How to Vibe Code: The Guide Every Other Article Skips
Every vibe coding guide tells you to "describe what you want and let AI write the code." None of them explain what happens when the code the AI writes is broken. This guide covers the part that actually matters: the feedback loop between generation and verification.
The real problem with vibe coding (that nobody talks about)
Vibe coding has a dirty secret. The AI generates code that looks correct in the diff but crashes in the browser. A component renders nothing because of a missing import. A button handler references a state variable that was never declared. The CSS looks fine until you resize the window and half the layout disappears.
Every guide on the first page of Google says the same thing: "be specific with your prompts," "break tasks into small steps," "review the generated code." That advice is fine. It is also incomplete. The hard part of vibe coding is not prompting. It is verification.
Vibe coding: generate and pray vs. generate and verify
You prompt the AI. It generates code. It says 'Done!' You open the preview. The page is blank. You re-prompt. It generates more code. Still broken. You spend 20 minutes debugging code you did not write.
- AI reports success without checking
- Errors only found when you manually test
- Debugging AI code is harder than writing it yourself
- No version history to revert to
The self-testing loop: how vibe coding should work
The difference between vibe coding that ships and vibe coding that wastes your afternoon is one thing: whether the AI checks its own work. This is the self-testing loop, and it is what separates a toy from a tool.
Here is what happens inside mk0r when you send a prompt. The AI agent does not just write code to a file and call it done. It runs inside a full virtual machine with a live development server and a real Chromium browser. After writing code, it opens the app, reads the page, checks for errors, and fixes what it finds. All before you see the result.
The self-testing loop inside every mk0r session
You send a prompt
Describe what to build or change in plain language
Agent writes code
Edits the Vite + React + TypeScript project in the VM
Agent opens browser
Playwright navigates to localhost:5173 inside the VM
Agent reads DOM + console
Checks for render errors, missing elements, console warnings
Agent fixes issues
If anything is wrong, the agent patches the code and re-checks
Commit and report done
A git commit captures the working state. You see the result.
What is actually running when you vibe code on mk0r
This is the part no other guide covers, because no other tool works this way. When you start a session on mk0r, the platform boots a dedicated virtual machine. Not a container. Not a sandboxed iframe. A full VM running Debian with four services behind a single reverse proxy on port 3000.
The agent communicates with Playwright through MCP (Model Context Protocol) to control the browser. It can navigate to pages, click elements, read text content, take snapshots, and inspect the console. This is not simulated. It is a real Chromium instance running on a virtual display, and the agent uses it the same way a developer would use DevTools.
How to vibe code, step by step
Now that you understand the mechanism, here is the practical workflow. These steps apply to mk0r specifically, but the principles (describe intent, verify output, iterate on working code) apply to any vibe coding tool.
The vibe coding workflow
Start with what, not how
Describe the app you want in terms of what it does for the user. Do not specify frameworks, libraries, or implementation details unless you have a strong preference.
Let the first generation run
The agent will scaffold the project, write components, and self-test in the browser. Watch the live preview update. Do not interrupt the first pass.
Iterate on what you see, not what you imagine
Once the first version is live, your follow-up prompts should reference what is actually on screen. This grounds the conversation and reduces hallucination.
One change per prompt
Each prompt should ask for exactly one thing. Multi-part requests lead to partial implementations where some parts work and others do not.
Use undo when iteration goes sideways
Every turn in mk0r is a git commit. If a change makes things worse, revert to the previous state and try a different prompt instead of asking the AI to undo its own work.
Prompt patterns that actually work
The quality of your vibe coding output depends on how you communicate intent. Here are patterns drawn from what works across thousands of mk0r sessions.
Describe the user story
Frame prompts as 'When the user does X, they should see Y.' This gives the AI both the trigger and the expected result, making self-testing straightforward.
Specify layout with references
Say 'sidebar on the left, content on the right, like a docs site' instead of abstract layout descriptions. Concrete references reduce ambiguity.
