Vibe Coding Is Not What You Think

In February 2025, Andrej Karpathy tweeted: “I just vibe code.” He mentioned that he no longer writes code line by line but describes his intentions in natural language, allowing AI to generate the code while he focuses on reviewing and adjusting the direction.

This tweet ignited a firestorm in the tech community. Collins Dictionary named Vibe Coding the word of the year for 2025. However, many misunderstood it—thinking Vibe Coding meant “letting AI write code while doing nothing.”

By 2026, Vibe Coding is no longer like that.

It has evolved into a structured AI-assisted development methodology: you write precise natural language specifications, the AI generates code, and you deeply participate in architectural design and quality control. The engineering discipline has shifted from “handwritten implementation” to “designing task systems and review mechanisms.”

When used well, efficiency can increase by 5-10 times; when used poorly, technical debt can become overwhelming. The difference lies in the methodology.

2026 Vibe Coding Tool Landscape

Two Major Camps

Currently, Vibe Coding tools are divided into two categories:

Mainstream Tool Comparison

Choosing for Domestic Users

If you are in China, network and payment are primary considerations:

• Zero-cost entry: Trae (generous free tier) or CodeBuddy (completely free)
• Limited budget: Trae paid version ¥25/month, native Chinese support
• Sufficient budget: Cursor + Claude Code combination, standard for international developers
• No coding experience: Bolt.new or Lovable, usable directly in the browser

2026 Best Practices: Most successful Vibe Coding projects adopt a two-phase workflow—first using Bolt/Lovable for rapid prototyping, validating ideas, then migrating to Cursor for long-term development.

Prompt Engineering: The Core Technology of Vibe Coding

The level of Vibe Coding effectiveness is 80% reflected in the quality of prompts.

Golden Rule

Treat AI as a “technically strong but completely unaware senior engineer for your project.”

Poor Prompt:

Help me write a login function

Good Prompt:

Create login.ts in the src/auth/ directory.
Use the existing axios wrapper in the project (refer to src/utils/request.ts).
API endpoint: POST /api/auth/login, parameters: { email, password }.
On success, store the JWT token in localStorage with the key "auth_token".
On failure, throw an Error object containing a message field.
Please tell me your implementation thought process before writing the code.

Five Elements of a Good Prompt

The Strongest Four-Word Prompt: Red/Green TDD

In Simon Willison’s summary of Agentic Engineering Patterns, he believes the most valuable four-word prompt is:

Use red/green TDD

This instructs AI to first write failing tests (Red), then implement to pass the tests (Green), and finally refactor. This cycle can elevate the quality of AI-generated code significantly.

SAS’s VibeTDD hackathon validated this method: engineers did not write implementation code by hand but guided AI through a strict TDD process to construct a complete application. The conclusion—“Prompting and test writing may become the new programming.”

Project Memory Files: Helping AI Understand Your Project

AI has “amnesia” with each conversation. Project memory files provide AI with persistent context.

Cursor with .cursorrules

Create a .cursorrules file in the project root:

# Project Conventions

## Tech Stack
- Backend: FastAPI + Python 3.12
- Frontend: React 18 + TypeScript
- Database: PostgreSQL, ORM using SQLAlchemy 2.0

## Coding Standards
- Function Naming: snake_case (Python)/camelCase (TypeScript)
- Comment Language: Chinese
- Error Handling: Unified use of the AppError class in the project

## Prohibitions
- Do not use any type (TypeScript)
- Do not directly manipulate the DOM, use React state management
- Do not write fetch directly in components, use src/hooks/useApi.ts

Claude Code with CLAUDE.md

Similarly, create a CLAUDE.md file in the project root with the same format. Claude Code will automatically read it at the start of each conversation.

General Principles

Without memory files, Vibe Coding is like asking a new employee to understand the project from scratch every time. The efficiency gap is exponential.

Four Levels of Vibe Coding

Most people remain at the first level. Efficiency improves significantly at the second level. The third and fourth levels are the realm of true experts—also the prerequisites for GLM-5.1’s 8-hour long-term autonomous work.

Pitfall Guide: Five Traps of Vibe Coding

Trap 1: Using Directly Without Review

AI-generated code may run, but that doesn’t mean it’s flawless. Security vulnerabilities, performance issues, and edge cases may be overlooked… You must review every line of code.

Trap 2: No Version Control

Vibe Coding involves rapid and frequent changes. Without Git protection, a mistake can lead to real failure. Commit after completing each feature point.

Trap 3: Tool Lock-in

Code generated by Lovable is deeply tied to React + Supabase, and migrating projects hosted on Replit is a significant task. It’s fine during the prototyping phase, but have an exit strategy before formal development.

Trap 4: Misusing in Complex Systems

Vibe Coding increases risks in algorithm-intensive, high-concurrency, and strong-consistency systems (like trading engines, database kernels). It is best suited for rapidly iterating business applications.

Trap 5: Skipping Tests

Testing AI-generated code is more critical than handwritten code. Your understanding of implementation details is shallower, and testing is your only means to verify “AI understood correctly.”

Getting Started from Scratch: 5-Minute Vibe Coding

The fastest entry path requires no installation:

Option A: Bolt.new (No Threshold)

• Open bolt.new
• Input: “Help me create a Pomodoro timer app, 25 minutes work + 5 minutes break, with a warm color scheme”
• Wait a few seconds, and a complete app will be generated
• Preview and modify directly in the browser
• Deploy with one click when satisfied

Option B: Trae (Recommended for Domestic Users)

• Download Trae (trae.ai)
• Open SOLO mode
• Input: “Create a Markdown note-taking app that supports creating, editing, and deleting, with data stored in localStorage”
• Trae will autonomously complete the entire process from architecture to code to testing
• Preview and run directly in the IDE

Option C: Cursor + Claude Code (Professional Route)

• Download Cursor (cursor.com)
• Open the project folder
• Use Cmd+I to invoke Agent mode
• Describe requirements, review generated code, and iterate for optimization

Data Speaks: Vibe Coding in 2026

Several key figures help you understand this is not a bubble:

Final Thoughts

Vibe Coding is not a “lazy” tool. It liberates engineers from repetitive code writing, allowing you to focus on architectural design, business logic, and code quality control.

In 2026, not knowing Vibe Coding may not lead to elimination, but those who do will have at least three times the productivity of those who do not.

My advice: Start with the simplest option. Open Bolt.new or Trae, spend 5 minutes generating a small application, and experience the “describe to develop” approach. Then gradually learn prompt engineering and project memory files, evolving from the first level to the fourth.

The golden age of Vibe Coding is just beginning.