I built a WordPress AI chatbot plugin with Claude but I didn't vibe code it

Hi All!

I've been a web developer for 15+ years, mostly PHP. When I started building Agentorie Chat an AI chatbot plugin for WordPress with built-in LiveChat I used Claude extensively in Canvas mode.

I don't let the AI generate my codebase. I use it as a sparring partner: architecture decisions, edge case brainstorming, WordPress security standards (nonces, sanitization, escaping), and sometimes to speed up repetitive boilerplate. Every line of code is mine. PHP 8.4, WebSockets via Socket,io, MariaDB no framework, no template.

Because when your plugin goes through the WordPress,org review process, they don't care if your AI wrote beautiful code. They check if YOU understand it. They found issues. I had to defend and rewrite. If I had vibe-coded the whole thing, I would have been lost.

The result: a plugin that auto-indexes your WordPress content (pages, posts, WooCommerce products), answers visitors with +50 languages with real links from your site, and lets you take over any conversation live with built-in LiveChat. All indexed data stays in the WordPress database GDPR by design.

Here's a quick demo video showing it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB20Z07W1OM

WordPress.org listing: https://wordpress.org/plugins/agentorie-chat/

Curious what other builders think about using AI as an assistant vs letting it drive. Anyone else shipping production plugins with this approach?