vibe-coding▌
refoundai/lenny-skills · updated Apr 8, 2026
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AI-assisted software development for non-engineers building prototypes and MVPs through natural language.
- ›Guides users through iterative AI-powered development: breaking problems into smaller pieces, refining outputs through follow-up prompts, and testing generated code
- ›Best suited for prototypes, internal tools, and MVPs; helps users understand when professional engineering review is needed for production systems
- ›Teaches vibe coding as a distinct skill for product managers, marketer
Vibe Coding
Help the user build software using AI tools and natural language, using frameworks and insights from 3 product leaders.
How to Help
When the user asks for help with vibe coding:
- Understand the goal - Ask what they're trying to build and who it's for (prototype, internal tool, production app)
- Guide the approach - Help them break down the problem into smaller pieces for iterative AI prompts
- Set expectations - Discuss what vibe coding is good for (prototypes, MVPs) versus when professional engineering is needed
- Coach on iteration - Help them understand how to refine output through follow-up prompts
Core Principles
Vibe coding is a new skill
Elena Verna: "I vibe code myself so I would put that as even as a skill on my resume now." This is a distinct, transformative skill for non-technical roles - PMs, marketers, designers - to build functional software using natural language.
Replace Figma with prototypes
Kevin Weil: "Instead of showing stuff in Figma, we should be showing prototypes that people are vibe coding over the course of 30 minutes to illustrate proofs of concept." Functional code prototypes can be built in the time it takes to create static mockups.
Build tools to build tools
Alexander Embiricos: "They'll vibe code an animation editor and then they use the animation editor to build the animation." Non-engineers can now build functional software and custom tools without deep technical mastery.
Go beyond prompt engineering
Vibe coding is not just writing prompts - it's iteratively building functional software through conversation with AI. It requires understanding how to break problems down, test outputs, and refine through follow-up.
Know the limits
Vibe-coded software is great for prototypes, internal tools, and MVPs. Production-grade systems with complex requirements still need professional engineering review.
Questions to Help Users
- "What are you trying to build, and who will use it?"
- "Is this a throwaway prototype or something that needs to scale?"
- "Can you break this down into smaller pieces to build incrementally?"
- "What's the simplest version that would let you test your hypothesis?"
- "Have you tried describing what's not working and asking the AI to fix it?"
- "Do you need this to be production-grade, or is it okay if it's rough?"
Common Mistakes to Flag
- Trying to build everything at once - Break complex projects into smaller, iterative builds
- Not testing the output - Always run and test what the AI generates; don't assume it works
- Expecting production quality - Vibe-coded apps are great for validation but may need engineering for production
- Unclear specifications - The clearer your description of what you want, the better the output
- Giving up after one try - Vibe coding is iterative; refine through follow-up prompts
Deep Dive
For all 3 insights from 3 guests, see references/guest-insights.md
Related Skills
- Writing PRDs
- Usability Testing
- Building with LLMs
- Shipping Products
How to use vibe-coding on Cursor
AI-first code editor with Composer
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
- ›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
- ›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with
node --version) - ›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add vibe-coding
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
The skills CLI fetches vibe-coding from GitHub repository refoundai/lenny-skills and configures it for Cursor.
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
Reload or restart Cursor to activate vibe-coding. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /vibe-coding) or your agent's skill management interface.
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
List & Monetize Your Skill
Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning
Use Cases▌
User Story & Requirements Generation
Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs
Example
Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios
Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage
Competitive Analysis
Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps
Example
Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities
Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days
Roadmap Prioritization
Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs
Example
Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale
Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster
Stakeholder Communication
Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations
Example
Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement
Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead
Implementation Guide▌
Prerequisites
- ›Claude Desktop or compatible AI client
- ›Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
- ›Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
- ›Stakeholder contact information and communication channels
Time Estimate
30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements
Installation Steps
- 1.Install product management skill
- 2.Start with user story generation for known feature
- 3.Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
- 4.Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
- 5.Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
- 6.Build template library for recurring PM tasks
- 7.Share effective prompts with product team
Common Pitfalls
- ⚠Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
- ⚠Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
- ⚠Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
- ⚠Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
- ⚠Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements
Best Practices▌
✓ Do
- +Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
- +Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
- +Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
- +Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
- +Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
- +Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition
✗ Don't
- −Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
- −Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
- −Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
- −Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
- −Don't ignore company-specific context and culture
💡 Pro Tips
- ★Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
- ★Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
- ★Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
- ★Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs
When to Use This▌
✓ Use When
Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.
✗ Avoid When
Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.
Learning Path▌
- 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
- 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
- 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
- 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation
Discussion
Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)- No comments yet — start the thread.
Ratings
4.5★★★★★25 reviews- ★★★★★Rahul Santra· Nov 15, 2024
I recommend vibe-coding for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.
- ★★★★★Pratham Ware· Oct 6, 2024
Useful defaults in vibe-coding — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.
- ★★★★★Liam Torres· Sep 9, 2024
Keeps context tight: vibe-coding is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.
- ★★★★★Sakshi Patil· Sep 1, 2024
vibe-coding has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.
- ★★★★★Liam Gonzalez· Aug 28, 2024
vibe-coding is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.
- ★★★★★Chaitanya Patil· Aug 20, 2024
Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: vibe-coding is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.
- ★★★★★Camila Malhotra· Jul 19, 2024
vibe-coding reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.
- ★★★★★Piyush G· Jul 11, 2024
We added vibe-coding from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.
- ★★★★★Soo Srinivasan· Jun 14, 2024
vibe-coding fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.
- ★★★★★Diego Haddad· Jun 10, 2024
Registry listing for vibe-coding matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.
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