The Toolchain & Building

The primary stack

• Claude Code — the AI coding agent (terminal-based)
• GitHub — version control and collaboration (via gh CLI)
• Vercel — deployment (via vercel CLI)
• Next.js + Tailwind — the web framework (Claude's default choice, and a good one)

Everything else is optional. MCP servers, custom skills, hooks — these add power but aren't needed to start.

Alternatives that work fine:

• Cursor instead of Claude Code (IDE-based instead of terminal)
• Netlify instead of Vercel
• Replit for fully browser-based development
• Any AI model instead of Claude (the principles transfer)

The principles matter more than the tools. If you prefer a different stack, use it. The workflow is the same.

Guided walkthrough: building project #2

You already built something in M0. Now let's build something with intention.

Step 1: Choose from desire

Don't pick from a list. Think: what would be useful to me right now?

• A tool that solves a small daily annoyance
• A website for something you care about (a hobby, a cause, a community)
• A gift for someone — a personalized page, a birthday countdown, a shared photo gallery
• A prototype of an idea you've been sitting on

Step 2: Vision prompt

Open Claude Code in a new folder and describe what you want:

mkdir my-second-project && cd my-second-project && claude

Then:

I want to build [your thing]. [Why it matters to you].
Help me think about what this should look like.

Let Claude respond. Have a conversation. Don't rush to building.

Step 3: Build and deploy

When the vision feels right:

Let's build it.

Then after the first version exists:

Deploy it.

Step 4: Live refinement

Open the deployed URL on your phone. On your laptop. Show someone. Then iterate:

[What you notice that's wrong or could be better]

Keep going until you're proud of it — or until you've learned what you came to learn.