Technical Debt Accumulation

Technical debt accumulation is a hidden risk in vibe coding. AI makes it easy to generate code quickly, but without discipline, you can accumulate debt faster than ever before.

How AI Can Accelerate Debt

Speed without understanding:

• Accept code you don't fully understand
• Ship without proper review
• Skip documentation

Inconsistent patterns:

• Different AI suggestions on different days
• Multiple developers using different prompts
• No enforced conventions

Over-generation:

• AI generates more than needed
• Unused code accumulates
• Features built but not needed

Warning Signs

• "I'm not sure what this code does, but it works"
• Inconsistent approaches to similar problems
• Fear of changing AI-generated code
• Increasing bug rates despite shipping
• Onboarding takes longer over time

Preventing Debt Accumulation

Maintain understanding:

• Review all AI-generated code
• Ask AI to explain complex sections
• Document decisions and rationale

Enforce consistency:

• Use Cursor Rules for conventions
• Review for pattern consistency
• Refactor toward consistency

Right-size solutions:

• Only generate what's needed
• Remove unused code immediately
• Question over-engineered suggestions

The Vibe Coding Debt Paradox

AI can both create and solve technical debt:

• Creates: When used carelessly
• Solves: When used for refactoring, documentation, cleanup

The difference is developer discipline and process, not the tool itself.