the Wrong Ones
We’re in an era where code isn’t just compiled; it’s felt. Where development isn’t always defined by diagrams and specs, but by intuition, rhythm, and experimentation. Welcome to the world of vibe coding, a rising trend that’s equal parts creative freedom and technical risk.
But let’s get one thing clear upfront:
Vibe coding in the hands of someone who doesn’t understand the fundamentals of programming is like giving power tools to someone who hasn't learned basic safety.
It sounds extreme, but the warning is valid. Let’s dive into what vibe coding really is, where it shines, where it falls apart, and what happens when you hand over too much control to AI.
What is Vibe Coding?
The term “vibe coding” was coined by computer scientist Andrej Karpathy in early 2025. He described it as:
“A new kind of coding... where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists.”
— Andrej Karpathy on X
Vibe coding is a coding mindset where you rely less on structure and more on instinct. It’s when a developer jumps into an IDE, guided by a general sense of the goal but no detailed roadmap. You follow the energy. You iterate fast. You build what feels right.
Thanks to large language models (LLMs), vibe coding now also includes using natural language prompts to generate, refactor, and expand code. This shifts the developer’s role from creator to curator.
Large language models (LLMs) are sophisticated AI systems trained on vast amounts of text and code. This training allows them to understand natural language and generate new text, including code, based on patterns they've learned. When you use natural language prompts in vibe coding, you're essentially asking the LLM to translate your intent into functional code. It analyzes your request and leverages its massive knowledge base to produce what it believes is the most relevant and coherent code snippet.
Tools That Enable Vibe Coding
A growing ecosystem of tools has emerged to support the vibe coding workflow. These include:
Cursor – An AI-enhanced code editor where you write code with natural language. Cursor understands entire codebases and helps you move faster.
Replit – A browser-based collaborative IDE with integrated AI assistance that supports rapid prototyping and debugging.
Claude – Developed by Anthropic, Claude is a conversational AI tool that helps developers reason through codebases and generate logic.
Bolt – An AI-powered development platform that lets you build, edit, and deploy full-stack applications quickly.
Cline for VS Code – An autonomous coding agent that leverages LLMs to explore, build, and refactor large projects inside Visual Studio Code.
GitHub Copilot Agent mode – A recently launched mode that transforms GitHub Copilot into a multi-step coding agent. It enables developers to initiate tasks using natural language and lets the agent generate, edit, and manage code across files autonomously, making it ideal for complex feature implementation or bug fixes. For more, see the official announcement.
These tools allow developers to prototype faster, navigate codebases efficiently, and bring ideas to life with minimal friction.
Understanding MCP: The Backbone of Modular Vibe Coding
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) provides a structured interface for AI models to connect with tools, file systems, environments, and APIs. MCP makes vibe coding smarter and more controlled.
Examples of MCP-powered tools include:
Claude Code – Uses MCP to break large coding requests into manageable tasks, interact with tools, and build working solutions in real time (Anthropic Docs).
Cline – Employs MCP to enable seamless interaction with terminal commands, project trees, and multiple files in VS Code (Cline Docs).
MCP acts as a bridge between LLMs and real developer workflows. It turns vibe coding into something intentional, modular, and auditable, perfectly aligning it with software engineering best practices.
Where Vibe Coding Shines
Startups and MVPs – Fast iteration is everything. Vibe tools help ship prototypes and validate ideas quickly.
For a startup needing a quick user authentication prototype, a developer might use an AI-powered tool with a prompt like, "Generate a basic user registration and login form with email verification." This could rapidly produce initial code, saving valuable early-stage time.
AI/ML Experimentation – Vibe coding accelerates data prep, modeling, and experiment tracking.
Cloud Infrastructure Automation – Codify infra scripts and policies faster with LLMs.
Internal Tools – Perfect for quickly spinning up scripts, dashboards, and automation without lengthy cycles.
Why Vibe Coding Is Not No-Code
While vibe coding shares similarities with no-code tools, such as reduced boilerplate, intuitive interfaces, and speed, it is fundamentally different.
No-code platforms allow non-developers to create apps using drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built components. They are constrained, often rigid, and hide the code.
Vibe coding tools empower developers who understand code to go further, faster. They rely on a deep understanding of system design, code structure, and problem-solving.
Treating vibe coding as no-code misses the point. This is not about skipping the work; it is about transforming how the work gets done.
The Case Against It
Despite the benefits, there’s a growing chorus of critics sounding the alarm on vibe coding’s downsides, especially when used irresponsibly.
“Right now, ‘vibe coding’ is largely non-technical people making messy, unmaintainable, insecure code.”
— Hacker News
Here’s why the criticism matters:
1. Lack of Structure = Technical Debt
Vibe coding without architectural planning or testing can lead to systems that break under scale, fail silently, or become impossible to maintain.
Imagine a developer rapidly generating several interconnected microservices using vibe coding without a clear architectural blueprint. While they might get up and running quickly, future modifications or debugging could become a tangled web of dependencies, leading to significant technical debt.
2. Security Risks
Trusting AI-generated code without understanding its implications is risky. Vulnerabilities can be introduced in ways you don’t even recognize.
3. Overreliance on AI
AI is powerful, but it doesn’t replace human judgment, especially not in critical systems where context, ethics, and consequences matter.
4. Code Quality Matters
As Simon Willison put it:
“Vibe coding your way to a production codebase is clearly risky. Most of the work we do as software engineers involves evolving existing systems, where the quality and understandability of the underlying code is crucial.”
— ARS Technica on Vibe Coding
The YOLO Mode Trap
A dangerous offshoot of vibe coding is what’s been dubbed “YOLO mode” where developers hand full control to the AI and blindly accept whatever it produces.
A developer in YOLO mode might ask the AI to "Implement a shopping cart feature." The AI could generate a seemingly functional cart, but without the developer understanding the underlying data structures, session management, or security considerations, the system could be vulnerable to attacks or fail under moderate load.
At first glance, this feels futuristic. The AI writes your services, builds your components, generates your tests. All you have to do is hit "Run."
But here’s the problem:
You don’t know what the code is doing
You don’t know how it will behave under stress
You don’t know what happens when it fails
And it will fail.
YOLO mode sounds like freedom, but it’s really abdication of responsibility. It removes the developer’s critical role as architect, tester, and guardian of quality. What you gain in speed, you lose in clarity, accountability, and resilience.
When to Vibe (and When Not To)
Use vibe coding:
To rapidly prototype or explore ideas
To scaffold functionality using LLMs
When you’re in a creative flow and have a deep understanding of the problem space
Avoid vibe coding:
When building secure, scalable, or production-grade systems
When you’re unsure of the code being generated
When your team needs shared understanding and traceability
Final Thoughts
Vibe coding isn’t a gimmick. It’s a valid, even powerful, approach to development when used wisely. But it’s not a replacement for fundamentals. And it’s not a license to bypass testing, documentation, or architecture.
In the hands of a pro, vibe coding can spark innovation.
In the hands of a novice, it can burn everything down.
Use it as a tool. Not a shortcut.
Let creativity lead, but don’t let it override control.
Because when the vibe fades, your code still needs to stand.