You know that feeling when you’re trying to explain a complex idea to someone and you just can’t find the right words
That’s exactly where traditional programming has been stuck for decades
We’ve been trying to translate our intentions into this precise, unforgiving language called code
But what if we could skip that translation step altogether
Intent architecture changes everything by making our actual goals and desires the primary building blocks of software
Think about how you describe a feature to a colleague over coffee
You say things like “users should be able to find products quickly” or “the system needs to handle thousands of simultaneous requests”
Those are your intentions
In vibe coding flows, these intentions become the actual architecture
I’ve been experimenting with this approach for months now
Instead of writing functions and classes, I write clear descriptions of what I want the system to do
The AI then assembles the necessary components to fulfill those intentions
It’s like having a brilliant architect who understands exactly what you’re trying to build
One principle that guides this approach is treating intentions and interfaces as long-term assets
The actual code might change constantly as AI regenerates it
But your well-crafted intentions and stable interface contracts remain valuable over time
This shifts our focus from maintaining code to refining our understanding of what we actually want
Another key aspect is connecting all capabilities with standards
When intentions are clear and standardized, different AI systems can collaborate effectively
They all speak the same language of goals and constraints
The most fascinating part is watching AI assemble components based on capability descriptions
You define what needs to happen
AI figures out how to make it happen using available building blocks
Humans remain in charge of setting the overall direction and boundaries
But we’re freed from the tedious implementation details
This approach naturally leads to self-organizing micro-programs
Small, focused capability units that come together like building blocks
The system architecture emerges dynamically rather than being pre-planned
It’s more organic and adaptable
What surprised me most was how this changes verification
Instead of just testing code, we’re verifying that intentions are being fulfilled correctly
High observability becomes crucial because we need to see if the system is actually doing what we intended
The beauty of intent architecture is its accessibility
Business people can describe what they need in plain language
Technical teams can focus on maintaining the ecosystem and standards
Everyone contributes to creating software
We’re moving from software engineering to software ecosystem thinking
The focus shifts from individual projects to how everything works together
Standards, governance, collaboration patterns become the real challenges
Intent architecture isn’t just another programming technique
It’s a fundamental rethinking of how we create software
We’re building systems that understand what we mean, not just what we say
And that changes everything