Build an App Without Knowing How to Code

THIS WEEK’S STORY (and tip!)

Launch your idea in 10 minutes (as a non-dev)

This week I experimented with Claude Code for the first time.
I’m mad I didn’t start earlier.

It’s insanely good at understanding what you want and building it in one shot. When you pair it with Cursor, it feels like magic. You can literally build a powerful MVP in 10 minutes, even if you’ve never written a line of code in your life.

So for this week’s story, I’m blending in the tip too. Here’s the drill:

HOW TO BUILD AN MVP IN 10 MINS WITH AI

Step 1: Set up your project

• Download Cursor and open a new empty project folder

• Run this in the terminal:
  npx create-next-app@latest .

• Hit Enter on all the default prompts

• Then run:
  npm install
npm run dev

• Boom — your Next.js boilerplate is live with hot reloading

Step 2: Define your idea

• Open Cursor's AI chat

• Ask it to create a new .md file called project-overview.md

• Describe your idea and let the AI complete the file with tech stack, features, and suggestions

• Tell it to use Next.js, Node.js, Tailwind, and shadcn/ui

You now have your mini PRD. The AI writes it for you.

Step 3: Install Claude Code

• Get a Claude Code subscription

• On Cursor:
  Extensions > Claude Code > Install

• It’s a plugin. Much easier than the scary terminal method

Step 4: Initialize your project with Claude

• Click the little orange Claude icon

• Run /init

• This indexes your whole project so Claude knows the full context

Step 5: Add external API docs

• Let’s say you’re building a weather app

• Grab the link to the API docs (like OpenWeather)

• On Cursor:
  Add docs > Paste URL

• The AI will now understand and use the docs when generating code

Step 6: Start prompting

• Open Claude Code and explain what you want to build

• Reference your project doc with @project-overview.md

• Enable plan mode with Shift + Tab

• Review the plan, hit approve, and watch the AI code the whole thing

Step 7: Test your app

• Run npm run dev

• You’ll see the live version of your AI-coded app

• If anything breaks, copy-paste the error back into Claude — it’ll fix it

This is all you need to build a working MVP you can show to clients, investors, or test users. You can add auth, database, rate limiting, SSR later.

But this?
This is your starting line.

Want me to break this down more? Just reply to this email with your questions

PS: I also outline more of this stuff in this free community

HEADLINES

Main Headline

Have you tried ChatGPT’s new Agent Mode yet? It’s wild.

Imagine giving it a list of 50 competitor websites and waking up to a full breakdown of pricing, features, positioning, and gaps, all mapped into a competitive matrix while you sleep.

Or feeding it your ICP and watching it generate 500 qualified leads, research each company, write personalized outreach, and track responses like a built-in SDR team.

It's not perfect yet; some stuff still needs a human touch. But it’s already saving founders 5 to 10 hours a week on the stuff they usually hate.

We’re entering the era of the 10x solo founder, and Agent Mode is the intern squad.

QUICK HITS

• AWS Launches AI-Driven Dev Framework: At DevSphere 2025, AWS introduced AI-DLC, a new software development lifecycle powered entirely by AI, already cutting delivery times for partners like Wipro.

• ChatGPT-5 Release Imminent: OpenAI is expected to launch ChatGPT-5 this month, with major upgrades in reasoning, memory, and multimodal capabilities.

• China Hits 600M GenAI Users: Over 300 generative AI products are live in China, with some apps reaching 30M+ daily users—highlighting explosive growth.

• Claude 4 Sonnet Leads in AI Coding: Anthropic’s model tops coding benchmarks, gaining traction alongside platforms like Cursor, Windsurf, and Copilot.

• NTT Unveils Breakthrough in Explainable AI: New tech visualizes expert decision-making with 90% accuracy—set to transform training, upskilling, and workforce productivity.

And That is all for this week!

See you next Saturday!

Filippo

Filippo Pietrantonio

Find me on X, or Book a 1:1 Call