Hey, I’m Greg. I run a small web and automation shop called Scope Design, where we build websites and custom tools to help businesses work smarter. I want to share something that’s changed how I build software. It’s called vibe coding. No hype, no buzzwords – just a down-to-earth way to use AI as your coding copilot. In this behind-the-scenes look, I’ll explain what vibe coding is, why it’s useful, which tools make it work, and how we use it at Scope Design to create tailor-made solutions for our clients (often faster and at lower cost). Let’s dive in!
What Is Vibe Coding?
Vibe coding is basically describing what you want to build in plain English and having an AI tool generate the code for you. Instead of writing every line from scratch, you guide the AI with clear prompts and let it handle the heavy lifting. Think of it like working with a super-fast (if occasionally quirky) junior developer:
- Natural Language In, Code Out: You might say, “Build me a WordPress plugin that lets users create quotes with draggable product cards,” and boom – the AI drafts the foundation of the code for you.
- Human Oversight: You’re not blindly trusting the AI’s output. You review and tweak it, much like you’d supervise a junior dev’s work.
- Faster Start: It helps you avoid the blank-page syndrome. You get a starting point in seconds, which you can then refine and build upon much more quickly than starting from zero.
In short, vibe coding means coding by conversation – telling the computer what you want in everyday language and iterating from there.
Why Use Vibe Coding?
After using vibe coding on a real project (a custom quote-builder plugin for WordPress), I realized how much it can accelerate development. Here are a few reasons I love using this approach:
- Speed: You can go from idea to a working prototype crazy fast. Routine setup tasks that might take hours (or days) are generated in minutes. This means more time to focus on unique features.
- Clarity of Thought: Writing prompts forces you to be super clear about what you want. If you can’t explain a feature simply, the AI definitely won’t build it correctly. Vibe coding kind of trains you to define requirements better.
- Stay Strategic: It lets you spend more time on solving core business problems and designing great user experiences, and less time wrestling with syntax or boilerplate code.
- Room to Experiment: For solo devs or small teams, vibe coding lowers the cost (and risk) of trying new ideas. You can prototype and experiment without burning a whole week on a version one that might get thrown away.
When I first tried vibe coding for that quote system plugin (with custom product cards, pricing, etc.), I normally would have hand-coded everything: custom post types, admin interfaces, all the usual WordPress setup. Instead, I prompted an AI code editor (Cursor, which I’ll talk about soon) with: “Create a custom post type called ‘Quote Item’ with fields for name, price, image, and category.” It wasn’t perfect, but in a few seconds I had a basic structure in place. I then spent my time tweaking and polishing, rather than slogging through the initial setup. It felt like smart delegation – I was still doing the critical thinking and design, but the AI handled the tedious parts.
What to Watch Out For
Vibe coding isn’t a magic wand. It comes with its own set of pitfalls that you need to manage with your developer know-how:
- Confident Mistakes: AI will sometimes write broken or insecure code while sounding very sure of itself. Always review and test the output. Treat the AI’s work like a junior developer’s draft: useful but in need of oversight.
- Vague Prompts = Wild Results: If your instructions are too broad or unclear, the AI might build the wrong thing (or too much of something you didn’t want). Be specific with your prompts. Start small and incrementally ask for features.
- Not a Substitute for Experience: You still need to know what good, clean code looks like. AI can help with grunt work, but it won’t replace understanding architecture, security, or best practices. Your experience is what guides the AI to produce quality output.
- Use Version Control & Backups: Sometimes the AI will go off the rails and generate something that breaks what was working. Keep backups and use Git or other version control. That way you can easily roll back if a generation messes things up. (I’ve had AI suggestions that accidentally deleted important code – without Git those moments would have been tragic instead of just a minor hiccup!)
Being aware of these caveats will help you get the most out of vibe coding without stepping on any landmines.
Tools I Use for Vibe Coding
One of the common questions is: So how do you actually do this “vibe coding” thing? The answer is, you use AI-powered development tools. There are several out there, each with its own strengths. Here’s a quick rundown of the tools I often use in my vibe coding workflow:
- ChatGPT: This is the AI conversational agent you’ve probably heard about. I use ChatGPT to brainstorm solutions or even generate code snippets in plain language. You describe what you need, and ChatGPT writes out code or gives ideas. It’s like having a 24/7 coding buddy to bounce ideas off of.
