5 tips to improve your vibe coding
How leading the coding process turns AI into your most effective teammate.
When I first tried coding with AI, I was amazed:
“This will save me so much time!”
Then, an hour later, I thought it wasn't going to work.
You know how it goes.
First, you ask something simple.
And it gives something almost right.
But then you start asking for more complicated things.
And that’s when frustration kicks in.
You end up spending more time fixing than creating.
I started to lose my enthusiasm.
But then it clicked:
You shouldn't follow the AI.
You have to lead it.
This is what I now call vibe coding.
It's like pair programming with a junior—but your partner is AI.
You don't have to write every single line.
You have to guide the process.
You have to set the direction.
And correct the direction.
And when you do it well, you don’t just build faster.
You become a better developer—
Because you're forced to think at a higher level:
Reviewing and improving.
Making key decisions.
Structuring the work.
That’s leadership.
5 tips that make vibe coding better
If you’re coding with AI—or planning to—don't expect perfect code, and hope for the best.
Because it's about collaboration.
Here’s what I’ve learned works best:
1. Start with clear, high-level goals
Don’t start with broad tasks like “Generate an API”.
Instead, say:
“Build a basic CRUD API for blog posts”
This helps both you and the AI stay aligned.
2. Let the AI handle boilerplate
Focus your energy where it counts—on the logic, structure, and edge cases.
Delegate repetitive tasks like setting up routes or writing config files.
This keeps you in charge of the important decisions.
3. Don’t trust the first output
AI is convenient, but not always right.
Treat its code like a first draft.
Refactor as you go and shape it into something solid.
4. Ask for small chunks, not entire systems
Break the work into bite-sized tasks:
“Write a function to validate email addresses.”
The smaller the scope, the better the quality of the provided code.
5. Add comments before code
Writing down what you want helps you think more clearly.
It also helps the AI understand your intent.
Bonus: it improves your own process, even when coding solo.
If coding with AI feels uncomfortable or unnatural, that’s normal.
But like mentoring a junior developer, it’s a skill you can grow.
In fact, leading the coding process—whether with a team or with AI—is what sets truly effective developers apart today.
It’s not just about writing code.
It’s about guiding how code gets written.
And that might just be the skill that defines software engineering in 2025.
—Gábor