How to Ensure Your Project Doesn’t Look Like a Result of Vibe Coding

These images all have something in common: each one shows a rocket that started with high hopes but didn’t make it to its destination.

One example stands out: the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which not only launched but also returned to Earth. This success illustrates the importance of having a clear plan and executing it carefully to achieve your objectives.

Why Most Projects you will code with AI will Crash Before They Ever Launch

Consider a situation where a leader is unclear about their goals.
You ask questions. They shrug. “Just make it good.” So you build something. They hate it. Not because it’s bad, but because it doesn’t match the picture in their head. A picture they never showed you.

You go back and forth. Each attempt moves further from what they actually want. Frustrating, right?

Here’s the hard truth: when you vibe code, you become that boss.
You give the AI a vague request, take whatever it returns, add it to your project, and hope for the best. If it doesn’t work, or if it causes problems later, you blame the AI.

But the AI just did what bad bosses do to their employees: it took your unclear request and guessed what you meant. Sometimes those guesses are right. Usually, they’re not.

There is a better way. Stop vibe coding. Be the vibe.

Picture that: a project that not only launches successfully but also remains expandable and efficient, avoiding the pitfalls of disjointed efforts. Imagine eliminating frustrations and wasted time by transforming vague prompts into precise plans and real results.

Introducing the STAR strategy, your guide to utilizing AI effectively.

What Vibe Coding Actually Costs You

Vibe coding feels fast. You’re getting hundreds of lines of code per hour. Stuff appears. Things run.

But you’re building a rocket without blueprints:

- Your project becomes a mess:
Each AI answer fixes one small problem without considering the bigger picture. After a dozen prompts, your code is a pile of mismatched pieces that barely fit together. For example, when we tried to add a payment system without a clear structure, the ‘checkout bug’ caused 48 hours of downtime as we scrambled to find and fix the issues. This kind of breakdown shows what happens when you don’t plan ahead.

- You don’t understand your own code:
You have chunks of code you can’t explain, solving problems you can’t describe. When something breaks, you can’t fix it because you never knew how it worked.

- You’re not actually saving time:
You shipped quickly, but now every minor change is a challenge. The time you “saved” comes back to bite you later, with interest.

All those rockets had engineers. All of them launched. And all of them crashed — because somewhere along the way, planning fell apart.
Vibe coding works the same way. You might get started, but you won’t make it all the way to success.

Be the Vibe: The STAR Strategy

Being the vibe means you have the vision. You know what you want, and the AI helps you build it, but you’re in control.
I use a simple framework I call STAR:
- Search — Do your research first
- Think — Make a plan before you build
- Act — Build small, test early
- Review — Check what works, fix what doesn’t

That’s it — just four steps. The important thing is that it’s a loop, not a straight line.

You won’t know everything at the beginning — no one does. That’s why we have search tools. When you run into a problem, like something being too slow, a feature not working as expected, or needing something you didn’t plan for, you go back to Search and start the cycle again.
Allow me to show you how each step works.

S — Search (Figure Out What’s Possible)

Before I ask for any code, I need to understand what I’m getting into. What’s out there? What works? What’s new?

I use Perplexity for this because it’s quick and shows where the information comes from. However, alternatives such as Google or Bing can also be effective options for research, particularly for those who may not have access to Perplexity.

Example:
I want to create a simple puzzle game that puts a new spin on Tetris.
What are people doing with puzzle games in 2025–2026? Tell me about what makes modern puzzle games fun and addictive, how to make games easy for everyone to play, ways to make money without annoying players, and what tools I use to build them.

• Pause here and try the query yourself. Running this search can provide real-time insights and help you translate passive reading into active experimentation.
• I am not asking for code yet, only ideas and information. The answer gives me options I didn’t know about before.
• I’m not asking for code yet. I’m asking for ideas and information. The answer gives me options I didn’t know about before.
  Then I pick what I like:
  From what you told me, I like these ideas: [X, Y, and Z].
  Help me combine them into a simple plan. Include:
• How the game works (the main loop)
• What makes it different from regular Tetris
• Who would play this
• I want it to work in a web browser
  Now I have a rough plan based on real information, not guesses.

Search for Best Practices Too
Here’s something beginners often miss: researching how to build things the right way, not just what to build. Before you write any code, look up best practices in your field. For example, you can search for “best practices for building a browser-based game in 2026” or “common pitfalls in developing AI applications” to get advice from experienced developers. Spending five minutes on this can save you weeks of trouble. You’ll learn about patterns, tools, and methods that experienced developers use — things you might not think to ask about.