Say what NOT to do
Constraints are as useful as requirements. 'No animations,' 'no external API calls,' 'no more than three colors' cut the solution space.
Use numbers
Vague: 'make the header bigger.' Concrete: 'make the header 80px tall with 24px bold text.' Numbers eliminate guesswork.
Reference what exists
After the first generation, say 'the blue button in the top right' instead of 'the submit button.' Visual references keep the AI grounded.
Front-load the important part
Put the most important requirement first. AI models weight the beginning of prompts more heavily. Do not bury the key ask in paragraph three.
When vibe coding breaks (and what to do about it)
Vibe coding is not magic. There are categories of problems where it consistently struggles, and knowing them in advance saves you from wasting time on the wrong approach.
Where vibe coding works well
- Single-page apps with clear UI requirements
- Data visualization dashboards
- Forms with validation logic
- CRUD interfaces with local state
- Landing pages and marketing sites
- Prototypes and proof-of-concept demos
- Internal tools with straightforward workflows
Where vibe coding needs human oversight
- Complex state management. Apps with deeply nested state, optimistic updates, or real-time sync across multiple users need an architect, not a prompt.
- Security-critical flows. Authentication, payment processing, and access control should be reviewed line by line. Do not vibe code your auth layer into production.
- Performance-sensitive rendering. If you need 60fps animations or sub-100ms interactions on large datasets, the AI will generate a correct but naive implementation. You will need to optimize by hand.
- Multi-service architectures. A single app in a single repo works great. Coordinating changes across microservices, databases, and message queues exceeds what a single vibe coding session can handle.
Try vibe coding with the self-testing loop
No account needed. Describe your app and watch it build, test, and fix itself in real time.
Start Building →Frequently asked questions
What is vibe coding?
Vibe coding is a development approach where you describe what you want in natural language and an AI agent writes the code. The term was coined by Andrej Karpathy in early 2025. Instead of typing syntax, you focus on intent: what the app should do, how it should look, what should happen when a user clicks a button. The AI handles implementation.
Do I need to know how to code to vibe code?
No. That is the point. You need to be able to describe what you want clearly, break problems into steps, and recognize when something looks wrong. Programming experience helps you iterate faster, but it is not a prerequisite for building a working app.
Why do most vibe-coded apps break?
Because most vibe coding tools generate code without verifying it. The AI writes a component, reports success, and moves on. If the component crashes on render or has a console error, you only find out when you manually check. Tools with a self-testing loop (where the AI opens the app in a browser and verifies it works) catch these issues before you ever see them.
What is the self-testing loop in mk0r?
Every mk0r VM runs a real Chromium browser alongside the development server. After making changes, the AI agent opens the app at localhost:5173, reads the DOM, checks the console for errors, and fixes issues before reporting the turn as complete. This happens automatically on every iteration, not as an optional step.
How is mk0r different from Cursor, Bolt, or Lovable for vibe coding?
Cursor is an IDE extension that helps you write code in files. Bolt and Lovable generate code in a sandbox. mk0r boots a full VM with four services (Vite dev server, Playwright browser testing, Claude agent, and a reverse proxy) so the AI can build, preview, and test your app in a real environment. You also do not need an account to start.
Can I export or download the code mk0r generates?
Yes. mk0r generates a standard Vite + React + TypeScript project. Every change is a git commit inside the VM. You can view the full version history, revert to any previous state, and the output is standard code you can run anywhere.
What happens when the AI generates broken code?
In most tools, you get a broken preview and have to figure out what went wrong. In mk0r, the agent catches its own mistakes. It opens the app in Chromium, detects the error (console errors, missing elements, layout issues), and fixes it in the same turn. If something still slips through, every turn is a git commit, so you can undo with one click.
Comments (••)
Leave a comment to see what others are saying.Public and anonymous. No signup.