“Vibe Coding” vs. Guardrails: Why Your Prompts Need a Safety Layer (Not Just Aesthetic)
I know I said I was done posting for this year… but this one I couldn’t let slide 😄 Lately I keep seeing people proudly selling “vibe coding”: “I’ll code your OS / brand / life based on your vibe, not boring logic.” Fun idea on the surface. Terrifying if that system is actually going to touch real people, real data, or a brain that’s already under stress. If you’ve seen my earlier posts, you know I’m in a different camp: • Guardrails 101 (checklist, not vibes) • AI Safety for Non-Tech Builders (driver’s ed, not magic) • Nightmare Scenario Drill (worst case, owner, kill switch) • Emotional Guardrails for Overthinkers (DM safety check) This “vibe coding” trend sits in the opposite corner: ✨ “Trust me, I’ll tune the energy.” 🧠 “Don’t worry too much about the boring details.” 🚫 No mention of: • security • data boundaries • failure modes • what happens if the user is not ok That’s fine for pure art experiments. It’s not fine when you’re building OS-style systems for humans, especially: • people with burnout, grief, ADHD, trauma • tools that shape their decisions, messages, or relationships • flows that have access to files, inboxes, or accounts If someone is selling you “vibe-coded prompts” or “I’ll wire your entire OS to your vibe,” at minimum, ask them: 1. Security & data What data will your system touch? Where does it go? Who can see it? How do you protect keys, accounts, and sensitive info? 2. Failure modes What’s the worst thing this setup could do if it misfires? Who is responsible if it breaks? Is there a kill switch? 3. User state What happens if the user is sleep-deprived, grieving, manic, overloaded? Does this OS slow them down when they’re spiraling, or accelerate the spiral? Because for my niche, this is non-negotiable: I build for people whose brains are already carrying extra weight. ADHD, overload, grief, money stress, family stuff. For them, AI must be a brake + safety net, not just a vibe amplifier. Vibes are great for brainstorming.