Vibe Check: The Linter That Catches AI Slop Before It Ships

AI slop is the coding equivalent of fast food—it fills the gap, but it's not good for you long-term.

When AI generates code, it optimizes for:

• Getting something that works (not something maintainable)
• Completing the request quickly (not thinking through edge cases)
• Using common patterns (even when they're lazy patterns)

The result? Code that passes your tests but makes your tech debt compound.

Real Examples of AI Slop

// AI loves this (bad)
function processData(data: any): any {
  const result = data.map((item: any) => item.value);
  return result;
}
 
// What you actually want (good)
function extractValues(users: User[]): string[] {
  return users.map(user => user.email);
}

// AI-generated comment (useless)
// This function processes the data
function processData() { ... }
 
// Useful comment
// Filters inactive users and sorts by last login for the admin dashboard
function getRecentActiveUsers() { ... }

vibe-check scans your TypeScript/JavaScript codebase for the most common AI slop patterns:

1. any Types

The laziest type annotation. AI loves it because it makes everything "work."

// Caught by vibe-check
function handleResponse(data: any) { ... }
const result: any = fetchData();

2. Lazy Comments

Comments that just describe what the code does (which you can already see).

// Caught by vibe-check
// Loop through the array
for (const item of items) { ... }
 
// Increment counter
counter++;

3. Generic Variable Names

Names like data, result, temp, value, item that convey no meaning.

// Caught by vibe-check
const data = fetchUsers();
const result = data.filter(d => d.active);
const temp = result.map(r => r.name);

4. Console Spam

console.log statements left in production code.

// Caught by vibe-check
console.log('here');
console.log(data);
console.log('debugging');

5. Empty Catch Blocks

Silently swallowing errors—a classic AI move.

// Caught by vibe-check
try {
  await riskyOperation();
} catch (e) {
  // AI: "I'll just leave this empty"
}

Option 1: VS Code Extension (Recommended)

The easiest way to use vibe-check is with the VS Code extension:

1. Download vibe-check.vsix
2. In VS Code: Cmd+Shift+P → "Extensions: Install from VSIX"
3. Select the downloaded file

Features:

• Inline squiggles on violations (like ESLint)
• Vibe score in status bar (🔥 90+ / ✨ 70+ / 😐 50+ / 💀 <50)
• Runs automatically on save
• No terminal required

Option 2: CLI

Install globally via npm:

npm install -g vibe-check

Run on your project

# Check current directory
vibe-check
 
# Check specific directory
vibe-check ./src
 
# Check specific file
vibe-check ./src/utils/helpers.ts

Output

vibe-check gives you a clear report:

vibe-check v1.0.0
Scanning ./src...

src/api/handlers.ts:15 - any type detected
src/api/handlers.ts:23 - generic variable name: data
src/utils/helpers.ts:8 - lazy comment: "// Loop through items"
src/utils/helpers.ts:42 - empty catch block
src/components/Dashboard.tsx:156 - console.log detected

Found 5 issues in 3 files

Create a .vibecheck.json in your project root to customize:

{
  "rules": {
    "any-types": true,
    "lazy-comments": true,
    "generic-names": true,
    "console-logs": true,
    "empty-catches": true
  },
  "ignore": [
    "node_modules",
    "dist",
    "**/*.test.ts",
    "**/*.spec.ts"
  ],
  "allowedGenerics": ["item", "index"]
}

Rule-by-rule control

Disable specific rules if they don't fit your codebase:

{
  "rules": {
    "console-logs": false
  }
}

Add vibe-check to your pipeline to prevent AI slop from getting merged.

GitHub Actions

name: Code Quality
on: [push, pull_request]
 
jobs:
  vibe-check:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: '20'
      - run: npm install -g vibe-check
      - run: vibe-check ./src --ci

The --ci flag returns exit code 1 if any issues are found, failing the build.

Self-Hosted CI Runners

For faster builds and more control, consider running your CI on DigitalOcean droplets. A $6/month droplet can handle most vibe-check workloads, and you get consistent performance without GitHub Actions queue times.

Pre-commit Hook

# .husky/pre-commit
npx vibe-check --staged

I use AI coding assistants every day. They're incredible productivity boosters.

But I noticed a pattern: I'd accept AI suggestions, then spend time cleaning them up. The same cleanup, over and over:

• Adding proper types
• Renaming vague variables
• Removing debug statements
• Writing meaningful comments

vibe-check automates that code review. It's not replacing ESLint or TypeScript's compiler—it's catching the patterns that slip through those tools but still hurt code quality.

Think of it as Grammarly for AI-generated code.

npm install -g vibe-check
cd your-project
vibe-check

Or check out the live demo to paste code directly and see what it catches.

GitHub: github.com/hereshecodes/vibe-check

If vibe-check saves you time cleaning up AI-generated code, consider buying me a coffee. It helps fund more open-source developer tools. vibe-check is open source under MIT. PRs welcome—especially for new slop patterns to catch. Source: hereshecodes.app by Danielle Hoopes