Vibe Coding, Done RightSpec-driven building from idea to MVP

Mindset, toolchain, and repo ready.

C1

The Mindset & the Spec Ladder

Vibe coding vs. spec-driven. Why loose prompting decays.

5 lessons ▼

• Why loose prompting decaysComing soon
• The spec is the promptComing soon
• The Spec Ladder & steering layerComing soon
• Git basics for safe AI iterationComing soon
• Self-check: reading a database schemaComing soon

C2

Tools & Models: Your AI Stack

Pick your toolchain and learn to drive models well.

5 lessons ▼

• The AI coding landscape in 2026Coming soon
• Choosing coding agents (Cursor / Claude Code)Coming soon
• Model selection: reasoning vs. implementationComing soon
• Context-window hygieneComing soon
• Cost awareness of agentic loopsComing soon

Sharpen the idea, pick the beachhead, define who you're for.

C3

Fine-Tuning the Product Idea

Sharpen a fuzzy idea into a one-sentence problem statement.

4 lessons ▼

• Writing the one-sentence problem statementComing soon
• Identifying the single core jobComing soon
• Using AI as a sparring partnerComing soon
• Pressure-testing the ideaComing soon

C4

Niche & Market

Pick a narrow beachhead and position vs. alternatives.

4 lessons ▼

• Picking a narrow beachheadComing soon
• Market sizing sanity checkComing soon
• Positioning vs. alternativesComing soon
• The "do nothing" competitorComing soon

C5

Defining the ICP

Who you build for, their pains, where they gather.

3 lessons ▼

• Building the ICP profileComing soon
• Mapping pains and workaroundsComing soon
• Finding where the ICP gathersComing soon

A1

Validation Gate 1, Does the problem exist?

Take-home: talk to 5 people in your ICP's channels.

3 lessons ▼

• The 5-people validation ruleComing soon
• Pain signals to listen forComing soon
• When to loop back to M2Coming soon

Write the PRD, name the thing, build the design system.

C6

The PRD: Your Product Spec

Goals, non-goals, priorities, EARS notation.

5 lessons ▼

• Writing goals AND non-goalsComing soon
• Features by priorityComing soon
• Mapping user flowsComing soon
• Intro to EARS notationComing soon
• Expanding a PRD line into a feature specComing soon

C7

Naming & Logo

ICP-driven name, domain check, starter logo.

4 lessons ▼

• ICP-driven namingComing soon
• Domain & handle checksComing soon
• A starter logo, fastComing soon
• Why your brand is provisionalComing soon

C8

Design System: Your Design Spec

Tokens, components, and the design as AI input.

4 lessons ▼

• Design tokens (color, type, spacing)Coming soon
• Building component primitivesComing soon
• Using Claude Design as the vehicleComing soon
• Feeding the design system to your AIComing soon

Turn the PRD into screens, then prove anyone wants it.

C9

Wireframes & Hi-Fi Design

PRD → screens against the design system.

3 lessons ▼

• PRD into screensComing soon
• Building against the design systemComing soon
• Reviewing designs vs. PRD & ICPComing soon

C10

Landing Page / Smoke Test

Ship a believable front door into the ICP's channels.

3 lessons ▼

• Building the front door from designsComing soon
• The single-CTA principleComing soon
• Shipping it into ICP communitiesComing soon

A2

Validation Gate 2, Does anyone want it?

Take-home: read the signal from real users.

3 lessons ▼

• Signals to track: sign-ups, comments, DMsComing soon
• Real interest vs. polite nodsComing soon
• Loop-back triggers (when to revise)Coming soon

Scaffold, steering layer, SDD loop, walking skeleton, the core of the methodology.

C11

Project Setup + Database Design

Stack, scaffold, schema, validation.

4 lessons ▼

• Picking your stack (quick & opinionated)Coming soon
• Scaffolding the projectComing soon
• Designing the schema from the PRDComing soon
• Validation from day oneComing soon

C12

Steering Files: The Persistent Spec Layer

CLAUDE.md and steering rules that AI reads every session.

