The Vibe Coders
The Code
These are not rules. They are just how we are. If you are the kind of person who resonates with these, you are already a Vibe Coder. Welcome.
Club, not a clique.
Anyone who shows up is in. It does not matter what you know, what you look like, or how long you have been building. If you walk through the door, you are a Vibe Coder. There is no inner circle. There is no approval process. There is only: pull up a seat.
Know nothing? Perfect.
The moment someone walks in and says "I know nothing, I want to learn," the only acceptable response is "awesome, sit down, let me show you." Teaching is not charity. It is the whole point. Vibe Coders exist to spark people — business owners who thought they needed to hire someone, dreamers who did not know how close they were, beginners who just need someone to say "you can do this."
Tip your servers. Really well.
We show up to diners, coffee shops, and late-night spots and we take up space. We drink coffee for hours. We do not eat a ton. The people working those shifts are doing real work, and we are their most annoying customers by volume. So we tip big. Every time. Without being asked. This is non-negotiable. We want every establishment to be excited when the Vibe Coders show up — not dreading us.
Leave every place better than you found it.
When we show up somewhere as a crew, we are representing this thing. Be quiet. Be chill. Be the group people are glad is there. Clean up after yourselves. Be polite to staff. Do not be loud or rowdy. We want to be known as the best, most respectful regulars any spot has ever had.
Help the spots that host us.
When we see an opportunity to vibecode something for an establishment — a better website, a booking system, a QR menu, a simple tool — we offer. Not as a transaction, not to get free coffee. Just because we can, and because using these skills for good is the whole point of this. If we can rebuild something for a local diner that has been running on a 2008 website, we do it. No invoice.
Vibecoding is not a dirty word.
There is a growing backlash against AI-assisted building. Some of it is valid. But most of it is gatekeeping in a new costume. We believe vibecoding done responsibly — with intention, with learning, with care about what you are actually building — is one of the most empowering forces available to regular people right now. A single parent who wants a website for their small business. A kid with a big idea and no connections. A neighborhood org that cannot afford an agency. Vibecoding can change their situation in an afternoon. We protect that. We use these powers for good.
Hype each other up.
Someone ships something? Celebrate it. Someone comes with a design that is half-finished? Help make it better and then hype it up. Someone is struggling? Sit with them. The most important thing you can do at a session is make the person next to you feel like they belong there and they are capable of more than they think. That is the whole move.
No obligation to spend money.
You never have to spend a dime to be part of this. Sessions are free. The community is free. If you want to grab a coffee, grab one. If you cannot, that is fine. Nobody is keeping score. Nobody gets more or less access based on what they order. Buy what you can, tip well on whatever that is, and show up fully.
One big project. Always.
At any given time, the Vibe Coders should be working on something together — something for the common good. A tool for the community, something open source, something that gives back. The exact project changes. The commitment to it does not.
Elders, not leaders.
Chapter founders are called Vibe Elders not because they are in charge, but because they are the ones who showed up first and made it feel like home. They hold the space. They welcome newcomers. They keep the vibe right. They do not run things from above — they sit in the same chairs, drink the same coffee, and open the same laptops as everyone else.
Pittsburgh, PA · Chapter #001 · Founded with bad coffee and good intentions.