vibe-coding-prompt-template

Table of contents

• Built with this workflow
• Workflow overview
• Quick start and the 5 steps
• Prerequisites and tools
• Advanced agent practices
• Project structure and deployment
• Common pitfalls and troubleshooting
• Further reading

Built with this workflow

This repo documents the workflow behind a handful of shipped projects. The goal is simple: do the thinking upfront, hand clean context to your tools, and keep the build phase moving.

| Project | What it is | | :-- | :-- | | vibeworkflow.app | An interactive web app built around the same structured vibe-coding workflow documented here. | | moneyvisualiser.com | A money visualization website that visualized money in a 3D environment. | | caglacabaoglu.com | A production portfolio and gallery site built with the same PRD-to-agent execution approach. | | alpyalay.org/realdex | A mobile app built on React Native that lets you catch animals, and put them in a Pokemon-like collection. |

Workflow overview

The process moves through five stages, from idea validation to working code:

flowchart LR
    subgraph Phase1[" "]
        A[💡 Idea]
    end

    subgraph Phase2["Research"]
        B[📊 Market Analysis]
    end

    subgraph Phase3["Define"]
        C[📋 PRD]
    end

    subgraph Phase4["Design"]
        D[🏗️ Tech Design]
    end

    subgraph Phase5["Generate"]
        E[🤖 AGENTS.md]
    end

    subgraph Phase6["Build"]
        F[🚀 MVP]
    end

    A --> B --> C --> D --> E --> F

    style A fill:#667eea,stroke:#667eea,color:#fff
    style B fill:#764ba2,stroke:#764ba2,color:#fff
    style C fill:#f093fb,stroke:#f093fb,color:#fff
    style D fill:#4facfe,stroke:#4facfe,color:#fff
    style E fill:#00f2fe,stroke:#00f2fe,color:#000
    style F fill:#43e97b,stroke:#43e97b,color:#000

Quick start and the 5 steps

TL;DR: run research, turn it into a PRD, choose the stack, generate your agent files, then build in small passes.

Phase 1: thinking through the product

Do the first three steps in ChatGPT, Claude.ai, Gemini, or any other chat tool. You do not need a repo yet.

Deep Research

This step gives you a quick read on demand, competitors, and whether the scope looks realistic.

1. Open part1-deepresearch.md and copy all of its contents.
2. Paste it into your preferred AI platform Chat (like Claude.ai, ChatGPT, or Gemini) and press Enter.
3. The AI will ask you a few questions about your idea. Answer them truthfully in the chat.
4. The AI will generate a comprehensive research document based on your answers.
5. Save the output into a local file named research-[YourAppName].md (or .txt) or simply keep this chat open for Step 2.

Tip: if your chat tool supports web search, turn it on so the stats and competitor references are current.

Product Requirements (PRD)

This turns the rough idea into a scope you can build against.

1. Copy the contents of part2-prd-mvp.md.
2. Option A (Same Chat): If you kept your chat open, paste the prompt right below the Deep Research output.
3. Option B (New Chat): Start a fresh chat, paste your saved research-[YourAppName].md content, and then paste the Part 2 prompt below it.
4. Press Enter, answer any clarifying questions the AI asks, and let it generate your requirements.
5. Save the final output as PRD-[YourAppName]-MVP.md.

Technical Design

This step helps you choose the stack and decide where to keep things simple.

1. Copy the contents of part3-tech-design-mvp.md.
2. Paste it into your ongoing conversation (or into a new one, making sure to attach the PRD-[YourAppName]-MVP.md from Step 2 as context).
3. The AI will ask questions regarding your budget, timeline, and complexity tolerance.
4. Discuss the trade-offs it presents (e.g., full-code vs. no-code builder).
5. Once a stack is decided, save the output as TechDesign-[YourAppName]-MVP.md.

Phase 2: execution in your IDE

Move into Cursor, VS Code with Copilot, Claude Code, or your preferred coding setup. This is where the project becomes code.

Set up the agent files

This step fills out AGENTS.md and the supporting docs from your PRD and tech design.

1. Click "Use this template" in GitHub (or clone this repository locally).
2. Open this cloned repository folder in your AI IDE (like Cursor or VS Code).
3. Create a docs/ folder in your project root if it does not already exist.
4. Move your saved documents into docs/ using these names:
   • docs/PRD-[YourAppName]-MVP.md
   • docs/TechDesign-[YourAppName]-MVP.md
   • optional: docs/research-[YourAppName].md (or .txt for backward compatibility)
5. Open the AI Chat inside your IDE, type: "Read part4-notes-for-agent.md, follow its instructions, and set up my workspace."
6. The agent should copy the boilerplates from /templates/ into your project root and fill in the placeholders using the files in docs/.

Build with AI Agent

Choose your development environment and start iterating:

1. Ensure your newly generated AGENTS.md and configuration files are physically in the project folder.
2. Give your agent its first command:

   "Read AGENTS.md, propose a Phase 1 plan, wait for my approval, and then build it step by step."

3. Treat the agent like a junior developer. Ask it to stop after each major feature, explain the diff, and run tests where possible.
4. Repeat the loop until your MVP is complete:

Recommended Loop:

╭──────────────╮      ╭──────────────╮      ╭──────────────╮
│   📝 Plan    │ ───>│  ⚡ Execute │ ───>│  🔍 Verify  │
│  (Approve)   │      │  (One Feat)  │      │    (Test)    │
╰──────────────╯      ╰──────────────╯      ╰──────────────╯
       ▲                                           │
       └───────────────────────────────────────────┘

Prerequisites and tools

You need a modern browser, a few hours, and enough comfort with files and copy-paste to move between tools. You do no