AI Coding S.O.S? 10 Tips to Stay Afloat!

Ahoy, fellow tech adventurers! Captain YAR here. Ever felt like you’re trying to teach a super-smart octopus to code, only for it to tie itself (and your project) in knots? That’s kinda what it’s like diving into AI-powered coding with tools like Cursor if you’re not careful! I’ve seen many a brave soul, like our Reddit friend MironPuzanov, navigate these tricky waters, and they’ve come back with treasure maps full of wisdom! 🚀

Miron spent six intense months building AI startups solo, and guess what? They’ve generously shared 10 BRUTAL lessons learned from the front lines. No hype, just pure, actionable gold to save you from “rage-uninstalling Cursor three times” (their words, and I totally get it!). Ready to level up your AI coding game?

✨ Miron’s Top 10 AI Coding Commandments (YAR Edition!): ✨

1. 1. 📌 Be the Project Captain, Not Just a Prompt Parrot!

   • Before anything, draft a real Product Requirements Doc (PRD). What are you building? Why? With what tools (Supabase, Vercel, etc.)? This doc is your North Star.
     AI gets lost easily; this keeps everyone on course!

2. 2. ✅ Your “How-to-Launch” Lifesaver – Document It!

   • Write down exactly how to deploy your project. Which branch? What secret keys (env vars)? Where are the digital bodies buried? You’ll forget.
     Your AI will forget.
     This manual is your 2 AM savior.

3. 3. 🚀 Git or Go Home! Seriously.

   • AI tools like Cursor *will* break something critical. It’s not if, but when.
     Use version control (Git) like your life depends on it.
     Local changelogs per folder? Even better! Saves tokens and gives your AI breadcrumbs.

4. 4. 💡 Short & Sweet Chats Beat Long & Loopy Ones!

   • Don’t hoard one gigantic 400-message chat with your AI. Start new, focused chats for each issue.
     Keep context small and aggressive.
     Always say: “Fix X only. Don’t touch anything else.” AI is smart but can be like a toddler with scissors if not guided!

5. 5. 🗺️ Plan Your Voyage BEFORE You Code!

   • Don’t just jump into Cursor and start prompting. First, write out the full feature flow (GPT/Claude are great for this brainstorming part).
     Get suggestions, pick an approach, then go to Cursor to execute.
     Cursor is for building, not brainstorming from scratch.

6. 6. 🧹 Swab the Decks! Weekly Code Cleanup.

   • Run a weekly cleanup of your codebase. Delete temp files, reorganize folders.
     A clean environment helps your AI (and you!) thrive.
     Don’t let digital barnacles slow you down!

7. 7. 🧩 AI is Your First Mate, Not the Whole Crew!

   • Don’t ask your AI to build the entire app in one go. It’s a tool, not an intern.
     Use it for UI stubs, small logic blocks, and controlled refactors.
     Asking it to build everything is like asking a parrot to navigate a storm.

8. 8. 🕵️ Investigate, THEN Instruct!

   • When debugging, don’t just tell the AI to “fix it.” First, ask it to investigate the problem.
     Then, have it suggest multiple solutions.
     Then you pick one and ask it to implement.
     This saves you from endless back-and-forth.

9. 9. 📈 Tech Debt: It Piles Up at AI Speed!

   • You can build an MVP super fast with AI, but the mess can scale even faster.
     Keep your architecture clean.
     Pause every few sprints to refactor.
     You can vibe-code quickly, but you can’t scale spaghetti!

10. 10. 🧑‍✈️ You’re the Captain, Steer the Ship!

    • Your AI (like Cursor) isn’t “coding for you.” It’s co-piloting.
      You are still the captain.
      Use project rules (like .cursorrules), git checkpoints, and your awesome human brain for system thinking and product intuition.
      Lead the machine, don’t let it lead you!

Whew! Some serious wisdom there, eh? MironPuzanov didn’t just stop at these 10 lessons. They’ve actually put together Playbook 001 with over 20 hard-earned insights, including specific prompts and templates, and it’s FREE! This is the kind of shared knowledge that makes our community awesome.

Want to dive deeper into these brutal (but brilliant!) lessons and grab that playbook? You absolutely NEED to read the full Reddit post. All the juicy details and the link are waiting for you there!

10 brutal lessons from 6 months of vibe coding and launching AI-startups
byu/MironPuzanov in