AI Coding Tools Are Getting More Expensive: How to Adapt with Models, Harnesses, and Skills

Episode 008: AI Coding Tools Are Getting More Expensive: How to Adapt with Models, Harnesses, and Skills

April 27, 2026

The hosts discuss the rising costs and tightening limits for AI tools as companies try to recoup massive infrastructure spending. They note signs that features like Claude Code may be removed from the $20/month Pro plan. They compare experiences hitting usage caps faster when using agent-style workflows like the “Get Shit Done” framework, which can burn tokens quickly especially during planning. To cope, they describe mixing tools and models—Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Windsurf, and free alternatives like Kimi—using cheaper models for research or simple tasks and reserving premium models for complex work. They also explore switching costs from tool ecosystems, differences between models and harnesses, and how reusable “skills” (often just markdown files) can improve reliability across platforms and help users stay productive on a budget. Sponsor Powerful podcast hosting & analytics By podcasters, for podcasters. Since 2016 Brought to you by https://fireside.fm claudecode #claudeai #aicoding #aiagents Signup for our newsletter: https://vibing-with-ai-code.beehiiv.com Check out our Website https://vibingwithaicode.com

Episode 007: Claude Dispatch Update and Building Local AI Agents with Gemma 4

April 16, 2026

In this episode, the hosts share a hands-on update on using Claude Dispatch. They discuss how it works as a separate synced chat that can trigger and check on jobs remotely, create tickets from analysis results, and request new agents. They also reference the current friction around permissions and repository selection. The conversation then shifts to exploring local and lower-cost agentic AI workflows due to usage limits and subscription costs, including experimenting with Google’s Gemma 4 as a local “brain” via LM Studio and using Kimi in Windsurf to build a new local agent app (code-named “Loki”) with chat, tools, memory, and research capabilities. Sponsor Fireside Powerful podcast hosting & analytics By podcasters, for podcasters. Since 2016 Sign up for our newsletter Check out our Website 00:00 Dispatch Update Kickoff 01:10 What Dispatch Can Do 03:04 Poolside Rollbar Workflow 05:37 Dispatch Integration Questions 08:35 Rethinking Work With Agents 13:50 Claude Limits Spark Local Shift 15:26 Gemma 4 Local Agent App 18:32 Building The Framework Fast 22:52 Tauri Local First Architecture 27:43 Model Switching And Cost Hacks 30:58 Loki Next Steps Wrap Up

Episode 006: Claude Cowork Scheduling & Permissions: Fixing Friction in Autonomous AI Workflows

April 6, 2026

In this episode, the hosts discuss practical challenges with Claude Cowork and scheduled AI jobs, focusing on friction points like needing a laptop to be awake for tasks to run, inconsistent scheduling behavior, and recurring permission prompts that can silently halt background workflows. Sponsor Fireside Powerful podcast hosting & analytics By podcasters, for podcasters. Since 2016 Sign up for our newsletter 00:19 Show Format And Goals 01:25 Claude Cowork Friction 01:59 Scheduling And Permissions 06:43 Dashboard And Tool Sprawl 08:08 Dispatch Mobile Layer 09:46 Live Debug With Claude 15:39 Global Bypass Is Risky 20:37 Whitelist The Middle Ground 24:17 Wrap Up And Subscribe

Episode 005: AI Liability & Vibe Coding: Security, Safeguards, and Best Practices for Founders

March 30, 2026

AI is powerful but risky in the wrong hands. We break down the real liability and security concerns founders face when using LLMs in local development — from overly permissive "YOLO mode" to production database wipeouts. Plus practical best practices for vibe coders who want to ship fast without blowing up their app. Sponsor Fireside Powerful podcast hosting & analytics By podcasters, for podcasters. Since 2016 Link to The Bootstrapped Founder episode we discussed Sign up for our newsletter 00:00 AI News Overload 00:59 Podscan and Liability 02:21 YOLO Mode Dangers 04:17 Vibe Coding Blind Spots 08:38 Permission Prompt Fatigue 13:02 Sandboxing and Open Source 15:00 API Lockdowns and Best Practices 16:49 Avoiding Surprise Bills 23:03 Advice for New Vibe Coders 25:10 Code Reviews and Security Audits 28:39 Wrap Up and Newsletter

Episode 004: AI Productivity Systems for Developers: Claude Command Center, and Staying Focused

March 23, 2026

After a bit of a hiatus, we are back this week to discuss AI-driven productivity and the challenge of staying focused amid rapidly evolving tools. We compare our approaches to using AI to help with productivity. We also discuss using multiple Claude instances to parallelize bug fixes, the difficulty of review/testing and maintaining understanding, and why safer integrated agent-style tools may beat early open-source alternatives. Sponsor Fireside Powerful podcast hosting & analytics By podcasters, for podcasters. Since 2016 00:00 Back on the Mic 00:45 AI Productivity Shift 01:35 Email and Slack Triage 03:43 PARA and Daily Priorities 04:37 Analog Cards vs Apps 06:00 AI Surfacing Tasks 08:45 Danger of False Productivity 12:03 Parallelizing Bug Fixes 13:24 Trust and Understanding Gaps 16:34 Acceptance Tests Missing 19:33 Back to Productivity Focus 20:07 Obie Fernandez Prompt System 21:11 Building the Command Center 22:53 Daily Prompts to Slash Commands 27:11 Minimalist Workflow and TickTick 31:02 OpenClaw vs Safer Agents 34:34 Finding the Right UI Layer 37:07 Keeping AI in Its Place 38:34 Wrap Up and Next Steps ClaudeCode #Windsurf #AICoding #VSCode #CodingTools #AIProgramming