---
schema: 1
type: term
title: vibe coding
description: >-
  **Vibe coding** is building working software by directing AI coding agents
  with natural-language descriptions of what you want, rather than reading or
  writing the code yourself. As used in this material, it's the exploratory,
  prompt-driven way of making something — even without knowing how to code — and
  it's contrasted with more systematic practices like compound engineering.
canonical: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/vibe-coding-4f712e32960a'
markdown: >-
  https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/vibe-coding-4f712e32960a.md
llms: null
parent: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt'
channel: everyinc
updated: '2026-10-23T22:12:35.346Z'
language: null
children: []
---


# vibe coding

Canonical: https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/vibe-coding-4f712e32960a

Parent: [Channel index](https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt)

## Definition

**Vibe coding** is building working software by directing AI coding agents with natural-language descriptions of what you want, rather than reading or writing the code yourself. As used in this material, it's the exploratory, prompt-driven way of making something — even without knowing how to code — and it's contrasted with more systematic practices like compound engineering.

In this channel's material, **vibe coding** means building working software by directing AI coding agents with natural-language instructions instead of reading or writing the code yourself. It is how people at Every describe building real, shipped things without an engineering background: CEO Dan Shipper “vibe-coded the whole thing between meetings” to create the Proof editor, and senior editor Jack Cheng used Codex to build and ship a gift links feature without engineering help. In one discussion of the emerging types of engineers, the “vibe coder” is described as the opposite end of the spectrum from traditional engineers: *“I don't even know how to code, I'm just making something.”*Vibe coding, as used here, is exploratory and outcome-focused: you describe what you want, watch what the agent produces, and iterate until it works. The material draws a deliberate contrast with **compound (agentic) engineering**, a more systematic practice of delegating to and managing agents — Dan explicitly calls vibe coding “very amateur-ish” compared to that third approach. It also carries a caution: vibe coded apps can break under real users, which is why one session splits AI-era building into the fast-moving **Pirate** who vibe codes to find product value and the **Architect** who turns that discovery into a maintainable system.Don't confuse vibe coding with the related term **vibe check**. In model-comparison sessions, a “vibe check” is a hands-on, informal evaluation of a newly released AI model — running benchmarks, testing reasoning effort, and judging whether a model is actually better _for your work_. That's about evaluating models; vibe coding is about building software with them.\- **Vibe coding = building software by prompting AI coding agents**, without reading or writing the code yourself.\\- Practitioners at Every use it to ship real features — Proof and gift links were both vibe coded — including by **non-engineers** like editors and designers.\\- It is distinct from **compound engineering**, a more deliberate agent-management practice, and from a **vibe check**, which is informal hands-on testing of an AI model.\\- Known limitation in the material: vibe coded apps can break under real users, so engineering judgment still matters for anything meant to last.\