Vibe coding: how people are actually building with AI
7 min read
Vibe coding is the practice of building software, hardware, or systems by describing what you want to an AI and letting it generate the code or designs without you reading or understanding every line. You're coding by feel, by direction, by vibes.
It's trending on X right now because people are actually shipping things this way. Real projects. Real products. Some profitable. The conversation has moved past "is this possible?" to "what actually works and what doesn't?"
What follows are people's own words about how they're using vibe coding. They don't all agree on what it is or whether it's a good idea. But they're all doing it.
1. Specialized software tools
People building their own tools report that vibe coding lets them create exactly what they need without being constrained by existing software. Some teams are building domain-specific tools this way, though there's debate about whether calling it vibe coding undersells what's actually happening. A few point out that AI models can hold more context than individual engineers and produce more coherent architecture as a result, which changes the conversation from "is this just hacking?" to "is this actually better?"
“That is the beauty of vibe-coding your own tools. You build the to suit your own needs and preferences.”
@DustinDavis on X
“2. Some teams are vibe-coding their own domain-specific harnesses (good luck or rip latest YC batch).”
@uPeterKris on X
“the quality side got put bluntly too: the models now produce more coherent architecture than an average engineer, partly because they hold far more context at once. calling it vibe coding undersells it.”
@godofprompt on X
2. Web and app development
Builders experimenting with web and app projects describe a mixed experience. Some have been using vibe coding for months on projects they haven't finished yet, which raises questions about completion and release readiness. Others try to stay informed by having AI write architectural reports, though they've noticed the AI struggles with that kind of writing. There are unexpected wins too, like learning terminal skills and server administration as a side effect of building this way.
“It's actually the app that kicked off my vibe-coding journey months ago. I've been using it daily since then, but have never completed it to the point where I felt it was release-ready.”
@jwsherrod on X
“I've been experimenting on a large project with pure vibe coding (I don't read the code), but I still want to be informed so I can make good steering decisions. So I have the agent write me architectural digests and other reports, and I'm struck by how bad it is at writing”
@kitten_beloved on X
“💻 Unexpected perks of Vibe Coding! While building MoshiLin, I learned how to use the terminal and SSH into servers.”
@anzuastro on X
3. Game development
Game developers report using vibe coding to experiment with features, designs, and mechanics by just talking to AI about what they want. The practical wins are real: when a procedurally generated world took too long to load, asking the AI to audit and optimize the process actually worked. The appeal seems to be that iteration cycles get faster and the creative possibilities feel less constrained.
“I've been building my own game, HALF, and experimenting with new features, designs and mechanics just by talking to AI. The possibilities are endless.”
@MetaBaz7 on X
“So the game I'm working on had a little problem where it would take way too long to load the procedurally generated world. So I asked the AI to audit the process, see what takes so long, and optimize everything.”
@joshblaster_ on X
4. Business platforms and systems
People building business software describe the AI part as the easy eighty percent, with the real work being everything else. Some report building entire CRM systems in a few days by vibe coding intensively. The speed is striking enough that it's changing what people think is possible to build alone and quickly.
“I've been building one for real: VazinCMS. The AI part is the easy 80%.”
@mohammadvazin on X
“I never knew there's something like binge vibe coding until I tried it. I'm almost building a whole CRM system within a few days.”
@AmosMwaora on X
5. Financial and commercial projects
Builders in this space are shipping real products: free tools that surface financial information, profitable micro-SaaS launched in forty-eight hours with no traditional coding involved. These aren't prototypes or mockups. They're live, they're working, and they exist because vibe coding made them possible to build solo.
“Three things I've built recently that wouldn't otherwise exist: 1. a completely free tool that surfaces useful information on stocks approaching their ex-dividend date.”
@Ben_PeakBot on X
“I built and launched a profitable Micro-SaaS in 48 hours with zero traditional coding. Not an MVP mockup.”
@CyberShad0wMonk on X
6. Hardware design
People are vibe coding physical objects. When a clamp design needed screws, they asked for a redesign as a clasp with a hinge instead. When electronics were a mess of wires, they used AI to design a proper circuit board instead of staring at KiCad with no idea what to do. The barrier to entry for hardware design just dropped significantly.
“I didn't like the first clamp Claude designed (it needed screws), so I had him redesign it as a clasp with a hinge. I'm literally vibe coding physical objects and it feels amazing”
@hoopcutter on X
“All his electronics is a pile of wires and I wanted one proper board instead. I opened KiCad many times, stared at it with no idea what was going on and closed it again.”
@ser_alexeev on X
7. AI and automation systems
Builders working on AI and automation systems describe intense, iterative work: experimenting from early morning until exhaustion, killing ideas they loved, starting over multiple times until something clicks. The process sounds less like coding and more like sculpting, where you're constantly refining until the shape feels right.
“Since then it's been 6am to whenever my eyes close. Lots of experimenting, killing ideas I loved, and starting over more than once until it finally clicked.”
@IbbyBenali on X
8. Internal and organizational software
People building internal tools for themselves or their teams report a shift in thinking: moving away from building full applications toward building command-line tools that run locally. This approach seems to sidestep some of the problems that come with vibe coding more complex interfaces.
“If you are into vibe coding internal software for yourself or for your team, I urge you to move away from the paradigm of creating an actual app and into the paradigm of creating a CLI. This CLI should run on the local PC and it should be accompanied by a skill.”
@__alexlazar__ on X
9. Development skills and learning
Non-developers experimenting with vibe coding hit walls when they get stuck. Without existing development knowledge, they can't unstick themselves from problems. This suggests vibe coding works better when you already understand the domain, even if you don't write the code yourself.
“Given I'm not a developer, I couldn't get unstuck. Tried vibe-coding again this week.”
@ArielMGore on X
What I'd watch
The open questions are obvious. How much of this actually works at scale? What happens when vibe-coded systems need maintenance or debugging? And what's the difference between vibe coding and just using AI as a really good autocomplete?
The risks are real too. People are shipping things they don't fully understand. That works until it doesn't. The financial tools and micro-SaaS products are live and handling real data. If something breaks, can the person who built it fix it?
What would change my mind: seeing vibe-coded systems fail publicly and watching how people respond. Seeing whether these projects survive their first major bug or security issue. And watching whether the people who vibe coded their way to a product can actually maintain it.