I ditched “vibe coding.”
And suddenly, building with Cursor felt calm again.
Here’s how I ship faster without burning out ↓
And suddenly, building with Cursor felt calm again.
Here’s how I ship faster without burning out ↓
Reposting this thread because many of you didn’t catch it the first time. It’s worth reading.
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1/ The workflow (quick summary)
This is the system that works:
- Plan clearly (PRD) @ChatGPTapp
- Break it down with TaskMaster
- Execute one task at a time in @cursor_ai
- Review everything with @coderabbitai
Let’s go deeper ↓
-------
1/ The workflow (quick summary)
This is the system that works:
- Plan clearly (PRD) @ChatGPTapp
- Break it down with TaskMaster
- Execute one task at a time in @cursor_ai
- Review everything with @coderabbitai
Let’s go deeper ↓
2/ “Vibe coding” was a trap
I’d give a vague prompt like “Build a landing page” and Cursor would go wild.
Sure, things moved fast, but most of my time went into cleaning up the mess:
- Messy logic
- Hallucinated features
- Bugs I never asked for
It wasn’t fun anymore. It was firefighting.
I’d give a vague prompt like “Build a landing page” and Cursor would go wild.
Sure, things moved fast, but most of my time went into cleaning up the mess:
- Messy logic
- Hallucinated features
- Bugs I never asked for
It wasn’t fun anymore. It was firefighting.
3/ The root problem: Agent Chaos
When you give a high-level goal, your Cursor agent starts guessing.
It assumes structure, state, styles, everything.
You end up with bloated, unmaintainable code.
Fast now, painful later.
You’re not building, you’re babysitting.
When you give a high-level goal, your Cursor agent starts guessing.
It assumes structure, state, styles, everything.
You end up with bloated, unmaintainable code.
Fast now, painful later.
You’re not building, you’re babysitting.
4/ The mindset shift that changed everything
I stopped prompting like a user.
Started directing like a product engineer.
It’s not “can you build this?”
It’s “here’s what to build, exactly how I want it.”
Cursor became my dev. I became the architect.
I stopped prompting like a user.
Started directing like a product engineer.
It’s not “can you build this?”
It’s “here’s what to build, exactly how I want it.”
Cursor became my dev. I became the architect.
5/ My “Calm Coder” Workflow
Here’s what I follow every time:
1. Plan → Write a clear 1-page PRD
2. Break down → Use TaskMaster in Cursor to list exact tasks
3. Execute → Feed ONE task at a time to Cursor
4. Review → Use CodeRabbit to double-check quality
Clean. Repeatable. Fast.
Here’s what I follow every time:
1. Plan → Write a clear 1-page PRD
2. Break down → Use TaskMaster in Cursor to list exact tasks
3. Execute → Feed ONE task at a time to Cursor
4. Review → Use CodeRabbit to double-check quality
Clean. Repeatable. Fast.
6/ Step 1: The 1-Page PRD
Don’t jump into Cursor yet.
Start by writing a simple 1-page PRD that explains what you’re building and why.
Use ChatGPT or Gemini to help structure it.
You can follow my exact format here:
Don’t jump into Cursor yet.
Start by writing a simple 1-page PRD that explains what you’re building and why.
Use ChatGPT or Gemini to help structure it.
You can follow my exact format here:
https://twitter.com/1676906284715503617/status/1932776585574130103
7/ Step 2: Use TaskMaster (The Loop)
This is the magic step. Instead of just listing tasks, you de-risk the project before coding:
1. Parse PRD: Paste your new PRD into Cursor's TaskMaster.
2. Check Complexity: It parses the doc and gives each feature a complexity score.
3. Expand: See a high score (e.g., 8/10)? That’s a red flag. Command TaskMaster to "expand" that complex feature into smaller, simpler sub-tasks.
4. Repeat: You repeat this loop until every task is small and simple (e.g., < 4/10).
This is the magic step. Instead of just listing tasks, you de-risk the project before coding:
1. Parse PRD: Paste your new PRD into Cursor's TaskMaster.
2. Check Complexity: It parses the doc and gives each feature a complexity score.
3. Expand: See a high score (e.g., 8/10)? That’s a red flag. Command TaskMaster to "expand" that complex feature into smaller, simpler sub-tasks.
4. Repeat: You repeat this loop until every task is small and simple (e.g., < 4/10).
8/ Step 3: One task at a time
Now that your TaskMaster list is ready, don’t dump everything into Cursor.
Take one task. Run it.
Check the output. Review it.
Only then move to the next one.
For more details on using taskmaster refer to the below thread:
Now that your TaskMaster list is ready, don’t dump everything into Cursor.
Take one task. Run it.
Check the output. Review it.
Only then move to the next one.
For more details on using taskmaster refer to the below thread:
https://twitter.com/1676906284715503617/status/1928093868253184254
9/ Step 4: Let CodeRabbit be your reviewer
Once you’re done with a feature, open a PR.
CodeRabbit:
- Spots hidden bugs
- Suggests cleaner code
- Flags edge cases
- Gives you a senior-level review instantly
It’s the final polish before shipping.
Once you’re done with a feature, open a PR.
CodeRabbit:
- Spots hidden bugs
- Suggests cleaner code
- Flags edge cases
- Gives you a senior-level review instantly
It’s the final polish before shipping.
10/ Before vs After
Before:
- Prompt big vague tasks
- Get messy code
- Waste hours debugging
- Feel burnt out
After:
- Small tasks
- Clean output
- AI reviews it
- Ship stress-free
The difference is night and day.
Before:
- Prompt big vague tasks
- Get messy code
- Waste hours debugging
- Feel burnt out
After:
- Small tasks
- Clean output
- AI reviews it
- Ship stress-free
The difference is night and day.
11/ My full stack for AI-assisted shipping
Cursor → The coder
TaskMaster → The planner
CodeRabbit → The reviewer
This is how I ship MVPs fast, without skipping quality.
If you’re tired of the chaos, try this once.
Cursor → The coder
TaskMaster → The planner
CodeRabbit → The reviewer
This is how I ship MVPs fast, without skipping quality.
If you’re tired of the chaos, try this once.
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