How I Prompt for Coding: The Vibe Coding Workflow

Efficiency in AI-assisted coding isn’t about one-shot prompts; it’s about a structured, iterative workflow. Here is the distilled “Vibe Coding” method for future reference.

Core Principles

• Avoid One-Shots: Never ask for a complete application in one go.
• Granular Detail: Be specific about tech stacks, audience, and logic.
• Structural Formatting: Use Markdown or XML tags to organize prompts.
• Iterative Validation: Cross-check outputs and maintain critical thinking.

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The 5-Step Workflow

Step 1: Brainstorming Loop

Start a conversation with a senior engineer persona to define the project scope.

Prompt:

You're a senior software engineer. We're going to build the PRD of a project together. 
VERY IMPORTANT: 
  - Ask one question at a time. 
  - Each question should be based on previous answers. 
  - Go deeper on every important detail required. 

IDEA: <paste here your idea>

Step 2: Compiling the Specification

Formalize the brainstorming session into a structured document.

Prompt:

Compile those findings into a PRD. Use markdown format. 
It should contain the following sections: 
- Project overview, 
- Core requirements, 
- Core features, 
- Core components, 
- App/user flow, 
- Techstack, 
- Implementation plan.

Step 3: Documentation

Save the output from Step 2 as docs/specs.md in your project folder. This serves as the single source of truth for the AI.

Step 4: Generating the Task List

Break the PRD down into a granular, dependency-aware checklist.

Prompt:

Based on the generated PRD, create a detailed step-by-step plan to build this project. 
Then break it down into small tasks that build on each other... 
- Each task and subtask should be a checklist item... 
- Each task should have a number id and list dependent task ids.

Save this as docs/todo.md.

Step 5: Execution (The “Vibe” Phase)

Use an AI-powered editor (like Cursor) pointed at your documentation to execute the tasks.

Prompt:

You're a senior software engineer. Study @docs/specs.md and implement what's still missing in @docs/todo.md. 
Implement each task each time and respect task and subtask dependencies. 

Once finished a task, check it in the list and move to the next.

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Reference

Original content from aicodeguide by automata.