Ownercode, by Dirty Work Software
Vibe coding for beginners, with guardrails
Vibe coding means you describe what you want in plain words, and an AI agent writes the code. Some people call it agentic coding. It is the fastest way to start. It is also how beginners lose data and end up with code they cannot explain.
Ownercode keeps the speed and adds the habits that make it hold. The AI asks about your business first, writes a plan, builds one task at a time, and checks its work. Nine safety guards stop the mistakes you cannot undo. It works in Claude Code and Codex.
Free. Just your email. The code is public on GitHub.
The difference
Vibe coding alone, and with guardrails
| Topic | Vibe coding alone | With Ownercode |
|---|---|---|
| Before it builds | Vibe coding aloneYou type, and it starts | With OwnercodeIt asks about your business and writes a plan. It builds nothing yet |
| How work is split | Vibe coding aloneOne long chat | With OwnercodeOne task per session, each in its own file |
| When it says done | Vibe coding aloneYou check it yourself | With OwnercodeThe kit's rules tell it to show the proof: the checks it ran, the list it ticked |
| Risky commands | Vibe coding aloneYour tool's settings decide | With OwnercodeNine guards block them in every mode |
| Next month | Vibe coding aloneYou start from what you remember | With OwnercodeThe task list remembers where you left off |
Safety
Straight answers for beginners
Is vibe coding safe for beginners?
It can be, if the AI cannot run the commands you cannot undo. The known failures are deleted data, skipped checks, leaked keys and changes put live without a look. Ownercode blocks those before they run, in Claude Code and Codex, and tests its guards at the start of every session. It does not make the AI smart. It can still build the wrong thing, so you review each task.
What are the common vibe coding mistakes?
- Building before deciding. The AI guesses about your business. Ownercode asks first.
- One huge chat. The AI forgets what you decided. Ownercode keeps each job in a task file.
- Taking "done" on trust. The kit's rules tell the AI to show the proof.
- Keys in the chat or the code. A password or key ends up where others can read it. The secrets guard stops the AI from opening key files or saving them into the project's history.
- No way back. Ownercode saves work in steps you can undo, and blocks the commands that throw work away.
What can a beginner build first?
Something you know better than the AI does, so you can tell at once when it is wrong. For a business owner, that is a simple CRM: your customers, your jobs, your follow-ups. Once it works, the same habits build the rest.
The free kit
What you get, free
- A setup prompt. The AI installs the tools and walks you through the sign-ins.
- A start prompt. It asks about your business, then writes a plan and a task list before it builds.
- Project memory. A file the AI reads at every start, so it keeps your rules and decisions.
- A task system. One file per job. Close the laptop for a month; the next session picks up where you left off.
- Nine safety guards, tested at every start.
- Building recipes. Step-by-step skills the AI follows to build screens and to save and load your data.
- A plain design guide. Screens come out clean and simple.
- Updates. The kit updates itself in Codex, and in Claude Code once you turn on auto-update.
No trial, no time limit, no watermark. What you build lives in your folder and your own accounts.
What it costs to run. You need a paid Claude plan (Pro or Max) for Claude Code, or a ChatGPT plan that includes Codex. Your CRM runs on Cloudflare's free tier, so the hosting bill is usually zero.
Free
Get the free kit
Type your email. The setup steps show up right here, and a copy lands in your inbox.
You are in. Four steps from here.
- Make a new, empty folder with a short path, such as C:\Projects\my-crm. Open Claude Code or Codex in it.
- Pick Opus 5.5 or a newer Opus at High effort in Claude Code, or GPT-6 Astra at High in Codex.
- Paste the setup prompt below. The AI explains the guide, installs missing tools, and walks you through approvals and a restart.
- Reopen the same folder. Paste the start prompt and answer its questions. You make the business decisions.
Set up the free Ownercode kit in this tool. Do the technical work; stop before the business interview.
1. Read https://github.com/Dirty-Work-Software/ownercode/blob/main/GUIDE.md. Give me five short bullets from sections 1, 3, 3b and 4; skim 2 and 3a. Complete section 5 with me. Confirm a new, empty project folder with a short path; create one if needed without overwriting work. Show its full path.