- Cursor: Cursor is an AI-powered code editor. It integrates the AI directly into your coding environment. I can highlight a section of code and ask Cursor to improve it, or write a comment like “// add a settings page” and let Cursor generate the code right in my project. It’s super interactive and keeps the context of your whole project, so it can make more informed suggestions.
- GitHub Copilot: Copilot is like an AI pair programmer that suggests lines or blocks of code as you type. In VS Code or other editors, I’ll start writing a function and Copilot might autocomplete the rest based on context. It’s trained on tons of open-source code, so it often knows the common patterns. It’s great for boilerplate and speed, though sometimes you need to tame its enthusiasm with exact instructions.
- Replit: Replit is an online coding platform that now has built-in AI features (like their Ghostwriter AI). I use Replit for quick experiments or sharing prototypes with others. The nice thing is you can spin up a coding environment in your browser, describe what you want in a chat panel, and watch the code appear in the editor. It’s very handy for demoing ideas or collaborating with non-developers because everything runs in the cloud.
- Windsurf (formerly Codeium): Windsurf is a newer AI-native IDE that’s all about keeping you “in flow.” It has features like an AI agent that can handle tasks in the editor and a powerful autocomplete. I find Windsurf handy for larger projects because it’s designed to work with whole codebases and can remember a lot of context. Plus, it’s free (at least as of now), which is a nice bonus for trying out vibe coding without a big investment.
These tools each play a part in the vibe coding process. For example, I might use ChatGPT to outline an approach, then switch to Cursor or Copilot when I’m in the thick of writing the code. Replit comes into play if I need to test something in an isolated sandbox or share the progress live, and Windsurf is something I experiment with for a fully AI-assisted IDE experience.
You don’t need to use all five of these – even one AI tool can make a big difference. The key is to find the mix that fits your style. The common thread is they all let you interact with code using natural language to some degree, which is the heart of vibe coding.
How We Use Vibe Coding at Scope Design
At Scope Design, vibe coding isn’t just a cool experiment – it’s becoming part of how we deliver projects for clients. Our clients are often small business owners who need custom automation, plugins, or software solutions to make their operations smoother. Here’s how vibe coding helps us help them:
- Custom Automation: If a client needs a workflow automated (say, syncing data between their website and CRM), we use vibe coding to spin up the initial scripts or plugins quickly. We describe the process in plain English to an AI tool, get the baseline code, then refine it to perfectly fit the client’s needs. This way, we can prototype a solution in hours instead of days.
- Plugins and Integrations: Many clients come to us asking for specific website features – like a custom quote generator (as in my earlier example) or an event management add-on for WordPress. Using vibe coding, we draft these plugins faster. The AI handles the repetitive setup (creating custom post types, database schema, forms, etc.), and we focus on fine-tuning functionality and usability. The result is a tailor-made plugin that does exactly what the client wants, built in a fraction of the time it used to take.
- Small Software Tools: Occasionally, a client might need a small standalone application or a script (for example, a simple inventory management tool or a specialized calculator for their business). Vibe coding lets us build these lightweight software solutions more affordably. We can explore multiple ideas quickly through AI-generated prototypes and choose the best approach without burning through the project budget.
All of this means we can often deliver more customized solutions to our clients faster and potentially at a lower cost. Since the AI helps reduce the manual coding hours, we either complete projects quicker or have more time to add polish and extra features without breaking the budget. From the client’s perspective, they get a solution that’s closely tailored to their business, delivered in a timely manner.
Of course, we’re always careful to do thorough testing and code reviews on anything the AI generates. Quality and security stay top of mind. But by letting the AI handle the grunt work, we free up human time for the creative and critical thinking parts of development – which is a win-win for us and our clients.
Final Thoughts
Vibe coding isn’t magic – it’s a tool (or really a set of tools) that, when used right, can be a huge time saver and creative booster. For small business owners, solo developers, or curious technologists, it opens up a new way of building software where you can move from idea to implementation with less friction. I’ve personally found it keeps coding fun and lets me focus on the interesting problems rather than the boring setup.
If you’re interested in giving vibe coding a try, start small. Pick a simple feature you’d like to build and describe it to ChatGPT or in a tool like Cursor. See what comes out, and don’t be discouraged if it’s not perfect – think of it as a first draft. With a bit of practice in writing good prompts (and some patience for the AI’s quirks), you’ll get the hang of it and maybe even wonder how you coded without it.
Have you tried vibe coding or AI-assisted development? I’d love to hear about your experience. Feel free to share what tools you’ve used and what you built. Tech is always better when we learn from each other. Thanks for reading, and happy coding!
