Risk Level: 🟡 Caution Advised to 🔴 DANGER (context-dependent)
Guide Entry
ACCEPT ALL (v.): The practice of accepting AI-generated code without reading the diff. Coined by Andrej Karpathy as part of his "vibe coding" workflow: "I 'Accept All' always, I don't read the diffs anymore."
The Karpathy Context
When Karpathy described Accept All, he was:
- Building personal projects
- Prototyping ideas
- Experimenting with LLM capabilities
- Working at low stakes
This context matters. Accept All at scale or in production is a different game entirely.
When Accept All Works
🟢 Safe to Accept All
Prototypes nobody will use:
"Make the button blue"
[Accept All]
"Add a loading spinner"
[Accept All]
Stakes: Zero. Speed: Maximum. Vibes: Excellent.
Learning exercises:
"Show me how to use this library"
[Accept All]
[Run it, see what happens, learn]
Throwaway experiments:
"Let's try approach X"
[Accept All]
[Evaluate, probably delete]
🟡 Accept All with Caution
Internal tools: Accept All, but test before deploying.
Non-critical features: Accept All, but review before commit.
Paired with good tests: Accept All, but run the test suite.
🔴 Never Accept All
Production code: Always review diffs before shipping.
Security-related code: Always review line by line.
Financial calculations: Always verify logic manually.
Anything with user data: Always check for vulnerabilities.
The Accept All Spectrum
Full Accept All ←————————————————→ Full Review
↑ ↑
Karpathy Production
Prototyping Systems
Fast, risky Slow, safe
Your position on this spectrum should match your stakes.
Upgrading from Accept All
When you need to transition from prototype to production:
Level 1: Glance All
Accept quickly, but glance at what changed.
[See diff] [Notice nothing crazy] [Accept]
Level 2: Scan All
Read file names and rough changes.
[Which files changed?] [What's the gist?] [Accept]
Level 3: Review Key
Accept most, review critical paths.
[Accept UI changes] [Review auth changes] [Accept tests]
Level 4: Review All
Read every diff before accepting.
[Read] [Understand] [Verify] [Accept or Modify]
The Accept All Safety Net
If you're going to Accept All, protect yourself:
1. Version Control
git commit -m "checkpoint before vibing"
So you can always go back.
2. Tests
npm test
So failures are caught automatically.
3. CI/CD
Automated checks catch what you miss.
4. Code Review
Someone else reviews before merge.
5. Staging Environment
Deploy to staging before production.
The Anti-Pattern
"Accept All" + "Push to Main" + "No Tests" + "Production"
= Incident waiting to happen
Each safety net you remove increases risk exponentially.
The Street Rule
"Accept All is a tool, not a policy. Use it where appropriate, not everywhere."
Move to Make
Define your personal Accept All policy:
- Where can I Accept All safely?
- Where must I always review?
- What safety nets do I have in place?
Write it down. Follow it.