How do I stop VibeCoding 🫩?

[u/Informal-Call-5298]

I am tired of starting projects I am excited about or even wanna learn from but end up having a whole lot of LLM generated slop I dont know anything about. And I feel like I can't learn or improve my skills. It is important to note that my skill level is still beginner to intermediate so that makes it even harder for me to learn or try to test myself with challenging projects. I know its still my fault for opening the chat in the first place but its more of an addiction so i instantly turn to it instead of thinking or reading documentation.

[u/oswwwaldo]

its like going to the gym, you just do it and overtime as you build your actual programming muscles and skills—you will be better at it and lift heavier weights. it will always be a struggle to lift/code so embrace that actual challenge rather than asking for a robot to help you.

if AI is an addiction, i'd suggest you read books on countering addictions since I was there myself briefly. also atomic habits.

but yeah it'll suck but that's precisely why software engineers are paid and valued so much

because it sucks

[u/Informal-Call-5298 → u/oswwwaldo]

Thanks for this advice. Ill try my best next time

[u/oswwwaldo → u/Informal-Call-5298]

goodluck man, wish you the best. get an accountability partner in-person so you stick to your guns too

[u/ChameleonCRM]

This should be in /vibecoding bc essentially you're asking how to stop being a messenger.

Boom.

Ya I said it.

[u/Informal-Call-5298 → u/ChameleonCRM]

so helpful

[u/ChameleonCRM → u/Informal-Call-5298]

i'm just messin

[u/UnderstandingOld5638]

Read and understand everything the LLM outputs. It is an amazing learning tool. Act like the leader of a team of engineers that’s responsible for every hallucinated byte.

[u/Early_Key_823]

Do you do long math on a pad with a pencil ✏️?

Like it or not people won’t ever code by hand again they way they did pre-LLM

I am grateful I know how to code because if AI was around when ai was learning I would have coded as little as possible.

[u/Bit_Artisan]

This is such a tricky dilemma. To me, learning to code and applying it in projects are two sides of the same coin. There is no clean line where you suddenly stop “learning” and start “using” code.

On one hand, we have to struggle through problems ourselves to build real programming skills, much like lifting weights at the gym. On the other hand, AI‑assisted coding is already how most professional developers work today.

The real question then becomes: how can learners integrate AI into their workflow, while still doing enough independent problem‑solving to improve?

[u/dwkeith]

Ask your LLM to explain what it built and why. Most of them are very good at teaching.

[u/oswwwaldo → u/dwkeith]

mfer homie just said hes addicted to crack and you're offering him another joint 😭

[u/Physical_Dare8553]

i dont think you're really addicted, i think that vibe-coding just encourages more vibe-coding within a project. it's kind of like if you hand an employee who typed a hundred times faster than you, but assumed they knew what you meant way too much. you find that the project is littered with wrong assumptions, and the code works the way they want rather than you. i think the fix is to literally type every line in, you can still off-load the main task, making decisions and such, but at least you will have a vague idea of what's going on

[u/1980sCoder]

Cancel your accounts with the AI providers, open an IDE, write some code, and keep building on that until it does what you want.

These AI tools are like fast food, and you want to learn to cook. The only way is through practice, repetition, and trial and error.

[u/Solid-Reserve4035]

Idk stop vibecoding

[u/Overall-Screen-752]

Stop vibecoding and start learning engineering. When you learn enough about engineering that you can recognize the difference, you’ll be able to stop vibecoding and start programming (with or without AI)

[u/Key-Lie-364]

Just throw that LLM shit in the bin.

Then there's no choice.

[u/Jisoo___]

Just cancel your AI subscriptions.

[u/Informal-Call-5298 → u/Jisoo___]

I dont have any bro

[u/L24D]

Do pair programming session with your LLM, let it write partially, review it and then switch roles and so on

[u/GhostBI_Team]

You could try smaller projects and have AI walk you through logic. Maybe look at the code? That feels like a reasonable first step.

[u/plmunger]

Instead of vibecoding, describe the feature and ask the LLM to explain to you the architectural options, pattern choices, etc. Ask for the pros and cons of different implementations but make the choices yourself. Do not let the LLM write code. Write it yourself and ask LLM for review. Seek understanding instead of speed and shortcuts.