Best practices for AI prompt building: plan, refine, and ship real apps with VibeCode

You open an AI tool, type a broad idea, and hope it nails your app. The output looks flashy, but important screens are missing, flows are broken, and the state logic is fuzzy. You tweak the prompt, regenerate, and burn an evening chasing edge cases.

That slow spiral kills momentum. Vague prompts create vague apps. You spend time patching instead of testing on a phone with real users. The longer it takes to fix alignment, the less confident you are in the idea.

Here’s the simple way out: treat the prompt like a product spec. In VibeCode, you start in Plan Mode, write your idea in plain English, let the AI point out what’s unclear, tighten the plan, then switch to Build Mode to generate a clean React Native scaffold you can run instantly on your phone.

Best practices for AI prompt building that actually ship

• Be specific: name screens, features, and flows

- Replace “social app with posts” with concrete scope:

• Screens: Login, Feed, Post Composer, Profile, Settings.
• Flows: create post with photo, like, comment, edit profile.
• Data: User {id, handle, avatar}, Post {id, authorId, body, imageUrl, likes[]}.
• Explicit nav beats vibes. Say “bottom tabs: Feed, Compose, Profile” instead of “intuitive navigation.”
• Iterate with AI feedback: let VibeCode flag the vague parts
• VibeCode highlights missing screens, unclear transitions, and fuzzy data shapes.

- Treat its questions as a checklist:

• How does onboarding end and where do users land?
• Are comments paginated? What happens offline?
• Does Profile edit require save or autosave?
• Answer in the prompt. Regenerate the plan until ambiguity drops to zero.
• Think like a user, not a diagram

- Ask the basics:

• What happens right after login?
• If they close the app, how do they return to the core loop?
• Where do they recover from errors or empty states?

- Add acceptance criteria:

• “After login, land on Feed. If empty, show ‘Follow suggestions’ CTA. Returning users open on the last active tab.”
• Refine in cycles before hitting Build
• Tighten the plan, then tighten it again. Shipping is faster when the spec is crisp.

- Aim for testable statements:

• “Composer blocks ‘Post’ until body has 1+ char or an image is attached.”
• “Likes toggle locally and sync when online, with a retry badge if failed.”

The VibeCode workflow: plan, refine, build, test on mobile

Start in Plan Mode with your raw idea

Write it like a short spec. Keep it plain and direct.

• One-line goal: “Marketplace for local gigs.”
• Screens: Onboarding, Home, Search, Gig Detail, Create Gig, Messages, Profile.

- Flows:

• Post a gig with title, price, location, category, optional photos.
• Search by category and distance, save filters, tap to view Gig Detail.
• Message thread between poster and applicant.

- Data:

• Gig {id, ownerId, title, price, location{lat,lng}, category, photos[], status}
• Message {id, threadId, senderId, body, sentAt}

- Edge cases:

• Empty state on Home shows “Create your first gig.”
• Offline create queues and shows a retry state.

Get AI critique and refine

VibeCode analyzes your plan and asks the questions you forgot to ask.

• Clarify nav: “Is Search a tab or a modal from Home?”
• Define permissions: “Who can close a gig? Does status change block new applicants?”
• Handle returns: “Where do users land after posting a gig?”

Respond with specifics and update the plan:

• “Bottom tabs: Home, Search, Messages, Profile. Create Gig opens as a modal. Poster can close a gig, which disables new applications and shows a ‘Closed’ badge. After posting, land on Gig Detail with a success toast.”

Repeat until the plan reads like final acceptance criteria.

Switch to Build Mode and test instantly on mobile

When the plan is crisp, hit Build.

• You get a full React Native scaffold: navigation, state management boilerplate, and UI components wired.
• It’s a mobile-first flow that runs on your phone in minutes. No boilerplate slog.

- Iterate fast:

• Test real flows.
• Note gaps.
• Jump back to Plan Mode, refine, and rebuild.

Practical prompt snippet to copy and adapt:

• App: “budget tracker for freelancers”
• Tabs: Dashboard, Transactions, Invoices, Settings

- Flows:

• Add transaction with amount, category, note. Attach receipt photo.
• Invoice generation: select client, items, tax, due date. Export PDF and share.
• Dashboard shows MTD spend, income, and net trend for last 30 days.

- Data:

• Transaction {id, amount, category, note, date, receiptUrl}
• Invoice {id, clientId, items[], taxRate, dueDate, status}

- Rules:

• Prevent negative amounts. Optional categories only from predefined list.
• PDF export available after at least one invoice item.

- After login:

• Land on Dashboard. If first-time user, show a 60-second setup checklist.

Summary and next step

• Write prompts like specs: name screens, flows, and data. Think through what happens after login and how users return to the core loop.
• Let VibeCode’s AI critique expose the fuzzy parts, refine in short cycles, then hit Build.
• Test the generated app on your phone and loop until it feels right. You’re not collecting “generic prompt tips.” You’re running a workflow designed to build usable apps.

Open VibeCode, start in Plan Mode with your raw idea, accept the critique, tighten the plan, switch to Build Mode, and test it on mobile today.