Vibe Check
A vibe check is a quick validation of AI-generated code to ensure it meets expectations before accepting or integrating it. Vibe checks catch obvious issues, verify understanding, and maintain code quality without the overhead of formal review — essential when moving fast with AI assistance.
Example
Vibe checks are the lightweight quality gates that make fast AI-assisted development sustainable. They sit between "blindly accept everything" and "formally review every line."
The Vibe Check Mindset
Not a deep review. A quick sanity check asking:
- Does this look right?
- Does anything feel off?
- Would I be comfortable shipping this?
- Do I understand what this does?
Trust your instincts — experienced developers often sense problems before identifying them.
What to Vibe Check
Always check:
- Security-related code
- Data handling logic
- External API calls
- User input processing
Quick check:
- Standard CRUD operations
- UI components
- Configuration changes
- Documentation
Can skip:
- Trivial changes
- Formatting-only updates
- Well-tested patterns
The 30-Second Vibe Check
- Scan structure — Does organization make sense?
- Check logic — Does the flow look correct?
- Spot red flags — Any hardcoded values, missing error handling, obvious gaps?
- Gut check — Does anything feel wrong?
If anything triggers concern, investigate deeper or ask AI to explain.
Vibe Check vs Formal Review
| Vibe Check | Formal Review |
|---|---|
| 30 seconds | 10+ minutes |
| Intuition-based | Systematic |
| Catches obvious issues | Catches subtle issues |
| Every AI generation | Critical code paths |
Use both: vibe checks everywhere, formal reviews where it matters.
Developing Vibe Check Instincts
- Review AI output frequently (builds pattern recognition)
- When bugs occur, note what you missed
- Learn common AI failure modes
- Trust your sense that "something's off"
Emergent — An agentic vibe-coding platform that builds production-ready apps