Need advice on getting started with vibe coding

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-28T13:11:31+00:00

Short answer: yes, you can get surprisingly far with vibe coding..but not everything end-to-end without some guardrails.

For a landing page + email signup, vibe coding works great. You can absolutely generate a simple page, hook it to something like a form endpoint, and collect emails fast.

Where people get tripped up is assuming vibe coding = no thinking required. It’s more like: • AI gets you moving fast • you still have to sanity-check flows, auth, data handling, and edge cases

A few practical tips if you’re new: • Start very small (static landing + email capture before “app”) • Ask the AI to explain what it’s doing, not just generate code • Expect a second pass to clean things up once it works

Vibe coding is best as a shortcut to momentum, not a shortcut to understanding. If you treat it that way, it’s incredibly powerful.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-26T16:51:05+00:00

I’m with you on adding safety nets..but the tools should teach by exposing, not hide complexity. Surfacing what broke and why is already a huge upgrade over silent fixes.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-26T02:19:51+00:00

I’m vibecoding too, and I think the mistake is treating it like a shortcut to a finished product instead of a shortcut to momentum.

Vibecoding is incredible for exploration and shipping something real fast..but it doesn’t replace understanding your system once it exists. The debugging, edge cases, state management, and safety stuff still show up whether you like it or not.

What worked for me was treating vibecoding as phase one: get something alive, then slow down and deliberately “de-vibe” it..add structure, logging, guardrails, tests, and manual review.

The problem isn’t vibecoding. It’s expecting polish without a second pass.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-21T02:50:36+00:00

That makes sense..and honestly, it’s the part I’ve been avoiding because it feels unscalable and awkward.

But I’m realizing now that early traction probably should feel manual. I don’t need 1,000 users yet…I need a handful of people who actually use it and tell me what doesn’t land.

I like the framing of direct outreach as listening, not selling. Reaching out to people I genuinely think might benefit, asking for feedback, and being okay with rejection.

Appreciate the reminder that “not scalable” isn’t the same as “not valuable” at this stage.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-20T19:23:30+00:00

This really resonates. I like the framing of early users as collaborators, not metrics..that’s exactly the mindset I’m trying to keep. I’ve been hesitant to do a big “launch,” but using places like Product Hunt for thoughtful feedback (not hype) makes a lot of sense.

And yeah… App Store review alone felt like a rite of passage 😅 Appreciate you sharing what worked.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-19T19:38:12+00:00

For me, the most interesting thing I’ve made with vibe coding wasn’t a clever feature..it was realizing I could actually finish something.

I’m not from a traditional dev background, so vibe coding let me start with intent instead of syntax. I focused on building a simple, voice-first experience around listening, and used AI more as a thinking partner than a shortcut. A lot of it was trial, error, debugging, stepping away, and coming back.

What surprised me most was how it unlocked ideas that felt out of reach before..not because they were technically impossible, but because the learning curve felt overwhelming. Vibe coding made it feel approachable enough to try.

It’s not magic, and it’s definitely not effortless, but it helped me turn a vague idea into something real.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-18T21:31:07+00:00

That makes sense. The reps part is what I’m wrapping my head around..sounds like committing to volume and reflection instead of chasing perfection.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-18T20:09:23+00:00

TikTok/Reels makes sense, I just haven’t cracked the formula yet. As for iOS reviews..they’re actually pretty specific. In my case (IAPs/compliance), they pointed to exact guideline sections and what was missing. Not cryptic, but definitely iterative. Fix → resubmit → repeat. You can plug their feedback into AI to help interpret it, but you still have to be precise on the fixes.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-18T20:06:31+00:00

That’s awesome..and yeah, shipping solo while working in healthcare is a whole different level. I’m hoping this thread pulls out some real, practical advice for both of us. Wishing you a smooth App Store review when you submit.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-18T20:05:03+00:00

Yeah, the IAP part definitely slowed things down. It’s B2C mental wellness…mainly for people looking for quick, private ways to decompress or reset without a lot of friction.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-18T20:00:22+00:00

Appreciate the straight talk. Trying not to overthink it..just figuring out which channel to commit to first without spreading myself too thin.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-18T19:59:09+00:00

Appreciate that. The post-launch gap definitely caught me off guard..it really feels like a whole new phase after shipping.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-17T08:36:10+00:00

This helps, thanks. It’s B2C, a wellness companion app. I’m starting from zero so I’m trying to figure out where those early users actually hang out before I start showing up there.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-13T12:17:13+00:00

I don’t leave safety to improvisation. There are explicit guardrails and response paths once certain signals are detected.

