We, as developers, can do better than just copy-pasting. We can innovate, collaborate, and create experiences that genuinely connect people. That's precisely the ethos behind what I'm introducing today: vibeconsole.us. Coding together has never been so easy. Imagine this: you, your friends, a shared screen, and your phones instantly transforming into controllers – no downloads, no complex setups, just pure, instant "vibing."
This is more than just an app; it's a testament to what's possible when we leverage the power of collaborative development tools and intelligent prompt engineering. And speaking of which, this entire project is a submission for the World's Largest Hackathon Writing Challenge: Building with Bolt.
The Spark: From Lonely Coder to Vibe Creator
Honestly? The inspiration for Vibe Console came from a very human place: loneliness. Coding is incredibly creative, but it's often a solitary endeavor – just you, a keyboard, and a screen that's way too bright at 2 AM. When Large Language Models (LLMs) started getting truly impressive, a thought struck me: what if coding felt less like typing alone and more like a live jam session or a multi-player gaming night?
I started imagining a future where you could just... vibe. What if your phone, that device already glued to your hand, could become the ultimate controller to speak commands, sketch ideas, and navigate a shared coding environment? The goal was clear: build something fun, inherently collaborative, and a fantastic excuse to step away from being perpetually hunched over a keyboard.
What Vibe Console Does: Your Phone, Your Code, Together
Vibe Console transforms any screen into a multiplayer code editor and your phone into the ultimate, multi-modal controller.
- Phone-as-Controller: Forget extra hardware. Join a lobby with a simple code, and your phone instantly becomes a smart, responsive controller.
- Multi Inputs: You're not just typing. Use a D-pad for seamless navigation, a touch canvas for drawing out complex ideas, and your voice for executing commands – all seamlessly sent from your phone.
- Instant Co-op: Getting started is a breeze. Players join a shared session via a simple QR code. The host locks the lobby, everyone picks a cloud editor like Bolt.new or Loveable, and the collaborative coding session begins instantly.
- No "It Works on My Machine" Shenanigans: This is perhaps one of the most liberating features. Everyone operates within the same cloud environment. What you see is precisely what they see, eliminating those frustrating "it works on my machine" debugging nightmares. The How: Prompt Engineering and a Hybrid Tech Stack
This project was a high-wire act of modern web technology, and frankly, I'm genuinely surprised it all came together, especially with some initial bugs tied to those pesky token limits! I built it primarily with Bolt.new, and yes, through what I affectionately call "Vibe Coding" – a process heavily influenced by prompt engineering.
The Prompt Engineering: Limited Tokens, Limitless Potential
Building VibeConsole.us wasn't about spending countless hours sifting through documentation or endlessly debugging boilerplate code. It was about harnessing the power of AI, specifically through prompt engineering, to accelerate development. However, like many who've ventured into the realm of large language models, I quickly hit a familiar wall: limited tokens.
For those unfamiliar, imagine having a brilliant co-pilot, but one that can only hear a certain number of words at a time. My initial attempts at prompt engineering were a bit like shouting entire novels at it – ineffective and quickly hitting those token limits. I needed a more nuanced approach, especially given the complexity of building a real-time, multi-user application that bridges web and mobile.
The Human Aspect: Discussion Mode with Bolt
This is where the "human aspect" truly came into play. It wasn't just about my own coding prowess; it was about how I interacted with the AI, transforming a monologue into a genuine dialogue. My solution to the token limitation wasn't to shorten my ideas, but to restructure my prompts and engage in a "discussion mode" with Bolt.
Instead of monolithic prompts attempting to describe an entire feature set, I broke down the development process into smaller, manageable, and highly specific chunks. This allowed me to:
- Focus on Core Functionality First: My initial prompts centered on establishing the fundamental connection and the server-client handshake necessary for phone-as-controller functionality.
- Iterate on Specific Components: Once the core was in place, I moved to individual components like UI elements, input handling for a phone, or state management for the server.
- Leverage Follow-Up Questions: This was the true "discussion mode." I'd ask follow-up questions to refine, optimize, or explore edge cases.
- Scenario-Based Prompting: I'd present specific scenarios to guide the AI's understanding of practical implementation details.
