Gabriele Santilli giesse

Beyond Vibe Coding: AI-Assisted Literate Programming in Production

Introduction

In recent years, the rise of Large Language Models (LLMs) has birthed a new phenomenon known as "Vibe Coding." Developers describe what they want in natural language, and the AI generates thousands of lines of code. While this allows for rapid prototyping, it often fails in production-grade systems where intent, maintainability, and architectural discipline are paramount.

This project, the TinyGnomes Document Extractor, takes a different path. We utilize a methodology called AI-Assisted Literate Programming (ALP).

Inspired by Donald Knuth’s original concept of Literate Programming, ALP treats the documentation not as a side-car but as the source of truth. It is about intent and discipline—prioritizing design concerns and high-level goals over menial tasks. It enforces a philosophy of understanding before doing.

Keybase proof

I hereby claim:

I am giesse on github.
I am giesse (https://keybase.io/giesse) on keybase.
I have a public key ASD7rJfWzRs0AFSTbGvCKUIb2ogWLAVjNtDKhIi_DDP_bAo

To claim this, I am signing this object:

	make object! [
	collection: #[none]
	_result: #[none]
	_stack: []
	_push-state: func [][
	append/only _stack collection
	]
	_pop-state: func [][
	collection: take/last _stack
	]

	prin = function(text) {
	sys.print(text);
	return text;
	};
	print = function(text) {
	sys.print(text + "\n");
	return text;
	};
	jsProbe = function(value) {
	print(sys.inspect(value));

	Red []

	; [ counter-clockwise marble-number clockwise ]
	counter-clockwise: 1
	marble-number: 2
	clockwise: 3

	make-circle: function [marble [integer!]] [
	circle: reduce [none marble none]
	circle/:counter-clockwise: circle

	Red []

	export: func [
	"Export a value to the global context"
	'word [set-word!]
	value
	/to ctx [any-word! any-object! function!]
	] [
	set word :value
	unless :ctx [ctx: system/words]

	Red []

	e.g.: :comment

	; ideally not exported on the global context
	delta-time*: function [code count] [
	start: now/precise
	loop count code
	difference now/precise start
	]