A few of us work on what we're stuck on, Wednesdays at 5:30pm

Ways to build it with AI

When you have a sharp decision and need working code, there are a few ways to build it with AI. They are not on-ramps to one tool like Sharpen. They are approaches you pick between, by the size and risk of the change. Whichever you pick, the decision you sharpened is the spec.

yesyesyesnononoSmall, clear and low-risk?Main challenge isthe approach?Main challenge isthe behaviour?vibeCodePlan firstTest firstBuild carefully
Work down the questions. Small, clear and low-risk, vibeCode. If not, the main challenge decides. If it is choosing the approach, plan first. If it is getting the behaviour right and you can specify it, test first. Otherwise it is risk, so build carefully. You can mix them: plan first to find the shape, then vibeCode the easy parts and build the risky parts carefully.

vibeCode

Fast and loose. vibeCode →

Plan first

Explore and design before you write code. Plan first →

Test first

Write the tests, or have AI write them, then let AI iterate until they pass. Test first →

Build carefully

Smaller steps, review each one. Build carefully →

More ways Claude helps you build

The four approaches are how you build. A few more pieces make building with AI work well. We will add a short note on each here over time.

  • Refine it iteratively. Keep looping with Claude, tightening the result each pass rather than expecting it right first time.
  • Work in a large codebase. Have Claude explore and map unfamiliar code first, so a change fits what is already there.
  • Set Claude up to your conventions. Project memory and rules, so Claude builds the way your codebase already does.

Pick by the task

There is no single right way to build with AI. You pick the approach by the task in front of you and mix them within one piece of work. The decision you sharpened is the spec, whichever way you build it.

In plain words

This page is about the different ways to build something with AI, where AI means a tool that writes and changes code for you when you describe what you want (Claude and Claude Code are the specific tools used in the examples). It covers four approaches, from quickly describing what you want and letting the AI run, to planning or testing first when the work is bigger or riskier. The aim is to match the approach to how big and risky the change is, rather than doing everything the same way.

Part of Working with AI.
These approaches run across the Build ideas.
The soft skills behind them: The soft skills of working with AI.

Why Claude. We use Claude Code in the notes above because it is one of the most widely used AI tools for building software. It is also what we build with day to day. The approaches themselves are general and carry across to other capable AI coding tools.