Building fast with AI is great, until a leaked key drains an account, a license is violated, or a client dispute has no contract behind it. None of this is hard once you know it. Here are the essentials every vibe coder should understand before they ship.
Most AI coding tools (Claude, Cursor, Copilot) grant you the rights to the code they generate for you — but read each tool's terms, because they differ. Note that in some countries, code written purely by an AI with no human authorship may not be copyrightable on its own. The safest position is the VibeCoded one: you shaped it, reviewed it, and can explain it, so it is your work.
AI can suggest code that resembles licensed open-source projects. Respect licenses: MIT and Apache are permissive (keep the notice), while GPL is copyleft — using it can require you to open-source your project too. When you copy a library or snippet, check its license and keep attribution.
API keys, passwords, and .env files must never be committed to a repo or pasted into a public place. Use environment variables, add .env to .gitignore, and if a key ever leaks, rotate it immediately. A leaked payment or database key can cost you real money.
Don't paste customers' personal data into AI tools, and collect only what you truly need. If you build anything that stores Nigerians' personal data, the Nigeria Data Protection Act applies: get consent, keep data secure, and let people delete their data. Treat privacy as a feature, not an afterthought.
Each AI service has a terms of use that can restrict things like commercial use, reselling output, or using its output to train competing models. Skim them before you build a business on top of a tool, so a surprise clause doesn't undo your work later.
If you build for someone, a short written agreement protects you both: what you'll deliver, the price and payment schedule, who owns the final code, and what is out of scope. It prevents the most common disputes. Registering a business (CAC) adds credibility once you're working with real clients.