- "What if...?" and "How can we improve...?" Prompts: These open-ended questions were crucial for pushing beyond basic functionality and exploring alternative approaches. This iterative, conversational approach, facilitated by carefully structured prompts, allowed me to bypass the immediate limitations of token counts. It wasn't about providing less information, but about providing the right information at the right time, allowing Bolt to build upon previous responses and refine the solution progressively. The Tech Stack Under the Hood:
- Frontend: The console display and the landing page are a React + TypeScript app, built with Vite and elegantly styled with Tailwind CSS. The multi-stage UI, from the lobby to the editor selection, is expertly handled by react-router-dom and a robust set of stateful components.
- Backend & Real-time DB: We went all-in on Supabase. It forms the backbone of our entire backend, from the PostgreSQL database to user sessions. The database schema is crucial, meticulously tracking sessions, devices, and all player inputs.
- The Magic: Communication Stack: This is where the real fun happened, and admittedly, a significant challenge. We built a sophisticated hybrid system:
- Supabase Realtime: This handles all the lobby management. When a new player joins or the host locks the session, Supabase's realtime channels push updates to everyone instantly, ensuring a seamless start.
- WebRTC: For the actual in-game controls, once the lobby is locked, we establish direct peer-to-peer connections using our custom WebRTC hook. All the signaling (offers, answers, candidates) is passed through our Supabase webrtc_signals table, but the crucial control data itself is sent with super low latency directly between browsers. Challenges: Navigating the High-Wire Act Let's be real, this was ambitious for a hackathon. Our biggest challenge by far was the communication stack. Juggling WebRTC for its raw speed and Supabase for its reliability was a complex puzzle. I had to architect a robust WebRTCManager that could skillfully handle failed connections and fall back gracefully, ensuring the user never experiences a hiccup in their "vibe." Another significant headache was designing the InputRouter. It needed to seamlessly process events from both WebRTC messages (our primary, low-latency channel) and our Supabase device_inputs table (our crucial fallback) and treat them identically. My migration is a testament to the realization, halfway through, that I absolutely needed to add 'voice' and 'canvas' as valid input types to truly achieve the multi-modal dream! Finally, getting the Supabase Row Level Security policies just right took a lot of trial and error. It needed to be absolutely bulletproof to protect session data, but also flexible enough to allow for that dead-simple, anonymous "jump-in-and-play" experience. Balancing security with frictionless onboarding was a delicate dance. Accomplishments and Lessons Learned I'm incredibly proud of several aspects of Vibe Console. The seamless flow from the landing page to the actual editor is something I put a lot of thought into. The state management in ConsoleDisplay.tsx and PhoneController.tsx to handle all the different stages (joining, waiting, selecting, playing) truly came together beautifully. It just works, and that's incredibly satisfying. And honestly, the hybrid WebRTC + Supabase architecture. It feels like I picked the absolute right tool for every single job, and the result is an app that's both powerful in its real-time capabilities and remarkably resilient in its operation. The biggest lesson I took away from this entire build is that the future of interfaces is undeniably multi-mode. A keyboard is a fantastic tool, but combining it with voice, touch, and gestures unlocks an entirely new level of interaction, making computing more intuitive and, frankly, more fun. I also learned that Supabase is an absolute beast for projects like this. It handled my database, real-time sync, and WebRTC signaling without me having to write a single line of traditional server-side code. It's truly the ultimate enabler for ambitious-but-lazy developers (like myself!). What's Next for Vibe Console: The Road to World Domination (and Beyond!) World domination, obviously. But first, some more concrete steps:
- More Editors: Integrating with more cloud-based development environments is a top priority. Imagine "vibe coding" in your favorite IDE, with a particular focus on integrating with Zed editor.
- Richer Inputs: We've only scratched the surface. What incredible interactions can we unlock with the accelerometer? Or haptic feedback? Let's get weirder and more immersive.
- AI Code Generation: This was the original dream! Actually hooking up the voice commands to a powerful LLM to generate code directly within the selected editor, leveraging services like Elevenlabs or OpenAI.
- Public Beta: Getting this into more hands, collecting feedback, and seeing the wild and innovative ways people use Vibe Console is the ultimate next step.
Try it out!
Ready to start vibing? Head over to vibeconsole.us and experience collaborative coding like never before.
What do you think is the most exciting potential of multi-modal interfaces for developers? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Top comments (1)
Wow, this is so tech that it is beyond my level of understanding (sorry that isn't really saying all that much, lol). The concept of vibe coding taken to a shared event, seems cool. Making it something anyone might just casually join and do - outstanding! But your video is also amazing! Well done, very pro.