Chapter 9 · 04/28 ~ 05/04
Should Counselors Build Their Own Tools?
Will you remain a consumer of AI tools, or become a creator?
Vibe Coding Tools Compared (April 2026)
Replit
The most mature environment for team collaboration + autonomous Agent 3
Latest
- Agent 3: 3+ hours of continuous autonomous work, self-healing via in-browser testing. Multiple Agent threads run in parallel; conflicts auto-merged
- Real-time multiplayer — entire team edits one project together (sub-200ms sync)
- Teams plan sunset on 2026-03-03 → auto-migrated to Pro
Pricing
Free / Core $25/mo (annual $20) — 5 collaborators / Pro $100/mo (annual $95) — 15 builders + 50 viewers, pooled credits
When in this class
When the whole team must enter the same project simultaneously. For groups of ≤5, one Core seat (held by the group lead) suffices
Lovable 2.0
From a single prompt to a full-stack app — even from your phone
Latest
- Lovable Cloud: built-in backend, DB, auth, storage — deploys with no server setup
- Agent Mode + Visual Edits — click UI to edit directly, autonomous debugging, live web search
- iOS/Android apps (2026-04-28) — build on the go via voice or text
- Export to GitHub anytime, deploy to Vercel · Netlify · your own server
Pricing
Free 5 daily credits / Pro $25/mo — 100 credits, shared across unlimited users / Business $50/mo — SSO, team workspace / Enterprise. 50% student discount
When in this class
When you need an MVP or internal tool fastest. Best when polished output matters and you don't need deep code work
Google AI Studio (Build)
Full-stack apps on Gemini, near-free
Latest
- Build mode: full-stack runtime, server logic, secrets, npm packages — all from natural language
- Antigravity coding agent — turns prompts directly into production apps
- Annotation Mode — highlight any part of the UI to request a change
- Deploy to Cloud Run as a scalable service or export to GitHub
- AI Pro/Ultra subscribers get higher limits + Nano Banana Pro · Gemini Pro models (April 2026)
Pricing
Free (with usage limits) / Google AI Pro · Ultra unlocks higher quotas and models. Bundles with Workspace
When in this class
When you want to start fast with no extra billing. Best for prototypes that exploit Gemini's strengths (image/video/long context)
All three support GitHub export, so you're not locked in. Start where you're most comfortable; migrate when you need to.
Before You Build — Write a One-Page PRD
A PRD (Product Requirements Document) is a one-page write-up of *what* you're going to build. PRDs matter especially in vibe coding because, without clear requirements, AI agents produce different results every time. Hand the agent a PRD first and the same prompt yields consistent, on-target builds. Writing the PRD before writing a single line of code is where vibe coding actually begins.
Six things every PRD needs
- 1
Problem
Who, in what situation, is unable to do what? One or two sentences. 'When [person] tries to [task], they can't [outcome].'
- 2
Target Users
Who is the primary user (e.g., 10th-grade student, school counselor)? Note their tech level and environment (mobile/PC/offline).
- 3
Core User Flow
What steps does a user go through to get what they came for? 3–5 steps, one line each.
- 4
Features
Must-have (must work this week) · Nice-to-have (if time allows) · Out of scope (explicitly NOT building). Separating these three kills scope creep.
- 5
Constraints
Time, budget, data, ethics. For counseling tools: spell out anonymity, retention, and legal limits (no medical diagnosis, etc.).
- 6
Success Criteria
How will you know it's 'done'? Measurable. e.g., 'Demoed to 3 colleagues, at least one says they'd use it next week.'
Sample PRD — Student Crisis-Signal Assistant
- Problem
- School counselors with 200 students struggle to spot crisis-signal students early. 30-minute interview slots can't cover everyone.
- Users
- Primary: school counselor / Secondary: homeroom teacher. Both mobile and PC use.
- User Flow
- (1) Teacher enters student ID + counseling notes → (2) AI flags crisis-signal keywords → (3) Risk level + recommended action shown → (4) Interview slot suggested.
- Features
- Must: note input, keyword detection, risk display. Nice: trend graph, share with colleagues. Out: automated diagnosis (no medical practice).
- Constraints
- Anonymous student IDs only / Raw text never stored on external servers / Each student processed under 30 seconds.
- Success
- Demo to 3 colleagues; at least one says they'd use it next week.