explainx / blog
Vibe coding is building software by describing what you want in plain English and letting AI write the code. Learn what it is, how it works, what tools to use, and when it works vs when it breaks.
Jun 29, 2026
Karpathy's viral line predated vibe coding by two years. English became the interface — but agents, repos, and tests became the runtime. A 2026 read on prompt-as-program from GPT-3 to shipping software in plain language.
Jun 27, 2026
Vibe coding goes wrong in predictable ways. Deleted production data, invisible security holes, sessions that drift into chaos. Here are the real nightmares with concrete fixes for each.
Jul 17, 2026
Full-stack AI engineer Kr$na (@krishdotdev) posted the "new development cycle" July 16, 2026 — idea in minutes, working demo in hours, six months on the last 10%, then infinity in the graveyard. ThePrimeagen called it first principles. explainx.ai maps where AI actually helps and where human obsession still wins.
Vibe coding is the term for building software by describing what you want in plain English and letting an AI write the code. You stay in the loop — directing, testing, evaluating — but you don't write the syntax yourself.
The term was coined by Andrej Karpathy in early 2025. The idea: instead of writing code, you describe intent, review output, describe corrections, and iterate. The "vibe" refers to staying in creative flow — describing what you want next instead of context-switching into implementation details.
It's not magic and it's not hype. It's a real shift in how software gets built, with real limits. This guide explains both.
Here's a real vibe coding session in Claude Code:
You: Build me a web app that lets me paste in a job description and my resume,
and uses the Claude API to generate a tailored cover letter.
Claude Code: [creates index.html, styles.css, server.js, reads your file structure,
installs express and anthropic packages, wires up the API call]
You: The output is too formal. Make the tone more conversational and add a
"Copy to clipboard" button.
Claude Code: [edits the prompt in server.js, adds clipboard button to HTML]
You: The copy button isn't working on Safari.
Claude Code: [diagnoses the Clipboard API issue, adds a fallback using
document.execCommand, tests the fix]
That session produces a working tool. No code was written by the human. Every input was a description of what the next thing should be.
Cursor is an AI-native code editor — VS Code with AI built in. The key modes:
Cmd/Ctrl + I) — describe a feature or file to create; the AI writes and edits filesCmd/Ctrl + L) — ask questions about your code; understands the whole codebaseCmd/Ctrl + K) — select a piece of code and describe the changeBest for: visual builders who want to see the code they're generating. If you want to understand what's being built as you go, Cursor is better than working in a terminal.
Claude Code is Anthropic's terminal-based coding agent. It reads your entire project, writes files, runs commands, and iterates.
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
claude
Best for: builders who want more autonomous runs. Claude Code can be given a large task ("build the whole authentication flow") and left to work through it.
Both Cursor and Claude Code can use Claude Sonnet or Opus. The model matters — Claude Sonnet 4.6 and Opus 4.8 are significantly better at multi-file edits and catching their own mistakes than earlier versions. Always use the latest available model.
Before asking for anything, give the AI a complete picture:
I'm building a job application tracker. It's a web app where I can add jobs
I've applied to, track their status (applied/interview/offer/rejected),
add notes, and see a dashboard of my pipeline.
Tech: Next.js App Router, Tailwind, SQLite via better-sqlite3.
No authentication needed — it's local only.
This one message replaces dozens of clarifying questions. The more context up front, the fewer corrections after.
Don't say "build the whole app." Break it down:
Step 1: Create the database schema and seed it with 3 example jobs
Step 2: Build the job list page with status badges
Step 3: Add the form to create a new job
Step 4: Add the ability to edit status from the list view
Each step should be completable in one session. Smaller scope = fewer errors = faster iteration.
Wrong:
Add a useEffect that fetches from /api/jobs and stores the result in useState
Right:
When the page loads, show the list of jobs from the database.
Show a loading spinner while they load.
The AI knows how to implement it. You should describe what you want the user to experience.
Vibe coding produces errors. The loop is:
The AI can fix most errors from the error message alone. Don't try to fix them yourself — describe what happened.
Vague:
It doesn't look right
Specific:
The status badge is overlapping the job title on mobile screens under 375px wide.
The badge should wrap below the title on small screens.
Specific = faster fix. Vague = multiple rounds of guessing.
| Build this | Realistic? |
|---|---|
| Landing page or marketing site | Yes — under an hour |
| Internal tool (dashboard, tracker, admin panel) | Yes — a day or two |
| Browser extension | Yes |
| REST API with a database | Yes |
| MVP of a SaaS product | Yes — days to weeks |
| Mobile app | Partial — Expo/React Native works, but more errors |
| Complex real-time systems (chat, multiplayer) | Harder — requires more architectural knowledge |
| Large existing codebase additions | Harder — context limits and interdependencies cause drift |
Long sessions drift. After 10+ back-and-forth edits, the AI starts losing track of earlier decisions. The fix: start a fresh session and re-paste the current state of the key files.
Security holes. AI-generated code often skips input validation, SQL injection prevention, and authentication checks unless you explicitly ask. Always review auth and data handling code.
It doesn't know what it doesn't know. If you ask for a payment integration and don't mention Stripe's specific API version, the AI might generate code for a deprecated version. Always mention library versions for integrations.
Large codebases. Cursor and Claude Code work best on projects under ~100 files. Beyond that, context limits mean the AI can't see the whole codebase at once and may generate code that conflicts with existing patterns.
Debugging complex state. If something breaks after 5 layers of change, it can be hard to describe the problem clearly enough for the AI to pinpoint it. Sometimes reading the code yourself is faster.
Vibe coding doesn't eliminate the need for judgment — it shifts where you apply it.
The highest-value skill in vibe coding is knowing what to build and breaking it into describable pieces. You need to be able to say clearly:
If you can describe a feature precisely, an AI can build it. If you can't describe it precisely, the AI will guess — and guess wrong.
The people who get the most out of vibe coding are people who think clearly about product and can describe behaviour exactly. That's a product skill, not a coding skill.
Cmd/Ctrl + I)Your first vibe coding session will be messy. That's fine. The second one is better. By the fifth you'll have a workflow.