Clean Vibe Checklists

These checklists are extracted from Appendix D of Clean Vibe Code. Use them daily to maintain understanding and prevent technical debt.

1. Quick-Start Checklist (The First Prompt)

Before you hit "Enter" on that first prompt:

• [ ] Design First: Do I have a clear mental model of the architecture?
• [ ] Patterns Defined: Have I told the AI which libraries/patterns to follow?
• [ ] Atomic Task: Is the request small enough to be fully understood?
• [ ] Explicit Constraints: Did I mention what the AI cannot do?

2. AI Code Review Checklist

Never merge AI-generated code until you check these 6 points:

• [ ] Explainability: Can I explain 100% of this logic to a colleague?
• [ ] Security: Are all user inputs validated? No secrets exposed?
• [ ] Patterns: Does the code follow our team's Style Guide?
• [ ] Side Effects: Does this change affect distant modules?
• [ ] Error Handling: Are there any empty catch blocks or silent failures?
• [ ] Tests: Do the tests cover edge cases, not just the happy path?

3. Technical Due Diligence Audit

Is your project audit-ready?

• [ ] IP Purity: Can I prove human design for all "Core IP" logic?
• [ ] Debt Ledger: Is every known shortcut documented with a payback date?
• [ ] License Check: Are we free of "GPL contamination" from AI snippets?
• [ ] Bus Factor: Does more than one person understand the critical paths?

4. Agent Boundary Checklist

Before starting an autonomous agent task:

• [ ] Spatial Scope: Is the agent restricted to specific folders?
• [ ] Forbidden Zones: Are .env and database schemas protected?
• [ ] Checkpoints: Are mandatory approval gates enabled?
• [ ] Rollback Plan: Can I easily revert these changes if they drift?