Hey, thanks a lot for being here.
I’m Travis Irby. I recently left my corporate tech job to build my own web products using AI and to connect with people doing the same.
I was a senior engineering manager at Equinix: my team built and operated the billing platform for Equinix Metal (and at Packet, pre-acquisition).
stuck while vibe coding wepaint.ai
Initial progress on wepaint.ai (web based AI paint editor open source) has been great! The core functionality is working! Two remaining requirements before launch: authentication and billing.
I’m stuck at authentication. Not to say vibe coding auth is always so difficult— third-party providers like Clerk and Supabase make it easier.
However, I want open source auth. My goal is no vendor-lockin for wepaint.ai users who want to self-host. Also, my chosen auth integration is in alpha state (better-auth and convex).
This is a challenge for the AI, which does best on well-trodden paths. But don’t lose all hope. I provide my best tips for how to get UNSTUCK in my latest youtube video.
TLDR:
#1: Doctor Strange Approach -
try multiple passes. cut your losses when things go south
#2: Split it up -
one-shotting complex things is not the way, break your problem down into smaller pieces
#3: Give more context -
use gitingest, context7, firecrawl to provide additional docs. LLMs love markdown!
#4: Vibe code debugging tools into your app -
You are better at debugging than the LLM. Build ui to make your testing easier!
#5 - take a nap
Positive Vibes Always - Travis