Vibe Coding Sucks, Only If You Didn't Know This

March 15, 2026

TL;DR: AI Sucks at guessing, please give it more context and details to work with.

These days who didn't know about vibe coding? It's a popular approach to software development that emphasizes creativity and intuition. However, it can be frustrating and unproductive if you don't know how to harness its power effectively.

I'm a software engineer who mostly works with enterprise software which emphasizes on reliability and maintainability. It's safe to say I have my own standard way of writing code and I don't like to deviate from it. But when I tried vibe coding, I found myself struggling to find the right balance between creativity and structure.

At first, it felt like magic. I typed a few sentences, and suddenly I got a whole feature, a whole file, sometimes even a whole refactor. But after a few iterations, I realized something:

When AI is wrong, it is not a little wrong. It is wrong in a way that creates a lot of cleanup work. Wrong naming, wrong assumptions, wrong architecture, wrong edge cases, wrong security posture.

So i started asking myself: why does vibe coding feel amazing for some people, but feels like pain for others?

The answer is simple:

AI sucks at guessing.

Vibe coding sucks only if you use it like a mind-reader. If you give it a vague prompt, it will fill the gaps with assumptions. And if you are working in an enterprise-ish codebase, assumptions are expensive.

What AI actually does (and why it guesses)

Most people treat AI like a “smart engineer” that understands intent. In reality, it is more like a super fast pattern matcher that tries to produce something that looks correct.

So when you say:

“Add auth to my app”

AI has to guess:

  • what kind of auth? session? JWT? OAuth? magic link?
  • where is the user stored?
  • do you have roles?
  • what pages are protected?
  • what is your existing architecture?
  • what is your style and conventions?

If you don't answer those questions, it will answer them for you. And that is why you get code that “works”, but doesn't belong in your codebase.

The rule: context is a feature

When you vibe code, you are not just asking for code. You are doing requirements + design + implementation in one go.

If you want good output, you need to provide a small “context pack”. Not a huge document. Just enough to remove guessing.

Here is what i learned to include almost every time.

1) The goal (what is success?)

Be specific. Not “build a blog page”, but:

  • “Add a blog list page that renders posts from app/blog/posts/*.mdx.”
  • “Show title, published date, summary.”
  • “Sort newest first.”

2) Constraints (what must NOT happen?)

This is the part most people skip. Constraints are what makes AI stop being creative in the wrong direction.

Examples:

  • “Do not add new dependencies.”
  • “Keep changes minimal; do not refactor unrelated files.”
  • “Follow existing naming and file structure.”
  • “TypeScript only.”
  • “No hard-coded secrets or keys.”

3) Existing conventions (how we do things here)

This one matters a lot in real-world codebases. Tell the AI your rules:

  • where domain logic goes
  • where UI logic goes
  • how errors are handled
  • how you structure components

In enterprise codebases, the difference between “works” and “maintainable” is mostly conventions.

4) Edge cases

If you care about edge cases, say it.

Examples:

  • empty state
  • loading state
  • invalid input
  • unexpected data from the API
  • time zone and date formatting

5) How to verify (tests or steps)

If you don't define verification, you will end up in “looks good” land. Even if you don't have a test suite, at least provide manual acceptance criteria.

Examples:

  • “When there are no posts, show an empty message.”
  • “The build should pass pnpm lint and pnpm build.”

The loop i use (to avoid AI chaos)

When i vibe code now, i follow a loop. It keeps things fun, but still safe.

  1. Ask for a plan first
    • “Give me a 5-step plan and call out risks.”
  2. Ask for a minimal diff
    • “Only change the files needed. No refactors.”
  3. Ask it to list assumptions
    • “If something is ambiguous, ask me 3 questions.”
  4. Ask for tests or at least test cases
    • “Write unit tests or describe how to test manually.”
  5. Review like you review a junior dev
    • you still own the code
  6. Run the checks
    • build, lint, typecheck

The vibe stays, but the output becomes predictable.

A prompt template that actually works

If you want something practical, here is a template i reuse.

You are helping me implement a change in an existing codebase.

Goal:
- ...

Context:
- Framework: Next.js App Router
- Language: TypeScript
- Styling: Tailwind
- Existing patterns: ... (short bullets)

Constraints:
- Do not add new dependencies
- Do not refactor unrelated code
- Keep changes minimal

Acceptance criteria:
- ...

Before coding:
1) List any assumptions you are making
2) Ask up to 3 clarifying questions if needed
3) Propose a step-by-step plan

Then:
- Provide the code changes
- Explain what you changed and why

Notice something? The template is not “smart”. It is boring. And boring prompts produce reliable code.

Where vibe coding shines (and where it doesn't)

I still think vibe coding is useful. Just don't use it for the wrong thing.

It shines when:

  • you already know what you want
  • you need a quick first draft
  • you want to explore multiple approaches fast
  • you want help writing tests, docs, or refactoring in small pieces

It fails when:

  • your requirements are unclear
  • you are doing security-sensitive work without deep review
  • you let it change too many files at once
  • you treat “it compiles” as “it is correct”

If you work like me (enterprise-ish mindset)

The biggest mindset shift is: AI is not replacing your standards. It is just speeding up the parts you already know how to do.

So keep your standards:

  • small, reviewable changes
  • consistent architecture
  • good naming
  • clear boundaries
  • tests (or at least test cases)

If the AI output breaks your standards, that is not “innovation”. That is technical debt arriving early.

Conclusion

Vibe coding is fun. But vibe coding without context is just guessing.

If you want the vibe without the pain:

  • give context
  • give constraints
  • define success
  • review like an engineer

AI is extremely good at helping you move fast. But it is still your job to decide where to go.