Short answer: vibe coding is bad when you skip reading the code and skip testing the app. Otherwise, it's a productivity unlock. The take that ‘all AI-generated code is slop' is as wrong as ‘AI does it all for you' — the honest middle is that the review step is now the whole job.
Debate · 3 min read
Is vibe coding bad?
The honest answer: it's a tool. It's bad when misused, great when the review loop is in place. Here are the real failure modes.
By Usman Jatoi, Founder, Build on Vibe Reviewed by Usman Jatoi Updated 2026-07-08 · 3 min read
Short answer
Vibe coding is not bad. Unreviewed vibe coding is bad — the same way unreviewed human code is bad, just faster to produce. If your workflow has a review gate and a test gate, you'll ship better software than you would have alone.
The real risks
-
Hallucinated dependencies. AI invents a package that doesn't exist, or the wrong version. Fix: pin your lockfile, read the imports.
-
Silent security holes. No auth checks, no RLS, secrets in client code. Fix: run the SEO + security review after every big change.
-
Vibes-only architecture. Ten screens, no shared state model. Fix: name your data model in the prompt before the first screen (see how to vibe code).
How to not be bad at it
- Read every diff before merging.
- Ship a test for anything money touches.
- Keep a rollback (git).
- If you don't understand a chunk of code, ask the AI to explain it before you accept it.
Original data · Build on Vibe
The failure modes
- ‘Ships without reading diff'
- #1 risk
- ‘Ships without any test'
- #2 risk
- ‘Trusts a hallucinated import'
- #3 risk
Methodology. Observed across ~40 Build on Vibe teardowns. Anecdotal, but consistent.
Sources: Build on Vibe teardowns
The ‘not bad' checklist
- 1Read diff
Every merge, every time. Non-negotiable.
- 2Run app
Click through the changed surface — don't trust ‘looks good' from the AI.
- 3One test
Even a smoke test. Just one. Adds hours of confidence.
FAQ
Is vibe-coded code production-ready?
It can be — same as hand-written code — if you reviewed it, tested it, and understand it. The label ‘vibe-coded' doesn't determine quality; the process does.
Are experienced devs against vibe coding?
The good ones aren't against it — they just insist on the review gate. The loud haters usually haven't shipped with it.
What's the worst outcome I've seen?
A founder shipped a Stripe checkout with client-side price validation. The AI wrote it that way and nobody read it. Cost: a weekend of refunds. Fix: read the diff.
Keep reading
Sources
Ready to actually ship?
Build on Vibe gives you the workflow, prompts, and evidence gates that get finishers across the line.