Why it matters
"Vibe coding" means building software by describing it in plain English. Most tutorials for it start with developer tools. Claude's artifacts let you try a small version in an ordinary chat, on the free plan. A bill splitter makes a good first project because you can check its math against a receipt in a minute. The full guide has the two prompts that build it and the test to run before you trust the totals.
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Before you start
Artifacts need one setting turned on. In Claude, go to Settings, then Capabilities, and make sure Cloud code execution and file creation is on.
Steps
- Start a new chat at claude.ai. Describe the problem before you ask for anything to be built. Paste the first prompt below.
- Answer Claude's questions. This is where you decide the details, like whether people can pay for different items.
- When the plan looks right, send the second prompt to ask for the artifact. It opens in its own window beside the chat.
- Test it with a real receipt. Add three people, a shared appetizer and a 20% tip, and check the totals with a calculator.
- Ask for changes in plain words: "Make the buttons bigger for my phone," "Add a Venmo-style summary I can copy," "Round up to the nearest dollar."
- If you see an error, click Try fixing with Claude near the error message. Claude will try to fix it, though some errors take a few rounds.
- Find the app later in the Artifacts tab in the Claude sidebar.
On Free you can build and edit artifacts in a chat. Saving data inside the app between visits, sharing it by link, and starting from templates like Claude Slides or Docs all need a paid plan. On Free the app stays private to you, so use the Copy summary button to text each person what they owe. Artifacts made in a chat before Sept 16, 2026 are now called legacy artifacts. They still work, but you can't make new ones.
Copy-paste prompts
I want a simple app to split a group bill. Situation: friends at a restaurant or on a trip, some items shared, some not. It should handle tax and tip and tell each person exactly what they owe. I'll mostly use it on my phone. Before you build anything, ask me up to 5 questions to pin down how it should work. Then summarize the plan in plain English.
Great, build it as an artifact. Keep it to one screen, big tap targets, no sign-in. Show the math for each person so I can check it. Add a "Copy summary" button that copies a text like "Sam owes $23.40."
Common mistakes
- Asking for the whole thing in one line. Talk through the problem first and the app comes out closer to what you pictured.
- Skipping the math check. Test with a receipt you've already split by hand.
- Expecting it to remember past bills on Free. Saving data in an artifact needs Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise.
- Planning to send friends a link on Free. Sharing by link also needs a paid plan. Send the copied summary instead.
- Building on someone else's code without thinking. Anthropic's help page says to only build on or open artifacts from people you trust.
- Starting with a big app. Get the tiny version working, then add one feature at a time.
