Vibe Coding Editors, Fast Track or Fast Trap?

The Seductive Speed of AI-Powered Editors

Let’s be honest: we all love shortcuts—especially when facing a looming deadline. Vibe coding editors and AI-enhanced IDEs promise exactly that: accelerated development, smarter suggestions, faster iterations. But under that shiny surface, there’s a growing concern—we’re not coding anymore; we’re just confirming suggestions.

I've been programming for 25 years. I remember when every function, every line, was engraved in my head. When I worked on complex microservices APIs, I knew where issues lived. I could fix things without looking. Now, with Vibe-generated code, I don’t even know where to start. Every time I open a project touched by these tools, I have to relearn the codebase. It’s like reading someone else's messy diary with no page numbers.

Speed vs. Skill: What's Being Lost?

Yes, you finish tasks faster. Yes, you discover new syntax and structures. But at a serious price:

• You stop learning deeply.
  Surface-level knowledge replaces deep understanding.

• You don’t remember your own code.
  Because you didn’t write it.

• Debugging becomes detective work.
  You're tracing code written by a 15-year-old junior AI, not your seasoned brain.

A year ago (so let’s say mid-2024), these editors were like 12-year-old kids writing code—functionality randomly added and removed, security not even on the radar. Today, they’ve matured to maybe a strong 15-year-old junior dev. They do better, but still lack context, domain awareness, and caution.

Security Is Not Optional

Security is the backbone of modern systems, and AI doesn’t always get it right. Actually, most of the time, it doesn’t care. You get default logic, insecure patterns, and no real threat modeling. If you don’t manually review it (and you have to), you’re shipping vulnerabilities.

And what happens later? You want to refactor or extend a feature, but:

• You don’t “own” the code.
  You’re adapting someone else’s logic… who just happens to be a hallucinating machine.

• Your productivity tanks.
  Because you spend your time re-understanding, not developing.

• Legacy projects become nightmares.
  Especially if started with Vibe coding. Complex logic becomes unreadable spaghetti with occasional AI sauce.

The Better Way: Rules & Guided AI

Now, I have to say: Windsurf’s rule-based development concept is a breath of fresh air. You can define project rules and structure upfront, and the AI follows those. That means you provide insight, control the logic, and still get help—without losing ownership. It's a win-win.

Still, regular reviews are mandatory. AI won’t replace critical thinking, experience, or understanding your own stack. Not now, not soon.

What AI Coding Editors Are Good At:

• Generating PEST, Unit, and JS test skeletons (but you’ll still need to fine-tune them manually)

• Creating JavaScript/TypeScript boilerplate

• Fixing common issues (e.g. PHPStan errors)

• Giving high-level overviews or describing systems

• Spotting potential security problems in your project

• Writing initial system documentation

• Auto-commenting code (sometimes helpful)

• Refactoring code — up to a point

Where AI Tools Still Struggle Badly:

• Understanding and rewriting legacy spaghetti code (long context)

• Grasping deep logic in complex, modern systems

• Writing truly secure, production-grade code, security is still a weak point

Final Thoughts

AI in coding is a tool, not a replacement. Used correctly, it boosts your productivity. But if you let it lead, you’ll end up losing touch with your own craft.

So, ask yourself: are you coding, or just accepting suggestions?