A quick five-minute search can save you weeks of frustration. You’ll discover patterns, tools, and methods that experienced developers use — things you might not have thought to look for.

T — Think (Plan Before You Build)

I take my rough idea to Claude and think it through before building anything. It could work with alternatives like cursor also. The idea is to use a tool with a plan mode.

But first, two decisions affect everything else: what language to use and how to organize your code.

Pick Your Language
Everyone asks: “What’s the best programming language?”
Here’s the truth: there is no best language. They’re all good. What matters is picking one you can actually work with.

Choose a language you either:
Already know — so you can read and check what the AI writes
Want to learn — so you can grow your skills while building

Why does this matter? It’s important for the Review step. If the AI writes code in a language you don’t know, you can’t check if it’s doing what you want. You end up hoping and guessing again, which is just vibe coding.

One thing to remember: AI usually defaults to Python because it’s the most common in its training data. That’s fine if Python works for your project, but if you need something else, like JavaScript for a website, Swift for an iPhone app, or C# for a Unity game, you need to say so. If you do not, you’ll get Python even if it doesn’t fit.

Once you pick your language, mention it in every prompt, better yet in the system prompt if you can. Don’t let the AI guess.

Choose Your Foundation
This sounds technical, but it’s really just answering one question: Do you want to reuse and grow this project, or is it a quick one-time thing?

If you’re not sure, ask:

I’m building [describe your project] in [your chosen language].

I want to [reuse parts of it later / extend it with new features / keep it simple and small].

What’s the best way to organize my code for this? Please explain the options in simple terms and help me choose one.

The AI will explain your options. Here’s the quick version:
If you plan to reuse or extend your project later, request OOP (Object-Oriented Programming). This organizes your code into reusable parts. It requires more upfront setup, but it’s much easier to expand later.
If it’s a small, simple project, ask for a functional or straightforward approach. This means less structure and faster building, but it will be harder to add new features later.

If you’re not sure, just tell the AI what you’re building and ask what most people use for that kind of project.

Why does this matter? If you don’t decide early, the AI will make a guess, and it could be wrong. Later, when you want to add features, you might have to redo everything because the foundation isn’t right.

Then, plan the details.
Once you know your language and how you want things organized, plan the actual build:

I want to build [describe your project in one sentence].

Here’s my idea so far:
[Paste what you got from the Search step]

I want to use [language] with [the architecture you picked] because [your reason].

Before we write any code, help me figure out:

1. What’s going to be the hard part?
2. What’s the smallest thing I can build to see if this even works?
3. What should I build first?
4. How should I organize this so it’s easy to add more stuff later?
   If anything is unclear, please ask me.
   That last line matters: “If anything is unclear, ask me questions.” This instructs the AI to request clarification rather than guess. Good collaborators ask questions; bad bosses don’t.
   If you use Claude Code, start in plan mode (type /plan or press shift+tab). This keeps Claude focused on thinking instead of jumping straight to code.

A — Act (Build Small, Test Early)

Once the plan feels solid, I don’t ask for the whole thing. I ask for the smallest piece that shows whether my idea works.

What to ask:
Let’s start with the smallest possible version in [your language].

Build me:

“First, write tests that describe what this simple version should do. Think of tests as a way to specify the expected behavior of your code. For instance, if you are coding a function to add two numbers, your test should check that the function indeed returns the correct sum. You can start with a unit test: a small piece of code that verifies if a specific part of your project works as intended. Then write just enough code to make those tests pass. This ensures you build the application step by step with confidence. Nothing else I want to confirm the basic idea before we add more.”

Why write tests first? It makes you define what “working” really means. If you can’t explain what success looks like, you’re just vibe coding again.
Why say “nothing else”? Because AI often adds extra things you didn’t ask for. Those extras make it harder to see if your main idea really works.

R — Review (Check and Improve)

Run it. Try it. Does it feel right?
This is where picking the right language pays off. According to a 2025 article by Christian Meske and colleagues, if you can read the code yourself, you can directly check whether it meets your expectations, rather than relying on assumptions or letting the machine take over the decision-making. If you can confirm the code works as intended, you can then go back and add more functionality incrementally; this way, you keep control of the process and the basic version still works.

