So Google finally threw their hat into the vibe coding ring. And honestly? It's about time.
Google AI Studio vibe coding dropped in late 2025, and I've spent the past few weeks putting it through its paces. Here's my unfiltered take: it's genuinely impressive for prototyping, occasionally frustrating for production work, and absolutely worth learning if you're serious about AI-assisted development.
Let me walk you through everything you need to know—no fluff, just practical stuff that'll get you building.
What Actually Is Build Mode in Google AI Studio?
Build mode is Google's answer to tools like v0 and Lovable. The pitch is simple: describe what you want in plain English, and Gemini 3 spits out a working React (or Angular) app.
But here's what most tutorials miss—it's not just a code generator. It's an entire development environment baked into your browser. You get:
- Live preview updating in real-time as code generates
- Annotation mode for pointing at UI elements and saying "change this"
- Direct deployment to Google Cloud Run
- GitHub integration for version control
- An app gallery full of remixable projects
The real magic happens in a file called geminiService.ts. This is where your app's brain lives—all the logic for constructing prompts and calling the Gemini API sits here. Understanding this file is the difference between poking around blindly and actually controlling what your app does.
Getting Started: What You Actually Need
Before we dive into building stuff, let's cover the prerequisites. This part trips up a lot of people.
Required:
- A Google account (free tier works fine for experimentation)
- A modern browser (Chrome works best, obviously)
- Basic React knowledge helps but isn't mandatory
Optional but recommended:
- Familiarity with context engineering principles—this dramatically improves your results
- A GitHub account for code export
- Google Cloud account if you want to deploy
Here's my first hot take: you don't need to be a React expert to use this. But you do need to understand component architecture at a conceptual level. If you've never touched React, spend 30 minutes learning what components, props, and state are. That baseline knowledge transforms your prompts from "make me a dashboard" to "create a dashboard component with a chart widget that accepts data via props."
The difference in output quality is massive.
Your First App: Let's Build a Dashboard Card
Enough theory. Let's build something.
Open Google AI Studio and switch to Build mode. You'll see an input box with some AI chip options and a mysterious "I'm Feeling Lucky" button. Resist the urge to click it—we're doing this properly.
Step 1: Write a Decent Prompt
Don't just type "make a dashboard." That's like asking a chef for "food." Here's what I'd actually write:
Build a stats card component for a SaaS dashboard. It should display: - A metric title (like "Total Revenue") - A large number value with formatting (e.g., $12,450) - A percentage change indicator that's green for positive, red for negative - A subtle sparkline chart showing the trend Use Tailwind CSS for styling. Make it responsive. Use shadcn/ui style design patterns.
Hit run and watch the magic happen.
Step 2: Use Annotation Mode for Tweaks
Here's where Google AI Studio really shines. See something you don't like in the preview? Don't rewrite your prompt. Click on the element and tell Gemini what to change.
"Make this number bigger and use a bold font."
"Add a subtle drop shadow to the card."
"Make the sparkline use a gradient fill."
This iterative approach is so much faster than re-prompting from scratch. It's the closest thing we have to pair programming with an AI.
Step 3: Check the Generated Code
Always—and I mean always—look at what Gemini generated. Click into the code view and examine geminiService.ts and your component files.
Why does this matter? Because AI-generated code often works but isn't production-ready. You might find:
- Hardcoded API keys (bad!)
- Missing error handling
- Inefficient re-renders
- Accessibility issues
If you're planning to ship this code, check out our vibe coding security checklist before deploying anything.
Want to try this yourself?
Pro Tips That Nobody Tells You
After building probably 30+ prototypes in AI Studio, here's what I've learned the hard way.
Tip 1: AI Chips Are Underrated
Those little AI chip buttons? They're not just decoration. Each one injects specific capabilities into your app:
| AI Chip | What It Actually Does |
|---|---|
| Image Generation | Adds DALL-E style image creation to your app |
| Google Maps | Integrates map components and location APIs |
| YouTube | Embeds video search and playback |
| Google Search | Adds web search capabilities |
Stacking these chips lets you build genuinely complex apps. I made a travel planning app with Maps + Image Generation that actually worked surprisingly well.
Tip 2: The Framework Switch Matters
By default, Build mode generates React. But you can switch to Angular in settings.
My take? Stick with React unless you have a specific reason for Angular. The React output is more polished, and you'll find way more community resources for troubleshooting.
Tip 3: Remix Before You Build From Scratch
The App Gallery is full of starter projects. Before writing a prompt from zero, search for something similar and hit "Copy App." You'll get:
- A working foundation to build on
- Insight into how Gemini structures code
- Less chance of hitting edge cases
It's not cheating. It's efficient.
Tip 4: Version Control From Day One
The GitHub integration exists for a reason. Connect your repo early. I've lost work by closing browser tabs too quickly. Don't be me.
