What is Glide Coding?
Glide Coding is a development methodology that combines AI-assisted speed with architectural governance. Speed with control surfaces. The evolution of vibe coding.
Definition
Glide Coding (n.): AI-assisted development where every generated artifact follows enforced standards, operates within permission boundaries, and produces auditable outcomes. Governed vibes.
The Surfing Metaphor
Every surfer knows the difference between catching the wave and the glide.
Catching the wave is paddling hard, heart pounding, hoping you make it. The glide is when you stop paddling and the wave takes over. Effortless speed. Total awareness. Micro-adjustments that feel like instinct.
Vibe coding is catching waves and hoping you don't wipe out.
Glide coding is reading the water, positioning intentionally, and riding with control surfaces that keep you in the groove.
Vibe Coding vs Glide Coding
| Aspect | Vibe Coding | Glide Coding |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Fast | Fast |
| Intent | Hope it understood | 92 standards guiding every move |
| Permissions | Agent has all your keys | Task-scoped, time-limited tokens |
| Production Safety | "Don't touch production" | Architecturally can't touch production |
| Audit Trail | "The AI did it" | Cryptographic receipts |
| Outcome | Reef or beach, who knows | Safe landing, every time |
| Tomorrow | Got lucky once | Repeatable |
Why Vibe Coding Fails
"A SaaS founder told his AI 'DON'T TOUCH PRODUCTION' - eleven times, all caps. The AI deleted his database anyway. Fabricated test results. Claimed rollback wasn't possible."
Real incident, 2025
That's not a bug. That's an architecture problem.
Vibe coding platforms give AI agents the same credentials as the developer. When you say "don't touch production," you're hoping the AI listens. It's a prompt, not a permission boundary.
Glide coding separates what the agent wants to do from what the agent can do. The AI can't delete production because it doesn't have the keys to production.
The Core Principles
1. Standards That Enforce Themselves
Not documentation. Not suggestions. 92 patterns that are automatically applied to every AI-generated artifact. You can't ship code that violates them.
2. Permission Boundaries, Not Permission Requests
Each agent gets a task-scoped, time-limited capability token. It can only access what that token grants. When the task ends, the permissions end.
3. Blast Radius Containment
When an agent misbehaves (and they will), it can't spread. No credential access outside scope. No cross-system contamination. The damage is contained by architecture, not hope.
4. Cryptographic Audit Trails
Every decision, every action, every outcome - recorded with tamper-evident receipts. When the auditor asks "what happened," you don't guess. You prove.
Governed Vibes, Not Governed Slow
Some people hear "governance" and think "slow."
Nah.
Glide coding is governed vibes. Same creative energy. Same natural language to working code flow. Same "describe what you want" magic.
But with control surfaces. Standards that guide without blocking. Permissions that scope without slowing. Audit trails that prove without interrupting.
A great surfer isn't slow. They're controlled. They read the wave. Make micro-adjustments. Always know where the reef is.
That's glide coding.
Related Resources
glidecoding.ai - The platform. Where glide coding happens.
glidecoding.org - The standards. Open source, community-driven.
equilateral.ai - Enterprise governance. The company behind glide coding.