Why the Fear Around Vibe Coding Exists
I recently read an article arguing that “vibe coding” is killing open source. The idea is familiar by now: developers lean too much on AI, copy patterns without understanding them, and stop contributing meaningful work back to the ecosystem. It’s a concern worth talking about. But from where I’m standing, actively building Shadcn Admin my experience looks a bit different.
Building shadcn-admin Changed How I See AI
While developing shadcn-admin, I’ve found that vibe coding actually helps a lot, as long as you’re honest about what you’re building. I’m not trying to create the most powerful dashboard in the world. I’m not competing with enterprise-grade admin systems built by large teams. My goal is simpler and, I think, more realistic: build a good structure.
Structure First, Power Later
A solid structure does more than people realize. When your folders make sense, when your components are predictable, when your state and data flow are clear, everything else becomes easier. This is where AI shines. Once the foundation is there, AI becomes a multiplier, not a replacement. I can scaffold new modules faster, explore variations, and experiment without constantly fighting the codebase.
AI Doesn’t Replace Understanding
That doesn’t mean I don’t understand what I’m shipping. In fact, the opposite is true. AI helps me move faster on the parts that are repetitive, so I can spend more mental energy on architecture, constraints, and decisions that actually matter. I still review everything. I still refactor. I still delete more code than I keep.
Copy-Paste Was Never the Real Problem
The fear around vibe coding often assumes developers are blindly pasting code and walking away. Sure, that happens. But that’s not a new problem. We’ve been copy-pasting from Stack Overflow for over a decade. Bad code didn’t start with AI, and good developers didn’t disappear because of it.
Open Source Isn’t Dying, It’s Evolving
Open source isn’t dying because of vibe coding. It’s evolving. The role of a developer is shifting from typing every line by hand to designing systems that can grow, adapt, and be extended. In that world, knowing what to build and how things should fit together matters more than memorizing syntax.
What shadcn-admin Taught Me
For me, shadcn-admin is proof of that shift. I don’t need it to be perfect on day one. I need it to be understandable, flexible, and friendly to iteration. With that in place, AI helps me build new modules faster than ever, without losing control of the codebase.
Vibe coding isn’t the end of craftsmanship. It just forces us to redefine it.