The topic
Vibe coding feels fast, and it is. That speed is also why the same handful of mistakes turn up again and again. None of them need technical skill to avoid. They need a few habits you set up before you get attached to what you've built.
The short answer
The common mistakes are working without version control, putting secret keys where others can read them, never looking at what the AI wrote, asking for too much in one go, trusting "it's fixed" without checking, and having no backup of your data. Each takes minutes to prevent and hours to repair afterwards.
The longer answer
Working with no safety net
If your project isn't in version control (Git, usually through GitHub), one bad AI edit can wreck a week's work with no way back. Save a snapshot before every big change. Most tools can do this for you; ask.
Secrets in the wrong place
Passwords, API keys and database addresses belong in a private settings area, not pasted into the code or a chat. Keys that end up in a public project get found by automated scanners, sometimes within minutes. If one leaks, replace it straight away.
Never reading the code
You don't need to understand every line. You do need to ask the AI to explain what it just did, in plain English, and to tell you what could go wrong. If it can't explain it simply, that's a warning.
Asking for everything at once
A huge prompt gets a huge, tangled answer. Small steps, each tested before the next, give you something you can undo. Think of it as building a wall one brick at a time and checking it's level.
Trusting "done"
AI tools say a fix works when it doesn't. Open the app and try the thing yourself, including the odd case, such as an empty form or a second user.
No backup of your data
Your code can be rebuilt. Your customers' data can't. If the app stores anything people would miss, know where the backups are and have tested getting one back.
Forgetting what you changed
Keep a short notes file: what the app does, where it's hosted, which services it uses, what you changed lately. It will save you, or whoever helps you later, a lot of time.
Learn more on Qeetoto
See these mistakes with a sense of humour in the Vibe-Coded Memes gallery, and the longer story in shiny surface, sellotaped internals. For where the habits lead, read from vibe-coded to venture-ready.
Everything on Qeetoto is free to read. No sign-up, no paywall. Questions? Get in touch.