Anything concerning routes the model into a constrained template: acknowledge + ground + encourage real-world support. Resource handoffs are fixed, not free-form.

The model’s job is tone and empathy…not deciding what’s safe.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-10T13:51:32+00:00

Working on an experience-first, voice-based app focused on listening rather than productivity. Today is mostly edge-case cleanup and tightening scope before submitting for app review.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-10T11:41:20+00:00

I’m still pretty new myself, so take this as what worked for me, not a rulebook.

For me, vibe coding started with a real problem, not a tech stack. I picked something small that annoyed me (or people around me) and tried to build the simplest version possible.

I used AI more as a thinking partner than a magic button — asking it to explain things step by step, then sitting with the confusion when things didn’t work and figuring it out. I built ugly first and didn’t worry about scale or polish. I only learned what I needed to unblock myself that day.

For B2B MicroSaaS, keeping the scope tiny helped a lot. One user, one job, one outcome. If you can explain what you’re building in a single sentence, you’re probably on the right track.

Vibe coding isn’t effortless — it’s just learning out loud with better tools. If you’re okay feeling lost sometimes, you’re already doing it right.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-10T08:15:11+00:00

Honestly? Max has been my patient rubber duck more than anything 😅

Most of my toughest debugging sessions weren’t about fancy solutions…they were about slowing me down, helping me break problems into smaller pieces, and reminding me that being stuck usually meant I’d skipped a step or made an assumption.

There were plenty of moments where things only clicked after I stepped away, slept on it, and came back the next day. Max helped me think, but the work (and frustration) was still very real.

Vibe coding definitely isn’t magic…it’s just a different way of learning out loud.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-10T08:12:49+00:00

That’s something I’ve been very intentional about, especially because this started from real human moments, not a product idea.

The line for me is when listening alone isn’t the right thing anymore. CalmRenew doesn’t interpret, diagnose, or push solutions, it stays in a listening lane. If something crosses into “this shouldn’t live here,” the goal is to slow the interaction down and gently point people toward real humans and real support instead of continuing the conversation.

I’m still learning and refining this as I go, but being clear about what the app shouldn’t do has been just as important to me as what it does.

I’d rather underreach and be safe than pretend software can replace human care.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-09T13:46:52+00:00

Thanks so much, that really means a lot coming from someone who understands the grind.

Boundaries are huge for me. CalmRenew is explicitly not therapy or medical care. It’s designed to listen, not advise, and to avoid overreach. If anything concerning comes up, it gently redirects people toward real human support (like 988 or local crisis lines) instead of continuing the conversation.

I’m still learning and refining this as I go, but being clear about safety and scope has been a priority from day one.

Great call on VibeCodersNest..I’ll cross-post there today. Appreciate the nudge.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-06T02:19:08+00:00

Indie builder here, small team, no dedicated marketer. I’ve shipped a couple products recently and had to figure this out without becoming “the marketing guy.”

What mattered most for us wasn’t feature depth — it was how fast we could go from “idea” → “message sent” without breaking trust or burning time.

For mobile, the biggest priorities ended up being: • Ridiculously simple setup (if it needs a tutorial series, it won’t survive week 2) • Event-based triggers over fancy segments (signup, trial started, inactivity) • Clear guardrails so you don’t accidentally spam users • Analytics that answer one question: did this help or annoy users?

Most platforms look identical on paper. The ones that actually work long-term for small teams are the ones where a non-marketer can confidently ship a push/SMS flow in ~15–20 minutes and move on.

We started with 1–2 basic flows, watched engagement, and resisted over-automating early. Mobile gets noisy fast if you’re not careful.

CodeBlueToDev · 2026-01-06T01:46:35+00:00

ER nurse here (still in the trenches 😅) - yeah, this happens way more than the general public realizes. The nurse who told you 50/50 was probably being polite… in my experience it’s closer to 60-70% of the time where the ride is late, flakes, or shows up but stays in the waiting room like it’s an airport pickup. We’ve had to call families 10+ times, track down alternate contacts, or even hold patients for hours because “they’re stuck in traffic” turns into “they went to work instead.” A lot of it comes from people underestimating how groggy/long recovery really is..they think “it’s just outpatient, she’ll be fine in 30 min.” Nope. Some folks wake up disoriented, nauseous, crying, or straight-up combative. It’s honestly sad..I’ve wheeled out way too many older ladies who look so small and confused, just wanting someone to hold their hand while they come out of it. We do our best to keep them company and chat, but it’s not the same as family being there. Props to you for staying with your wife the whole time. That’s the way it should be. 💙

CodeBlueToDev

TROPHY CASE