How to vibe code effectively

Matt Palmer

Head of Developer Relations

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How to think about vibe coding

AI tools like Replit Agent and Assistant are incredibly powerful, capable of generating code, configuring environments, and even building entire applications.

However, they work best when guided effectively. “Vibe coding” is about developing the intuition and skills to steer these AI partners efficiently.

Think about yourself like a manager, or rather, a leader your job is to guide your “team” to success—that’s done by providing direction, resources, and feedback.

Replit is your team, and you’re the leader.

Without vibe coding skills, you might find yourself:

• Stuck in unproductive loops with the AI.
• Building features that don’t quite meet your vision.
• Unsure how to debug when things inevitably break.
• Overwhelmed by the possibilities and unsure where to start.

Mastering these five skills helps you provide the right guidance at the right time, enabling you to leverage AI to go from idea to app, fast.

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What is Vibe Coding?

Vibe coding is a practical approach to prompt engineering focused on application development. It involves a blend of technical understanding, clear communication, and iterative refinement.

It’s less about knowing every programming language feature and more about understanding how to break down problems, ask the right questions, and guide an AI collaborator.

The five key skills are:

1. Procedural Thinking: Planning your app like a product manager and engineer combined.
2. Leveraging Frameworks: Knowing which tools to use and asking the AI for help.
3. Building in Checkpoints: Making incremental progress and using AI snapshots.
4. Debugging Methodically: Systematically finding and fixing errors with AI assistance.
5. Mastering Context: Giving the AI the right information (and only the right information).

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The Skills

Let’s break down each skill with practical steps you can apply when building with Replit Agent or Assistant.

See our guide on Effective Prompting for detailed tips and examples.

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Think Procedurally

Before writing a single prompt, think through the entire application. This goes beyond basic logical thinking (like knowing the rules of chess) or even computational thinking (like programming a computer to enforce those rules).

Procedural thinking is about understanding how to excel—like programming an AI to play chess competitively. It means deeply understanding the problem space, the desired outcome, and the steps to get there.

• Define the problem space: What core problem does the app solve? What makes a successful app in this context?
• Plan the MVP: What are the absolute essential features for the first version? Start small.
• Break it down: Define the high-level goals, then break them into smaller, actionable steps or features. Think like both a product manager (defining requirements) and an engineer (planning implementation).
• Anticipate edge cases: What could go wrong? How should the app handle unexpected inputs or situations?
• Consider the User Experience: What makes a good app for this purpose? What data needs to be stored? How should users interact with it?
• Example: If building a tip-splitting app, don’t just ask for “a tip splitter.” Specify how users add friends, input the bill amount, handle taxes/discounts, and share the results. Procedural thinking defines these requirements clearly for the AI.

This might involve drawing a wireframe, writing a doc about the requirements of the app, or even just a list of features.

Use the screenshot from your wireframe to help Agent understand the app. Here’s a sample screenshot and prompt from a question asking app.

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Leverage Frameworks

You don’t need to build everything from scratch, and often, you shouldn’t. Countless frameworks and libraries exist to solve common problems (UI components, animations, data handling, etc.).

• Ask the AI: You don’t know what you don’t know. Ask Agent or Assistant: “What are good options for building a user interface with drag-and-drop features?” or “What’s the best way to handle user authentication?”
• Check Compatibility: Newer frameworks might not be in the AI’s training data. Ask the AI about compatibility or provide documentation links directly in your prompt. Replit Agent and Assistant can often scrape web content for context.
• Provide Specifics: If you find a relevant library or code snippet, include it in your prompt. Giving the AI concrete examples of how to use a framework is highly effective.

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Build in Checkpoints

AI doesn’t always get it right on the first try. Building large features in one go increases the risk of complex errors. Work incrementally.

• Define Small Goals: Prompt the AI to build one small piece of functionality at a time.
• Test Each Step: After the AI completes a task, run the code. Does it work as expected?
• Use Checkpoints: Replit Agent automatically creates Checkpoints. If something breaks, don’t keep prompting with the same request. Select Rollback to here on a previous checkpoint and try a different approach or prompt.
• Version Control Principles: Think of Checkpoints like commits in Git. They provide safe points to return to if you go down the wrong path.

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Debug Methodically

Errors are inevitable. Instead of just pasting the error message back to the AI, approach debugging systematically.

• Understand the Error: Read the error message carefully. Where did it occur (Console, browser, specific file)? What does it say?
• Gather Clues: Look at the code around the error. Check the Console for logs. Use the AI Assistant to explain parts of the code you don’t understand.
• Isolate the Problem: Try to reproduce the error reliably. What specific action triggers it?
• Provide Contextual Clues: When asking the AI for help, provide:
  • The exact error message.
  • The relevant code snippet(s).
  • What you were trying to do.
  • What you’ve already tried.
• Turn it into a Game: Think of debugging as solving a puzzle. Each clue gets you closer to the solution.

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Master Context

The information (context) you provide the AI dramatically influences the quality of its response. More context isn’t always better; relevant context is key.

• Be Selective: Include only information directly relevant to the current task. Exclude unrelated code, files, or previous instructions if they aren’t needed. Think about the AI’s limited attention span (context window).
• Use Multimodal Inputs: Provide code snippets, file attachments, error messages, URLs for documentation, or even screenshots if they help clarify the request.
• Structure Prompts Clearly: State the goal first, then provide supporting context.
• Start Fresh for New Features: When starting a significantly new feature, consider using New chat in Agent or Assistant to ensure the AI isn’t confused by previous, unrelated context.

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Putting It All Together: The Vibe Coding Loop

Mastering these skills enables an effective iterative loop for building with AI:

1. Think: Define the next small feature or fix (Procedural Thinking).
2. Prompt: Clearly ask the AI, providing relevant frameworks and context (Leveraging Frameworks, Mastering Context).
3. Test: Run the code. Does it work?
4. Error?:
   • Yes: Debug systematically, gather clues, and prompt the AI again with specific details. If stuck, consider rolling back to a previous Checkpoint and trying a different approach (Debugging Methodically, Building in Checkpoints).
   • No: Success! Save a Checkpoint (Building in Checkpoints).
5. Repeat: Move on to the next feature or refinement.

This loop turns AI from a magic black box into a powerful, steerable collaborator.

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What you’ve learned

Developing these skills transforms how you build software with AI:

• Build Faster: Go from idea to functional app more quickly and efficiently.
• Overcome Roadblocks: Systematically navigate errors and AI limitations.
• Tackle Complexity: Build more sophisticated applications by breaking them down effectively.
• Improve Clarity: Enhance your own understanding of the project by thinking procedurally.
• Unlock Creativity: Spend less time fighting the tools and more time bringing your vision to life.

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Next Steps: Practice Your Skills

The best way to improve is by building!

Vibe coding is an evolving practice. By focusing on these core skills, you’ll be well-equipped to navigate the exciting landscape of AI-assisted development and build amazing applications on Replit.