Disclaimer: This article was written with the help of AI – No medium member yet? Read the Friends version :)

Probably, you've already embraced AI in your workflow. You've had moments of magic where it spits out the perfect code snippet, saving you hours. But you've also had moments of pure frustration. The endless back-and-forth, the code that's almost right, the feeling that you're spending more time correcting your AI than it's saving you.

What if the problem isn't the AI? What if the problem is how we're talking to it?

We've been treating our AI assistants like short-order cooks, giving them one-off commands and hoping for the best. It's time for a mindset shift. It's time to stop being a micromanager and start embracing laissez-faire management style. It's time to move from prompting to planning.

The Golden Rule, Revisited: Context is Still King

In my previous article, we established the golden rule: Context is King. Providing clear, specific context is the only way to get high-quality results from an LLM. But what does that look like when you're building something complex?

Context isn't just about @-mentioning a few files. It's about creating a single, authoritative source of truth that guides the entire development lifecycle.

This is where most AI-assisted workflows fall apart. We hold the grand vision in our heads while feeding the AI disconnected scraps. It's like trying to conduct a symphony by whispering instructions to each musician one at a time, instead of giving the entire orchestra the sheet music. You get noise, not a masterpiece.

Phase 1: SpecsForge — From a Vague Idea to a Perfect Blueprint

Enter the SpecsForge Framework. Think of it not as a tool, but as a ritual. It's a custom Cursor mode that transforms your AI into an expert software architect. Its entire job is to help you build the master blueprint before a single line of implementation code is written.

The workflow is a dialogue. You bring the vision, and SpecsForge brings the questions:

• What are the business goals?
• What are the architectural constraints?
• What does success look like?

Through this discovery loop, SpecsForge generates a specs/ directory—a comprehensive library of Markdown files detailing every facet of your project. This becomes your project's unbreakable source of truth. The final output is a SPECS.md file, an index to your blueprint, complete with a phased implementation plan.

You're no longer just prompting.

You're collaborating on a design.

Phase 2: TDV — Implementing with a Test-Driven Vibe

Once your blueprint is complete, the vibe shifts. You switch to the TDV (Test-Driven Vibing) mode. If SpecsForge is the architect, TDV is the builder who is obsessed with quality, via test driven development.

TDV takes the SPECS.md file and executes the plan with ruthless, test-driven precision.

This isn't just about writing tests. It's about letting the tests drive development. It's a rhythmic cycle: Red, Green, Refactor.

1. Red: TDV first writes a test for a feature that doesn't exist yet. It fails, beautifully.
2. Green: It then writes the absolute minimum code required to make that test pass.
3. Refactor: With the safety of a passing test, it refines and improves the code.

This cycle, guided by the plan.md it generates at the start of each phase, ensures that every piece of your vision is implemented exactly as specified, with a built-in safety net of tests. The result? Robust, reliable, and maintainable code.

My Unfiltered Take

This two-phase workflow is more than just a technique; it's a manifesto for the future of software development with AI.

1. The future isn't about better prompts; it's about better processes. We will differentiate ourselves by the quality of the systems we design, not the cleverness of our individual prompts.
2. AI's true power is unlocked by planning, not improvisation. The most effective developers will be those who can think architecturally and provide the AI with a clear, unambiguous plan to execute.
3. "Vibing" with AI means creating a state of flow. This framework eliminates the friction and frustration, creating a smooth, predictable, and powerful partnership between human vision and AI execution. It's the difference between fighting your tools and dancing with them.

Ready to stop wrestling and start conducting? The full framework, including the prompts for the SpecsForge and TDV custom modes, is available for you to explore and adapt.

➡️ Explore the Comprehensive Cursor AI Guide on GitHub

Give it a try. The vibes are extraordinary — We coolin' 🤙