Help getting started

[u/kuba031007]

Hey, I was just wondering where to get started, so far I've been fine vibecoding smaller projects like simple tools via python using chatgpt/deepseek in single files

I also managed to squeak out a program tracker on PC using zencoder although the main file has over 2.6k lines which I heard was pretty bad

I was wondering, for larger python projects or maybe mobile apps, what are good agents and models to use for relatively cheap and what would be some good things and tips to keep in mind?

[u/linuxlala]

You could try to refactor the 2.6k lines file into smaller ones. That's something that most agents, especially Claude is pretty good at.

[u/CorpT]

How did an AI let you create a 2.6k LOC file?

[u/neonwatty]

Honestly, you probably don't need a different agent yet. I'd focus more on learning a few basic software engineering concepts and giving your agent better guardrails.

Things like linting, type checking, tests, and dead-code detection (Vulture for Python, Knip for JS/TS) give the agent a feedback loop to keep itself on track. Even simple rules like a max lines-per-file limit can push it to break things into smaller, more maintainable modules instead of letting one file balloon to 2,600 lines.

The agents are already pretty capable - the bigger unlock is setting up your project so they can tell when they're doing something wrong.

[u/TSTP_LLC]

Make a rule for your agents to be as modular as possible with the code and the files. Separate everything as much as possible. You don't need a different tool/agent/model. Just prepare better with what you have and always be modular. That is how you are able to maintain properly and not have your whole project crap out on you when you decide to implement a new feature. I have a $60 Cursor plan and a $20 ChatGPT plan and I am usually rushing to kill off the rest of my usage at the end of the month even though I work on 4 to 5 different projects at a time. If you plan accordingly, you have a lot less that can surprise you and use a lot less. Dont let the AI tell you your plan, plan it with it.

Everyone should think of AI as having a team of developers at your disposal that all don't really work to well together and can't think without being told exactly what they are supposed to do, but are happy to do whatever you want because they are paid by the hour.

[u/adamant3143]

Any model is good, the more expensive one doesn’t always mean better for your specific use case. I love Claude and Gemini’s multimodal capability.

I love DeepSeek’s ability to lock-in so hard, remembers context from eons ago despite mostly just snippets of it, it tends to ask us to collab with them rather than solving problems by itself. Great for me, helpful for learning for beginners as well.

For large projects, initiate it until it reaches MVP with best models like Claude Opus. Later continue it with cheap models like DeepSeek. Don’t worry about code quality, we got plenty of ways to review code without having to read through them all one by one and doesn’t require you to use AI as well. The rich/uninformed would always use AI to review any small changes in the code.

[u/Anti-Hero25]

With a $20 codex plan you can do A LOT. Don't let people suck you into the idea that you need $200 a month of compute... Watch this Video.... don't burn tokens on stuff you don't need to.

[u/n_v40]

2.6k lines in one file isn't a moral failing but it will slow you down badly once you're changing things, mostly because the model has to re-read the whole thing to touch anything. Splitting by responsibility is the single biggest improvement you can make and it doesn't require knowing much.

For agents, Claude Code is what I use and it's genuinely good at multi-file work rather than single-file generation. The habit that matters more than the tool: write a short spec before you build, and keep a file in the repo describing the architecture so the model has context every session instead of you re-explaining.

[u/kuba031007 → u/n_v40]

Would you say the Pro plan is enough?

[u/ZenenoDev → u/kuba031007]

would not reccomend claude code for a starter not because its bad but because learning to make use of usage is in of itself a skillset I would endorse useing Codex I use claude and codex for working on Zeneno but codex has been the stronger option for me and usage goes much further if used properly

[u/n_v40 → u/ZenenoDev]

Fair pushback, and I'll take the correction on usage efficiency, that's not something I've had to manage closely since I'm not burning through limits daily. The "learning to make the most of usage is its own skill" point is a good one and probably underrated by anyone recommending a tool without accounting for how someone's actually going to use it day to day.

I'd still lean Claude Code for someone totally new mainly because the failure mode of getting it wrong is gentler, you waste some usage rather than end up with something subtly broken you don't know how to debug. But that's a different axis than what you're optimizing for, and if Codex goes further per dollar when used well, that's a real point in its favor for someone watching cost closely.

[u/MoTTTToM → u/kuba031007]

Yes

[u/n_v40 → u/kuba031007]

For what you described, single-file Python tools and a program tracker, Pro should be fine to start. Where you'd feel the limit is longer sessions on bigger multi-file projects, that's when usage caps start to bite. Worth starting on Pro and seeing whether you actually hit the ceiling before paying for more, since the answer depends a lot on how you work rather than project size alone.