Vode

Vode = Vibe code.

Vode is a product-building skill for AI coding agents. It helps you turn an idea into a usable, shipped product with a workflow that stays simple, direct, and close to what you actually want.

Tiếng Việt

BUILD at the core

Vode is the executable skill form of the BUILD product workflow:

Brainstorm -> Understand -> Implement -> Launch -> Distribute

Those five verbs remain the lifecycle anchors. Vode adds supporting verbs such as decide, plan, debug, review, refine, iterate, pivot, and resume so you can enter the workflow from the state your product is actually in.

You do not have to run every stage.

Why Vode?

Vibecoding is fast when the agent understands the product. It gets frustrating when the agent guesses too much, over-engineers, rewrites working decisions, or starts coding before the idea is clear.

Vode can infer the right route from natural language:

vode what next?
vode I'm not sure whether this should be simpler.
vode should I use localStorage or a database?
vode this button is broken on mobile.

Explicit verbs are optional. Natural language is the default interface.

Project context convention

For new projects, Vode recommends a small set of document roles:

• PRODUCT.md - what the product is, current scope, behavior, and definition of done
• AGENTS.md - how agents should work in the repo, including commands, technical constraints, durable decisions, and known pitfalls
• DESIGN.md - optional visual and interaction direction when taste matters
• ARCHITECTURE.md - optional technical structure when architecture needs its own durable source of truth

These names are conventions, not requirements. Vode should reuse equivalent existing files such as Project_Spec.md, PRDs, design specs, or architecture docs instead of creating duplicates.

Visual direction before implementation

A UI can be functionally clear but still visually ambiguous. Requests such as "minimal", "glassmorphism", "premium", or a color choice may still allow several very different designs.

When visual direction materially affects the result, Vode aligns the direction first using existing design docs, references, current UI, or a lightweight taste-alignment checkpoint. Specialist design skills can then improve the craft inside that chosen direction rather than guessing the user's taste.

Installation

npx skills add namnth2000/vode

Re-run any time to update. Or copy SKILL.md + references/ into:

• Claude Code: ~/.claude/skills/vode/
• Cursor: .cursor/rules/vode.mdc (body of SKILL.md, no frontmatter)
• Codex: ~/.codex/skills/vode/ (personal) or .codex/skills/vode/ (project-scoped)
• OpenCode: ~/.config/opencode/skills/vode/ (personal)

The skill lives in SKILL.md and references/.

Verbs

Verb	Use it when	Edits by default?
brainstorm	Explore an idea, concern, or possible improvement	No
understand	Clarify what should be built and what is still missing	No
decide	Choose between concrete options	No
plan	Turn a clear product direction into a build plan	No
implement	Build the next coherent product slice	Yes
debug	Find and fix broken behavior	Yes
review	Evaluate product, UX, scope, or implementation	No
refine	Improve an existing experience without redesigning everything	Yes
launch	Get the product ready for real users	Usually
distribute	Find the smallest practical path to users and feedback	No
iterate	Turn feedback, usage, or new ideas into the next version	No
pivot	Reconsider direction without throwing away useful assets	No
resume	Understand where the project is and recommend what to do next	No
build	Orchestrate the appropriate Vode steps from the current state	Depends

Examples

Continue an existing project

vode what next?

Vode checks the available conversation context, project docs, current source, working changes, and relevant git history. It then recommends the highest-value next step instead of blindly inventing a new feature.

Explore before coding

vode I'm wondering whether I should add CodeMirror to the editor.

This routes to brainstorm. Vode explores the trade-offs first. It does not modify code unless you ask.

Fix something

vode the Preview control overlaps the heading on mobile, fix it.

This routes to debug: reproduce/inspect -> find the actual cause -> make the smallest fix -> verify affected behavior.

Build from a vague idea

vode build
I want a tiny app that turns Markdown into a nice PDF.

If important product information is missing, Vode asks a small bundled question. If the answer can be inferred safely from the project or brief, it proceeds and states the assumption.

Core philosophy

Vode prefers:

• product over technology
• working over theoretically perfect
• clear intent over guessed intent
• the simplest stack that solves the current problem
• small coherent changes over broad rewrites
• existing project decisions over agent preferences
• real usage over speculative infrastructure
• shipping over endless polishing
• feedback over feature accumulation

Vode does not promise that every model will produce identical results. It makes the workflow less dependent on a model correctly guessing product decisions on its own.

Maintainers

See TECHNICAL.md for architecture, routing rules, file structure, and maintenance guidance.

License

MIT.