Today marks a new chapter in my development journey: I’ve started using Mistral Vibe CLI to supercharge my coding workflow. For years, I’ve been building projects solo, but this session demonstrated how AI can be a powerful collaborator rather than just a tool.
The Project: Idle Upgrade Tree
I decided to pick up an old incremental game project I had abandoned months ago. The original was functional but lacked depth. With Vibe’s help, I transformed it into a much more engaging experience. In just a few hours of collaboration, we implemented: a complete prestige system with 10 tiers, a gacha summon mechanic with 7 rarity tiers and 5 item types, an equipment system, UI improvements with a scrollable inventory, and much more.
How Vibe Coding Worked
This was my first real session using Mistral Vibe CLI, and I was impressed by how naturally it integrated into my workflow:
In this session, we built a comprehensive idle game featuring a prestige system with 10 escalating tiers, a gacha summon mechanic with 7 rarity tiers across 5 item types, an equipment system with one item per type, UI improvements including a scrollable inventory and gem counter, a tab system to switch between game modes, and various balancing improvements for smoother progression.
The Process
- I described what I wanted in plain English
- Vibe understood the context of my existing codebase
- It proposed solutions with clear explanations
- I approved or adjusted the approach
- Vibe implemented the changes across HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
- I tested and requested tweaks
Example: Adding the Gacha System
Me: “I want to add a gacha system where clicking gold gives a small chance to get gems, which can be used for summons…”
Vibe:
- Proposed a complete architecture
- Created the gem variable and inventory system
- Modified the click handler to add gem drop chance
- Built summon functions with proper costs and bonuses
- Created the inventory UI with rarity-based styling
- Ensured persistence through save/load and prestige
All in minutes, not hours.
Key Features I Appreciated
- Context Awareness: Vibe remembered my existing code structure (prestige system, upgrade mechanics) and integrated new features seamlessly
- Incremental Work: We built features one at a time, testing as we went
- Error Handling: Vibe caught and fixed issues as we went
- Explainability: Each change was explained, so I understood what was happening
What I Learned
About Vibe Coding
I learned that it’s a collaborator, not a replacement. I still needed to understand my code and make decisions. Small, testable changes work best with it. Sometimes I had difficulty making myself understood correctly. I learned to make clear requests for better results. Sometimes, I really needed to be precise about what I wanted, explaining how I wanted each section structured and what it should contain. As the workspace got cleaner and the tool adapted to my coding style, it understood my intentions more and more precisely.
About My Development
- I can now prototype complex systems rapidly
- I have a powerful tool for exploring new ideas
- I’m more confident in tackling ambitious projects
- I’ve rekindled my interest in this old project
The Future
This is just the beginning. With Vibe, I can add crafting systems to combine items, implement prestige currencies and new mechanics, build auto-upgrade systems, create visual effects and animations, develop mobile responsiveness, add offline progress, build achievement systems if I wanted to…
The idle game is now a proper framework for experimentation, and I can use it to try out new technologies easily.
Try It Yourself
If you’re curious about vibe coding with Mistral CLI, I highly recommend:
- Start with a small, clear goal
- Describe your vision in plain language
- Iterate - test, tweak, improve
- Learn from the code Vibe generates
It’s like having a senior developer at your side, ready to help 24/7. You’re the architect—you decide the directions to follow and the code structure, while the tool executes tasks way faster than manual coding. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not a tool for laziness, it’s a tool to get work done faster and learn from it.