{
  "id": 13985371,
  "title": "I built a live pixel library where vibe coders sit together while their AI works",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/12/i-built-a-live-pixel-library-where-vibe-coders-sit-together-while",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-12T15:22:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/lenchoi/i-built-a-live-pixel-library-where-vibe-coders-sit-together-while-their-ai-works-1abl"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Creating a live pixel art library where AI and coders collaborate proved challenging. The initial idea was to build a single HTML file containing all the necessary elements, allowing for rapid iteration. When Vibrary was ready for release, a small build script transformed the prototype into a Next.js app, including the engine script, markup, CSS, and a build step for live mode. Privacy was a top priority, with the CLI transmitting only activity and usage data, not code, prompts, or file paths. The AI activity was displayed as characters working at desks across five floors, with privacy ensuring no sensitive information left the user's machine. A verified GitHub card displayed tokens, commits, deploys, and AI work time, showcasing the use of AI in a tangible way. Despite numerous hurdles, Vibrary was built primarily using Claude Code, with the planning and testing phases handled by the author. The realtime presence feature, crucial for the library's functionality, presented the most significant challenge. After reconnecting, some users showed up on the wrong floor, leading to the implementation of a trust-the-newest-entry approach and periodic room reconciliation. To ensure a smooth user experience, the author focused on optimizing performance, discovering that text measurements and redrawing static boards every frame were the culprits. By caching measureText results, pre-rendering boards, and loading the leaderboard in parallel, the user interface became more responsive. Additionally, Vibrary introduced anti-cheat measures, such as daily caps on deploys, to prevent leaderboard manipulation. These safeguards also prevented the author from being unfairly flagged due to unusually busy deployment days. Vibrary is available for free at vibrary.dev, inviting other AI enthusiasts to explore and provide feedback.",
  "summary": "Vibe coding alone at night gets lonely. You send a prompt, the agent goes off for a few minutes, and you sit there staring at a terminal. So I built Vibrary : a live pixel-art library where people coding with AI sit together. When you run Claude Code, Codex or Gemini CLI, your character takes a seat and a little bubble shows what your AI is doing — thinking, editing, running tests, shipping. When…",
  "key_points": [
    "Vibrary is a live pixel art library where AI and coders collaborate",
    "Privacy ensured by transmitting only activity and usage data",
    "Anti-cheat measures include daily caps on deploys to prevent leaderboard manipulation"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}