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10 Vibecoding Tips I Wish I Knew Earlier

When I first started vibecoding, I thought it would be easy, just throw an idea at ChatGPT-5 Codex and watch it build itself. Reality check: AI is powerful, but without the right workflow, you can end up with messy projects, broken code, and wasted time.

After months of trial and error (and a few late-night coding disasters), I’ve collected lessons that transformed how I work. Whether you’re brand new to AI-assisted coding or already vibing with Codex, these tips will help you move faster, avoid common pitfalls, and have way more fun creating.

1. Always Start With Clarity

The mistake: diving in without a clear idea. The AI will happily generate code, but if you don’t know your own goals, you’ll spend hours undoing spaghetti.

The fix: Before you prompt, write down:

  • What do I want to build?
  • Who is it for?
  • What’s the smallest version that still makes sense?

💡 Example: Instead of “make me a productivity app,” write: “I want a simple to-do app with three features: add tasks, mark them complete, and filter by status.”

2. Ask for a Plan First

Codex loves improvising. If you throw it straight into a repo, it will generate whatever it thinks fits. Sometimes that works, sometimes it creates chaos.

Instead, ask it for a step-by-step plan before coding. Prompts like:

  • “Outline the folder structure for a React app with login, dashboard, and settings.”
  • “List the services I’ll need for a basic e-commerce backend.”

This transforms Codex into a planning partner, not just a code generator.

3. Build in Small Steps

One of the earliest mistakes I made was asking Codex to “build the whole feature” in a single prompt. The result? A mountain of untested code that broke five other things.

Break tasks down: one feature, one class, or one method per prompt. Review and test before moving forward. This keeps you in control and prevents massive rollbacks.

4. Keep Version Control Running

I cannot stress this enough: always use Git. Even for tiny prototypes.

Commit before every major prompt so you can roll back if Codex introduces bugs. I learned this after one session where it refactored half my project, and I had no backups. Git saves sanity.

5. Don’t Skip Skeleton Code

Codex works best when it has structure. If you dump it into a blank repo, it invents weird file trees and inconsistent patterns.

Instead, give it a skeleton project:

  • Folders like /components, /services, /tests
  • Placeholder files with comments (“// navbar goes here”)
  • A README that explains your goals and stack

This keeps the AI aligned with your intended architecture.

👉 For more on this, check out The Beginner’s Toolkit for Vibecoding in 2025 ↗.

6. Use Dev Tools Before AI

This one tip has saved me hours. Don’t ask Codex to fix pixel-level UI issues like “move this button up 10px.” It usually ends up rewriting your layout.

Instead:

  1. Open browser dev tools.
  2. Manually adjust margins, padding, or font size.
  3. Once you know the fix, ask Codex to integrate it cleanly.

It’s faster, cleaner, and avoids layout chaos.

7. Treat AI Like a Junior Dev, Not a Wizard

This was a big mindset shift for me. Codex isn’t a magical senior engineer—it’s a junior teammate who works fast but needs guidance.

That means:

  • Ask it to explain its changes.
  • Request diffs instead of full rewrites.
  • Review its code as if you’re mentoring someone.

When you take on the strategist role, the AI becomes way more effective.

8. Write Prompts Like Specs

The more detailed your prompts, the better the results. Think of each prompt as a mini product spec.

Bad prompt: “Add dark mode.”
Better prompt: “Add a dark mode toggle button in the header. Use Tailwind’s dark mode class. Don’t change nav link styles. Save preference in local storage.”

The second one gives Codex clear constraints and avoids unnecessary rewrites.

9. Respect Secrets and Security

This is a mistake almost everyone makes early on: pasting API keys into the prompt. Codex will happily hardcode them right into your project.

Always:

  • Use .env files for secrets
  • Redact sensitive info before pasting into Codex
  • Add pre-commit hooks to block accidental leaks

Remember: AI doesn’t care about your AWS bill. You should.

10. Experiment, But Don’t Overbuild

Vibecoding makes it ridiculously easy to ship new features. But here’s the catch: just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

I once built an elaborate dashboard feature no one actually used. Weeks wasted.

Now I validate before scaling:

  • Add minimal logging or analytics
  • Test features behind flags
  • See if anyone uses it

Build small, then expand.

Final Thought: What Is Vibecoding to Me?

For me, vibecoding isn’t about replacing developers—it’s about unleashing creativity. It’s the joy of seeing an idea become real in hours instead of weeks.

By following these tips, you’ll skip some of the painful mistakes I made and get straight to the fun part: shipping cool things and learning as you go.

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