What Google AI Studio Gets Wrong
Look, I'm not here to be a cheerleader. There are real limitations you should know about.
No backend logic. This generates frontend code only. Need a database? Authentication? API endpoints? You're on your own. (Sound familiar? It's the same constraint as other vibe coding tools.)
API key exposure risk. The documentation literally warns you: "Never use a real API key directly in your app's code." When you deploy externally, you need server-side code to protect your keys. This is a significant gap for beginners who might not understand the implications.
Annotation mode can be finicky. Sometimes it understands "make this blue" perfectly. Other times it redesigns your entire layout. The inconsistency can be frustrating.
React/Angular only. No Vue. No Svelte. No vanilla JS. If those are your stack, you're out of luck.
Google AI Studio vs Fardino: When to Use Each
This is the question everyone asks, so let me give you a straight answer.
Use Google AI Studio when:
- You need Gemini API capabilities baked in
- You want built-in deployment to Google Cloud
- You're building AI-powered features (chatbots, image generation)
- You prefer working in-browser with live preview
Use Fardino when:
- You need rapid UI prototyping
- You want cleaner, more focused component output
- You're iterating on design quickly
- You need to export and customize heavily
Honestly? The best workflow uses both. Prototype your UI in Fardino (it's faster for pure frontend work), then move complex AI features to Google AI Studio. They're complementary, not competitors.
Advanced: Building a Complete Dashboard
Let's put everything together with a more ambitious project. We'll build a full analytics dashboard—the kind of thing that usually takes days.
The Prompt:
Build an analytics dashboard for a SaaS application with: 1. Header with logo placeholder, navigation tabs (Overview, Analytics, Reports), and user avatar dropdown 2. Stats row with 4 metric cards: - Total Users (with growth percentage) - Revenue (formatted as currency) - Active Sessions (real-time count) - Conversion Rate (percentage with trend) 3. Main content area with: - Large line chart showing monthly revenue (use sample data) - Smaller bar chart showing user acquisition by channel 4. Recent activity table with columns: User, Action, Date, Status Use a dark theme. Tailwind CSS. Make it responsive for mobile.
This prompt works because it's specific without being micromanaging. You're telling Gemini the structure and requirements, but letting it make design decisions. That's the sweet spot.
The Iteration Process:
After the initial generation:
- Use annotation mode to adjust spacing and colors
- Click into components that need refinement
- Ask for specific improvements: "Make the charts interactive with hover states"
- Test responsiveness by resizing the preview
The whole process takes maybe 20 minutes. Building this from scratch? We're talking a full day minimum.
Deploying Your Creation
Once you're happy with your app, deployment is surprisingly straightforward.
Option 1: Google Cloud Run Click deploy, and AI Studio handles the containerization. You pay Google Cloud rates, but there's no DevOps headache.
Option 2: Export to GitHub Download as ZIP or push directly to a repo. From there, deploy anywhere—Vercel, Netlify, your own server.
Critical warning: If your app uses API keys (which it probably does if you used AI chips), you must move that logic server-side before deploying. The documentation isn't joking about this. Exposed API keys get scraped by bots within hours.
For frontend-only apps without API dependencies, this is less critical. But always review your code for security issues regardless.
Is Google AI Studio Ready for Real Work?
Here's my honest assessment after extensive testing.
For prototyping: Absolutely yes. It's fast, it's free (mostly), and the results are genuinely usable.
For production applications: Proceed with caution. The code quality is good but not great. You'll need a developer to review, refactor, and add proper error handling.
For learning: Underrated value here. Watching Gemini generate code teaches you patterns you might not discover on your own. It's like having a senior developer show their work.
The vibe coding landscape is moving fast. Six months ago, we didn't have Gemini 3 or annotation mode. Six months from now, who knows? But right now, Google AI Studio is a legitimate tool worth adding to your workflow.
My recommendation? Block out an afternoon, work through this tutorial, and build something real. That hands-on experience is worth more than any article—including this one.
Now stop reading and go build something.
Quick Reference: Google AI Studio Features
| Feature | What It Does | My Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Build Mode | Generate apps from prompts | 4/5 |
| Annotation Mode | Point-and-click editing | 4.5/5 |
| AI Chips | Add specific capabilities | 4/5 |
| App Gallery | Browse/remix projects | 3.5/5 |
| Cloud Run Deploy | One-click deployment | 4/5 |
| GitHub Integration | Version control | 4/5 |
| React Output | Default framework | 4/5 |
| Angular Output | Alternative framework | 3/5 |
If you're serious about leveling up your vibe coding skills, don't stop here. Learn the best practices that separate amateurs from pros, and avoid the mistakes that kill projects.
The tools keep getting better. Make sure you're keeping up.