“Now let’s add [one specific thing].
Keep everything organized the same way. Write tests first, then build it.
If no, be specific about what’s wrong:
This doesn’t feel right. Here’s the problem:

• [What’s not working]
• [What I expected vs what actually happened]
  Let’s try a different approach: [your idea, or ask for suggestions]
  Don’t just say “make it better” or “fix it.” Those are vibe coding phrases. Instead, point out the exact problem and ask for a specific solution.”

The STAR Loop: Do It Again

Here’s what most guides won’t tell you: you’ll run through STAR multiple times on any real project.

Let’s say I built my puzzle game and it works, but it’s slow and laggy. I didn’t plan for this. I don’t know why it’s happening or how to fix it.

A vibe coder would ask: “Make it faster.”

A STAR coder goes back to Search:
“My browser-based puzzle game is running slowly and lagging.
What are common causes of poor performance in JavaScript canvas games?
What are the best techniques to optimize frame rate in 2026?”

Now I have options I didn’t know existed. Maybe it’s a rendering issue. Maybe I’m redrawing things I don’t need to. Maybe there’s a library that handles this better.

I pick the approaches that make sense, go to Think to plan how to add them without breaking what already works, Act to try one solution at a time, and Review to see if it actually helped.

A 2025 report from Clutch.co says software teams still face talent shortages and other challenges, so it’s unlikely you’ll have all the answers at the start. The STAR approach isn’t about being perfect on your first try; it helps you move forward with clarity instead of guessing.

STAR Templates You Can Copy and Paste

Search Template (for Perplexity or Google)

“I want to build [type of project] that [what makes it special].
What are people doing in this space right now?
What works well? What are common mistakes? Show me examples.”

Search for Best Practices

“ What are the best practices for building [type of project] in [year]?
What mistakes do beginners make?
How should I organize my code so it’s easy to change later?”

Search Follow-up (Combine Ideas)

“ I like these ideas from my research:

• [Idea 1]
• [Idea 2]
• [Idea 3]
  Help me combine them into one clear plan. Include what it does, who it’s for, and any limits I need to work within.”

Search (When You Hit a Problem)

“ I’m building [project], and I ran into a problem: [describe what’s wrong].
What are the common causes of this?
What are the best ways to fix it in [year]?”

Think Template (Choose Your Foundation)

“ I’m building [describe your project] in [your chosen language].
I want to [reuse parts of it later / extend it with new features / keep it simple and small].
What’s the best way to organize my code for this? Explain the options in simple terms and help me pick one.”

Think Template (Plan the Build)

“ Here’s my idea: [paste your plan]
I want to use [language] with [the architecture you picked] because [reason].
Before any code, help me figure out:

1. What’s the riskiest part I should test first?
2. What’s the smallest thing I can build to test it?
3. How should I organize this so it doesn’t become a mess?
   Ask me questions if anything is unclear.
   Act Template
   Build the smallest version that shows the main idea works in [language]:
4. Write tests that describe what “working” means.
5. Write just enough code to pass those tests.
6. No extra features
   I’ll add more after I see this working.
   Review Template (Adding More)”

[What worked / what didn’t in the last version]
“Now I want to add [one specific thing].

• Here’s how it should work: [describe it]
• Hold the same structure as before
• Tests first, then code”

Be a STAR. Actually Launch.

Vibe coding asks: “What will the AI give me?”

One is like a rocket built without blueprints — it might launch, but it won’t reach its goal. The other is a mission with a plan, a checklist, and a team that knows what success means.

Next time you’re about to throw a vague prompt at an AI and pray, stop.

Remember STAR:
Search — Know what’s out there and learn best practices
Think — Pick your language, choose your foundation, then plan the build
Act — Start small, test early
Review — Check the code, fix what’s broken, add what’s missing

And when you hit something you didn’t expect? Do it again. Search for answers, consider your options, choose the best one, and review the results.

You wouldn’t launch a rocket without a flight plan. Don’t launch your project that way either.

Be the vibe. Be a STAR. Actually, ship your project. Picture your work being recognized across the industry as a symbol of innovation and quality. Let this vision guide your efforts and motivate you to turn your ideas into real success.

How do you use AI when you build things? Share your story in the comments — maybe a recent win or a challenge you faced. Your experience can help others learn, especially those just starting out.

How to Ensure Your Project Doesn’t Look Like a Result of Vibe Coding was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.