4 lessons ▼

• Distilling PRD + design + stackComing soon
• Writing CLAUDE.md / .cursor/rulesComing soon
• Coding standards as steeringComing soon
• Living docs vs. static specsComing soon

C13

The SDD Loop: Specify → Plan → Tasks → Implement

The rhythm you'll repeat for every feature.

5 lessons ▼

• Specify: PRD item → requirements specComing soon
• Writing EARS acceptance criteriaComing soon
• Plan: the technical designComing soon
• Tasks: sequenced, verifiable stepsComing soon
• Implement: agent builds against the specComing soon

C14

Walking Skeleton: Ship a Thin Slice to Prod NOW

One vertical slice live on a real URL in week one.

3 lessons ▼

• The thinnest possible vertical sliceComing soon
• Proving your deployment pipeline earlyComing soon
• Live on a real URL, day oneComing soon

C15

Staying in Control + How AI Coding Fails

Read the code, know when to stop, recover with Git.

4 lessons ▼

• Reading what the AI actually wroteComing soon
• When to stop letting it cookComing soon
• AI failure modes you must spotComing soon
• Git as the safety netComing soon

C16

Auth & Security (Production-Grade)

Real auth, protected routes, secrets, security review.

4 lessons ▼

• Choosing real auth (Clerk / Supabase)Coming soon
• Protected routes & sessionsComing soon
• Secrets & env vars done rightComing soon
• A deliberate security review passComing soon

C17

API Design

Clean contracts written so the agent builds predictably.

3 lessons ▼

• Endpoints & request/response shapesComing soon
• Consistent error handlingComing soon
• Writing APIs for AI to extendComing soon

UI from wireframes, wire it to the backend, verify intent, trim to MVP.

C18

Building the UI from Wireframes

Wireframes → components on the design system.

2 lessons ▼

• Translating wireframes to componentsComing soon
• Reviewing AI-built UI against the designComing soon

C19

Connecting Backend ↔ Frontend

UI to APIs. State, data flow, edge states.

3 lessons ▼

• Wiring UI to APIsComing soon
• State and data flowComing soon
• Loading, empty, and error statesComing soon

C20

Verify Against Intent

All-tests-green ≠ matches-intent.

4 lessons ▼

• "Tests passed" ≠ "matches intent"Coming soon
• Generating tests from EARS criteriaComing soon
• Manual + AI-assisted testingComing soon
• Debugging with AI without losing the threadComing soon

C21

End-to-End Feature Building & Fine-Tuning

SDD loop on repeat. Polish. Trim to MVP.

3 lessons ▼

• Running the SDD loop end-to-endComing soon
• UX polish that moves the needleComing soon
• Ruthless trimming to MVPComing soon

Low-risk now, the pipeline exists from M13.

C22

Finalize the Marketing Site

Smoke-test page → real launch site.

4 lessons ▼

• Updating copy for launchComing soon
• Real product screenshotsComing soon
• Working sign-up flowComing soon
• Launch-day checklistComing soon

C23

Promote to Production Alpha

Deploy the full app through the proven pipeline.

3 lessons ▼

• Deploying the full appComing soon
• Env & secrets in productionComing soon
• Smoke-testing liveComing soon

C24

Domain Setup & Connection

Domain, DNS, HTTPS, where people get stuck.

3 lessons ▼

• Buying the right domainComing soon
• DNS basics demystifiedComing soon
• HTTPS & SSL the easy wayComing soon

C25

Publishing the App

Final checklist, announce to the waitlist.

3 lessons ▼

• The final pre-launch checklistComing soon
• Announcing to the waitlistComing soon
• Community announcement playbookComing soon

A3

Validation Gate 3, Live and reachable

Take-home: real users hit the URL and finish the core job.

3 lessons ▼

• Inviting real users to your URLComing soon
• Watching them complete the core jobComing soon
• Crossing the finish line, what's nextComing soon