karpathy-vibe-to-agentic

Q: How do I install karpathy-vibe-to-agentic?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/learnprompt/andrej-karpathy-skills --skill karpathy-vibe-to-agentic in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/karpathy-vibe-to-agentic/ (personal) or .claude/skills/karpathy-vibe-to-agentic/ (project).

by learnpromptAI & Agents

Transition from vibe coding (fast prototyping) to agentic engineering (rigorous iteration). Use this skill when the user has a rough prototype and wants to level it up, needs to go from "it kind of works" to production-quality, wants to understand the difference between vibe coding and agentic coding, or says "polish this", "make this production-ready", "level up from prototype", "vibe coded this now what". Based on Karpathy posts 3 and 6.

Installs: 121
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Trending rank: —
Security: Not audited

Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/learnprompt/andrej-karpathy-skills --skill karpathy-vibe-to-agentic

01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads karpathy-vibe-to-agentic automatically when relevant.
03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

Skill 5: Vibe Coding → Agentic Leap（Vibe编码 → 代理跃迁）

Source: https://x.com/karpathy/status/2004607146781278521 | https://x.com/karpathy/status/2026731645169185220 "I've never felt this much behind as a programmer" — 56k likes

Core Principle

Vibe coding raises the floor. Agentic engineering raises the ceiling.

They're not the same thing and you need both:

	Vibe Coding	Agentic Engineering
Goal	Fast prototype, explore ideas	Reliable, maintainable, verifiable
How	Natural language → run it	Task specs + success criteria + loops
When	First 20% (exploration)	Last 80% (execution)
Risk	You don't understand what you built	Agent doesn't understand what you want
Karpathy says	"raises the floor"	"raises the ceiling"

The Transition Protocol

When you have a vibe-coded prototype and need to level it up:

Step 1: Audit What You Built

I vibe-coded this [project/script/app]. I need to understand what I actually have before leveling it up.

[PASTE CODE OR DESCRIBE IT]

Please:
1. Describe exactly what this does in plain English (3-5 sentences)
2. List every assumption baked in (hardcoded values, expected input format, etc.)
3. Identify the 3 most likely failure modes
4. List what's missing for this to be production-ready
5. What would break if I ran this on a different machine / with different data?

Be blunt. I'm about to invest more time in this and need to know if it's worth it.

Step 2: Define Success Criteria

Based on this audit of my prototype:

[AUDIT OUTPUT FROM STEP 1]

Help me define clear, verifiable success criteria for the "production-ready" version.

Format each criterion as a testable assertion:
- GIVEN [input/condition]
- WHEN [action]
- THEN [expected output/behavior]

List 5-7 criteria. Start with the most important.

Step 3: Agentic Cleanup Loop

You are a senior engineer reviewing this prototype. Your job is to systematically improve it.

Prototype: [CODE]
Success criteria: [FROM STEP 2]

Work incrementally:
1. First fix: address the most critical issue only (one diff)
2. After I approve each fix, suggest the next
3. Never refactor unrelated code
4. For each fix, explain: WHAT changed, WHY this matters, RISK of this change

Start with fix #1.

Common Vibe Coding Smells to Clean Up

Review this vibe-coded project for these specific anti-patterns:

[PASTE CODE]

Check for:
1. Hardcoded credentials, paths, or magic numbers → suggest config/env vars
2. No error handling on file I/O or network calls → add try/except with clear messages
3. print() debugging left in → identify and offer to remove
4. Functions doing 3+ things → suggest split points
5. No way to run without human supervision → suggest automation hooks
6. Dependencies that aren't in requirements.txt / package.json

For each issue found: show the exact line and suggest the minimal fix.

The Two-Track System

Karpathy runs these in parallel:

TRACK A (IDE / Human)          TRACK B (Agent)
─────────────────────          ───────────────
- Review diffs                 - Implement incrementally
- Apply taste/judgment         - Run tests automatically  
- Verify understanding         - Suggest next steps
- Commit good work             - Generate options
- Ask "is this right?"         - Never commit autonomously

Always keep a human in the loop for the taste judgment. Agents are for execution, not for deciding what's worth building.

Quick Upgrade Prompt

For fast one-shot upgrade of a simple vibe script:

Upgrade this vibe-coded script to production quality.

[PASTE SCRIPT]

Requirements:
1. Add proper error handling (no unhandled exceptions)
2. Make all hardcoded values configurable via CLI args or env vars
3. Add a --dry-run flag that shows what would happen without doing it
4. Add basic logging (not print) with timestamps
5. Keep the core logic identical — only add robustness
6. Maximum 20% increase in line count

Output the complete upgraded script.

Workflow

属于工作流：想法到上线（开发者）

位置	上游	下游
第5步（收尾）	karpathy-supply-chain-hygiene（安全审查后）	部署/交付

完整链路：idea-files → agentic-engineering → minimalism → supply-chain-hygiene → vibe-to-agentic

Prompt Contract

I have a vibe-coded prototype: <PASTE_CODE_OR_DESCRIBE>. Step 1: Audit — describe what it does, list hidden assumptions, identify failure modes, list what's missing for production. Step 2: Define 5-7 verifiable success criteria in GIVEN/WHEN/THEN format. Step 3: Start the agentic cleanup loop — one incremental fix at a time, explain WHAT/WHY/RISK for each.

Verification Checklist

原型的隐含假设已全部列出
成功标准已定义为可测试的 GIVEN/WHEN/THEN 格式
每轮修复只改一个问题
核心逻辑没有被破坏（功能不变）
增加了错误处理和日志
硬编码值已替换为配置项

FAQ

What does the karpathy-vibe-to-agentic skill do?

How do I install karpathy-vibe-to-agentic?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/learnprompt/andrej-karpathy-skills --skill karpathy-vibe-to-agentic in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/karpathy-vibe-to-agentic/ (personal) or .claude/skills/karpathy-vibe-to-agentic/ (project).

Which AI agents can use karpathy-vibe-to-agentic?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is karpathy-vibe-to-agentic safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains karpathy-vibe-to-agentic?

It is published by learnprompt in learnprompt/andrej-karpathy-skills. It has 121 recorded installs.