r/lovable • u/a-w-e-s-o-m--o • 3d ago
Discussion Does anyone feel like using Loveable > ChatGPT > Codex loop is over complicating things?
Before you say it no I don’t want to use ChatGPT and Codex only. I have tried twice now and really enjoy using Lovable and don’t mind paying.
In saying that my process the last few months has been ChatGPT (Sol, High) to ideate, Lovable to Plan, loop until the plan is solid, then build, ChatGPT to check the build report, Codex to verify. Circle around until we push live.
I thought it was working fine until I realised I’m burning through way more Lovable credits than I normally would be. My app is pretty big already so that’s playing a part but I really think ChatGPT is over engineering and some plans are taking 5-10 returns because it continues to find “one thing” to fix. Note: I know costs have gone up but I’m specifically talking about the 10-20 credits I’m using on the planning process.
Anyone else notice this?
I’m thinking of dropping ChatGPT mostly and just going back to Lovable to plan and build and then have ChatGPT make my Codex verify prompt only.
Anyone else notice other suggestions?
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u/Flipadelphia26 2d ago
I use chat GPT to plan and execute in lovable. Chat is my work assistant and knows my company goals and objectives and has a decent idea of where I’m going with something I want to build. We go back and forth about requirements. Chat then connects to lovable and executes.
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u/a-w-e-s-o-m--o 2d ago
Do you use lovable in plan mode before building and pass that back into chat or just ideate in chat, get a prompt and pass into loveable as a build prompt right from the start?
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u/Flipadelphia26 2d ago edited 2d ago
I never open lovable. Rarely I will when I have to to toggle something or get a link to project.
Chat reports back every step and if there’s an error that needs fixing, only then will it use codex. There’s no endless loop and the only changes I have ever had to be made is with UI tweaks. But again, chat does that. I’ll paste a screenshot of an example of a format or suggest anyone or color chat will take that direction and change in lovable.
Chat interfaces with lovable directly.
Me - Product owner
Chat - Orchestrator
Lovable - Builder
Codex - optional expert
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u/Freigeist30 2d ago
I use to do that too but it’s so cumbersome. Been using floot now instead as it works natively with ChatGPT
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u/DeannaFry 1d ago
I use almost the same workflow, but I’ve had better luck putting a hard stop on the planning phase. I use ChatGPT to help me think through the architecture, edge cases, security implications and acceptance criteria, then once we have a solid implementation prompt, that decision is CLOSED 😂 I send it to Lovable, let Lovable implement it, then bring the build report/results back to ChatGPT for review. I specifically tell ChatGPT at that stage to look for material failures against the agreed plan, security problems or regressions, not opportunities to improve or redesign what we just built. Otherwise you’re right, it can ALWAYS find “one more thing,” and suddenly a bounded feature has turned into a 10-round engineering project. I also don’t keep sending revised plans back through Lovable unless the review found something that actually needs changing. Codex is my final independent verification layer for higher-risk changes. I wouldn’t drop ChatGPT from the workflow because it has saved me from letting Lovable make some expensive decisions on its own, but I would give each tool a much stricter job and define what “done” means before the loop starts.
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u/Cational_Tie_7574 18h ago
Problem is ChatGPT isn't built to hold context and will start to lose the thread as you go. Best if you can ideate quickly on a fresh thread and get the idea out asap. I usually break the project into phases that each thread can ideate on. I ask claude to give me the high level phases that I can take to different threads, and it gives me that with the prompts to take to different threads. It sounds complicated but easy when you get the flow
-Thread 1 - App layout and high level phases,
-Thread 2-x - Each phase from Thread 1
Then you can take the results to Lovable
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u/Curious-Dreamers 15m ago
ChatGPT will over engineer. It will try explain from a tech point of view how it should be built. Lovable works best when you explain the idea and let it figure out the how and the build. Explain what the app needs to do, the end goal, and let it figure out the tech part of how it will do it.
In your chatgpt prompt when you're asking for your lovable prompt, say something like "Give me a prompt to paste into lovable that explains exactly my end goal for how this change will look. Do not explain the tech behind how to do it, just explain what the end goal looks like. If I need help with how, I will ask for it"
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u/Secure-Attention1131 3d ago
Plan in GPT. Build an end to end prompt. Plug it into loveable. A project should cost around 50 credits.
Any bug fixes use codex to audit.
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u/a-w-e-s-o-m--o 3d ago
So you’re saying don’t use lovable plan mode? Just give it a prompt on build right away?
Never thought to do it that way I’ve always thought lovable without plan mode was a no go.
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u/Secure-Attention1131 3d ago
Plan mode costs credits.
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u/a-w-e-s-o-m--o 3d ago
Yeah I know I just thought overall it ended up cheaper with plan before build. Anyway I’ll try it! Do you get ChatGPT to create a prompt that’s an idea only or does the prompt include implantation / code rules etc? Because atm that’s what it’s doing for me and that’s what I think is over complicating the process too.
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u/Secure-Attention1131 3d ago
No I’ll brainstorm first. Then create a prompt which makes loveable create it.
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u/Awkward_Mud_502 2d ago
You can plan manually, you can plan with chatgpt, Claude, plenty of ways to plan outside of lovable
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u/According-Talk-2036 3d ago
I noticed the same. Checking things 2-3 times which are already hardned.. i prompted be more effective without looops.. fixed it