Devlog PatronGate #001: Vibe Coding Isn’t a Toy

Devlog PatronGate #001. Vibe coding with an assistant looks like a toy for non‑programmers—until you hit authentication, authorization, and API access across multiple sites. That’s where the toy ends and reality starts.

PatronGate is a universal OAuth app connected to Patreon: users define tier‑based access, set up a credit system, and manage media galleries. On paper it’s clean. In practice, it’s “why did this work yesterday?” and “why is a single dot in a path deleting all my previews?”

Today’s session, in short

• Gallery: we wanted a clean grid and got a preview fight.
• Previews kept saying “missing” even though the files existed. Classic: relative paths and logic that goes “nope.”
• We misunderstood each other a few times, I was too harsh once or twice, then apologized. Devlog real life.

Vibe coding: fast, but not free

An assistant is great for layout tweaks. But when it comes to user rights, tokens, and shared storage, there are no instant answers. It’s still software. Still logic. Still responsibility.

Code snapshot (reality, not marketing)

const baseDir = path.resolve(process.env.MEDIA_DIR || path.resolve(process.cwd(), 'media'));
const absPath = path.resolve(baseDir, file.storageKey);
if (!absPath.startsWith(baseDir + path.sep) || !fs.existsSync(absPath)) {
  return res.status(404).json({ message: 'file_not_found' });
}

One dot in a path and all previews vanish. Then you spend thirty minutes chasing “but it worked yesterday.”

And here’s a tiny trick for when you’re not sure: I open a second terminal, throw the same problem at a different assistant, and get an answer from a different head (often a different context too). Suddenly the code looks more objective. Then I go back to the first assistant, ask follow‑ups, and that mini “panel discussion” produces the final answer. It’s like an AI dev stand‑up, just fewer coffees and more screenshots.

Where this is going

PatronGate is meant to be a professional tool for community projects: fast Patreon integration, clear access rules, and clean media without drama. Does it make sense to you to have an app that connects you to Patreon in minutes and saves hours of admin work? If yes, join my community where you can vote on what we build next — and follow the devlogs. This is just starting to pick up pace.