Abstract:

The advancement of large language models (LLMs) has catalyzed a paradigm shift from code generation assistance to autonomous Coding Agents, enabling a novel development methodology termed “Vibe Coding” where developers validate AI-generated implementations through outcome observation rather than line-by-line code comprehension.

We introduce Vibe Coding as a formal discipline, formalizing it through a Constrained Markov Decision Process that captures the dynamic triadic relationship among human developers, software projects, and coding agents.

Building upon this formalization, we synthesize existing practices into five distinct development models: Unconstrained Automation, Iterative Conversational Collaboration, Planning-Driven, Test-Driven, and Context-Enhanced Models, providing the first comprehensive taxonomy in this domain.