[anuramat]

if you can't tell if slop is correct, how do you know your code is correct? starting with a mental model and then writing the code yourself surely makes it feel safer, but it doesn't mean it is

besides, it doesn't even have to be about writing code; finding a bug is more time consuming than fixing it, so you could at least limit yourself to that

[interf4ce]

When I write the code I know what my intention is with each line. Sure I can (and do) make mistakes, but identifying those mistakes during debugging is relatively easy during debugging because I can clearly see the discrepancy between what I intended and what I did.

With an LLM I must first understand (usually really just infer and guess) its intention, which is much more difficult.

[motoroco]

is the LLM not acting on your stated intent? maybe you can find a middle ground, where you can plan and act in small enough chunks that it doesn't start getting its "own" ideas about what to do, or how to do it

a chainsaw is a coarse tool and I liken it to vibe coding. you maintain at least some level of control, but the edges are rough and you might slice off more (or less) than you meant to. I want to model my usage more like a table saw, a precision instrument that can make the exact cut just as I planned it

[anuramat]

> much more difficult

as in time consuming or error prone?

if it's just time consuming, it still might be faster than writing it yourself