---
title: Best resources for first-time vibe coders
slug: first-time-vibe-coders
url: "https://dontmakeitugly.com/collections/first-time-vibe-coders"
resources:
  - godly
  - tweakcn
  - autoanimate
  - checklist-design
  - v0
createdAt: "2026-09-02"
updatedAt: "2026-09-03"
---

# Best resources for first-time vibe coders

If you've never built software before, start here. Nothing on this list needs design or coding knowledge.

You don't need to learn design to make something that looks good. You need a few references, a palette, a font, an icon set and a component library your agent already understands. This list is that, in the order you'll need it.

## Resources, in order

1. [Godly](https://dontmakeitugly.com/resources/godly.md) — Astronomically good web design inspiration, hand-picked.
   Agent: Limited.
   The gallery I open first. Small enough to browse in one sitting, good enough that nearly everything on it is worth a look. Godly's curation now continues at Recent, listed separately, which covers more than websites.
2. [tweakcn](https://dontmakeitugly.com/resources/tweakcn.md) — A visual theme editor that makes a shadcn/ui app stop looking like every other shadcn/ui app.
   Agent: Good.
   The single highest-leverage fix for "my app looks generic". Ten minutes here does more than an afternoon of prompting.
3. [AutoAnimate](https://dontmakeitugly.com/resources/autoanimate.md) — One line of code that animates list changes for you.
   Agent: Excellent. Install: `npm install @formkit/auto-animate`
   The highest return on effort in this whole directory. Todo lists, filters, notifications, anything that adds or removes items, instantly feels polished.
4. [Checklist Design](https://dontmakeitugly.com/resources/checklist-design.md) — Checklists of what every common screen and component should include.
   Agent: Good.
   Paste a checklist into your prompt and your agent stops forgetting the empty state and the focus ring. Cheap, effective, and a good way to learn what "complete" means.
5. [v0](https://dontmakeitugly.com/resources/v0.md) — Vercel's generative UI tool: describe a screen, get a shadcn/ui implementation.
   Agent: Good.
   Very good at conventional product UI, less good at anything with a strong point of view. Use it to get structure quickly, then bring the result into your codebase and apply your own type, colour and spacing.

Work down the list in order. Each linked page says what the resource is, why it's here and how an agent can use it.