Guide

How to build a vibe-coded native app

TransistorKit is a Mac app for building vibe-coded native apps: you describe an app in plain words, and it plans, builds, tests and helps you ship a real native app for iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, TV, the web and retro game consoles.

Get the Mac app Open the Playground →

What is a vibe-coded native app?

A vibe-coded native app is an app you create by describing what it should do in everyday language instead of writing the code yourself, where the result is a real native project - Swift and SwiftUI for Apple platforms, Kotlin and Jetpack Compose for Android, C++ for Windows - rather than a web page wrapped in an app shell.

Describe, plan, build, test, ship

  1. Describe

    Create a project, pick the platforms you want, and describe the app in the project chat - typed or dictated. Surprise Me can invent a complete app idea for you.

  2. Plan

    A planner agent turns the description into a spec and a shared product contract - the screens, navigation, every piece of on-screen text, and the design tokens - that every platform builds from, so the iPhone, Android and web versions match.

  3. Build natively

    One builder agent per platform works in parallel, writing a standard native project on your Mac: an Xcode project for Apple platforms, a Gradle project for Android, a Win32 C++ project for Windows, and a normal npm project for the web. You choose the AI model for each role - Claude, Codex, Grok, OpenRouter, Apple Intelligence on-device, or local MLX models.

  4. Test

    Each builder compiles and runs its app on simulators, emulators or your own devices. The built-in TransistorBridge streams live screenshots, logs and the current screen back into the chat, so you can point at what you see and ask for changes in plain words. NES builds must pass assertions in a built-in emulator before they count as done.

  5. Ship

    TransistorKit handles Apple code signing, generates App Store screenshots, and deploys web apps and servers to destinations you name; destinations marked as production ask for confirmation first. Every project is plain source code in Git that you own and can open in Xcode, Android Studio or any editor.

Platforms

Apple
  • iOS Swift + SwiftUI
  • tvOS Swift + SwiftUI (focus engine)
  • macOS Swift + SwiftUI / AppKit
Android
  • Android Kotlin + Jetpack Compose
  • Android TV Kotlin + Compose for TV
Windows
  • Windows C++ · native Win32 (WinMain + message loop)
Web & Server
  • Web TypeScript · modern ESM (Vite SPA or Astro site)
  • Server Node.js REST / API service
Retro console
  • NES 6502 assembly / C (cc65)
  • Game Boy C (GBDK) / RGBDS assembly
  • Game Boy Color C (GBDK, CGB features)
  • Sega Genesis C (SGDK, Motorola 68000)
  • Sega Master System Z80 assembly / C (devkitSMS)
Embedded / FPGA
  • Arduino ESP32 C++ (Arduino framework / ESP-IDF)
  • Arduino 328P C++ (Arduino / AVR)
  • RPi RP2040 C / C++ (Pico SDK) or MicroPython
  • Tang Nano 20K (FPGA) Verilog / SystemVerilog (Gowin)
  • Tang Primer 25K (FPGA) Verilog / SystemVerilog (Gowin GW5A-25A)
Tooling
  • CLI Tool Swift / TypeScript / Python (your pick)

Full platform matrix

Try it in your browser

The Playground builds a working app from one sentence, with nothing to install.

Questions

How do I build a vibe-coded native app?

Install TransistorKit on a Mac, create a project, pick your platforms and describe the app in plain words. TransistorKit plans it, builds a native project for each platform in parallel, runs it on simulators or your devices, and helps you sign and ship it. To try the idea first without installing anything, describe it in the Playground at app.transistorkit.com/play.

Is it a real native app or a web view?

Real native. Apple targets are Swift and SwiftUI Xcode projects, Android targets are Kotlin and Jetpack Compose Gradle projects, and Windows targets are C++ Win32 programs. HTML5 app shells are available as a separate option when you want one.

Do I need to know how to code?

No. You describe the app and give feedback in plain words. The source code is still yours: every project is a standard project you can open in Xcode, Android Studio or any editor, or hand to a developer.

Which platforms can TransistorKit build for?

TransistorKit builds for iPhone and iPad (iOS), Apple TV (tvOS), Mac (macOS), Windows, Android phones and tablets, Android TV and Fire TV, the web, backend servers and CLI tools, the NES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Sega Genesis and Sega Master System, and Arduino, Raspberry Pi RP2040 and Tang FPGA boards.

Which AI models does it use?

You pick per role: Claude, OpenAI Codex, Grok, any model on OpenRouter, Apple Intelligence on-device, or local models through MLX on Apple silicon. If one account runs out of credits, TransistorKit can continue on the next model in your list.

What does it cost?

The Mac app is a subscription: Solo is $9 a month and Pro is $19 a month, and you can cancel any time. You bring your own AI accounts.