# Why I'll never go back to vibe coding

Vibe coding — steering an AI with vague prompts and vibes — produces context collapse and accumulating rework. Spec-driven development trades immediate feedback for consistent output, and for anything beyond a throwaway script that trade is worth it. I made the full case, including the BMAD method, on the NearForm blog.

Published: 2026-04-29
Updated: 2026-07-27
Canonical: https://nearform.com/digital-community/why-ill-never-go-back-to-vibe-coding-a-developers-case-for-spec-driven-development/

## Revisions

- 2026-07-27 — Added to the archive; first published on the NearForm blog, 29 April 2026.

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Vibe coding — steering an AI with vague prompts and hoping — feels fast until the context
collapses and the rework starts compounding. My case for the alternative: write the
specification first, precise enough that the agent can't invent the missing parts.
Spec-driven development trades immediate feedback for consistent output, and for anything
beyond a throwaway script that trade wins.

I made the full argument — including a walkthrough of the BMAD method and the honest
tradeoffs — on my employer's blog:
[read the full piece at NearForm →](https://nearform.com/digital-community/why-ill-never-go-back-to-vibe-coding-a-developers-case-for-spec-driven-development/)

The practical, evolving version of this methodology lives on this site as
[spec-driven development](/spec-driven-development), and the toolchain it grew into is
[sdx](/sdx).