2. Check Git first; install it if missing. Check and install missing Node.js LTS (at least 22.12), pnpm and GitHub CLI from official sources or a trusted package manager. Verify versions. Install Node before the plugin. Request administrator approval if needed.
3. Confirm Opus 5.5 or a newer Opus at High effort in Claude Code, or GPT-6 Astra at High in Codex. If you cannot set or verify this, guide me through the controls and wait for confirmation. Keep this model for planning and building.
4. Install only for this tool. Claude Code: run claude plugin marketplace add Dirty-Work-Software/ownercode, then claude plugin install ownercode@ownercode. Codex: run codex plugin marketplace add Dirty-Work-Software/ownercode, then codex plugin add ownercode@ownercode. Verify the install. Save the repository's START-HERE-PROMPT.md in my project; do not run it.
5. Check GitHub and Cloudflare sign-in; help me complete missing account and browser steps. I handle passwords, payment and consent. Public plugin installation needs no GitHub login. Defer an Anthropic API key until my app needs AI; never ask for secrets in chat.
6. If a sandbox, permission or approval check blocks you, show the command and error. Request the specific approval through the normal tool flow. Do not disable safeguards or treat approval as overriding a policy refusal. If still blocked, give exact commands for my operating system, starting in the full project path, and wait for results. Say "sandbox-only" only when verified.
7. Show command output and a done/waiting checklist. Guide my final controls: Claude Code: /plugin > Marketplaces > ownercode > Enable auto-update. Codex: /hooks > review and trust Ownercode hooks. Tell me to restart, reopen the same folder, and check for "Ownercode safety guards: on." in a fresh Codex session. Then tell me to paste the saved start prompt and answer its questions myself. Do not start the interview or build the app. Or type the lines yourself.
Claude Code. Type these two lines in Claude Code, one at a time:
/plugin marketplace add Dirty-Work-Software/ownercode
/plugin install ownercode@ownercode Then turn on updates, once: type /plugin, open Marketplaces, pick ownercode, choose Enable auto-update.
Codex. Run these two lines in a terminal:
codex plugin marketplace add Dirty-Work-Software/ownercode
codex plugin add ownercode@ownercode Then open Codex, type /hooks, and trust the Ownercode hooks. Codex runs no safety guard until you do this once. Codex updates the plugin by itself.
Check it: in a new Codex session, the first message must be Ownercode safety guards: on. If it is not, the guards are off. Type /hooks, trust the Ownercode hooks, and restart Codex.
A window asks you to sign in to Git or GitHub? Close it. Ownercode needs no account and no sign-in. Check the address and connection before you try again. Check the spelling: Dirty-Work-Software/ownercode.
We use your email only for the kit and news about it. We never sell it. Privacy
Questions
Questions
Do I need to know how to code?
No. You make the decisions: what the business does, who it is for, what done looks like. The AI does the technical work. You read plain English the whole way.
What does it cost?
The kit is free. Pro is $299, one time, plus VAT where it applies. You also need a paid Claude plan (Pro or Max) for Claude Code, or a ChatGPT plan that includes Codex. Hosting on Cloudflare's free tier is usually zero.
Who fixes it when it breaks?
You and the AI. Say what is wrong in plain words. The AI looks for the cause, proposes a fix, and checks it with you. If you would rather hand it off, Dirty Work Software builds and runs software for businesses as a paid service.
Do I own what it builds?
Yes. Your app sits in your folder, your GitHub account and your Cloudflare account. It is your code, under your name, from the first save.
Read more
- Ownercode: your AI agent builds it, you own it
- Build your own CRM with AI
- A WordPress alternative for small business you actually own
- Claude Code for non-coders
- A Claude Code starter kit for business owners
- AI app builders or Claude Code: which fits your business?
- Set up Claude Code yourself, or start from a kit?
- Claude Code guardrails that stop the mistakes you cannot undo