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Skip the boring stuff. Get from idea to working project in 10 minutes flat.
Before you touch any tool, answer three questions. This is the difference between a 10-minute setup and a 2-hour rabbit hole.
What is the simplest version of your idea?
If your idea is "the next Airbnb," the simplest version is "a list of houses on one page with a map." Start there. You can add booking, reviews, and payments later.
Who is going to use it — just you, or other people?
If it's just you, you can use any tool. If other people will sign up and log in, you need a tool that supports authentication and a database (Lovable, Claude Code, or Cursor are good picks).
Where will it live — on the web or on a phone?
Almost always: the web. A website works on every phone, tablet, and computer. Build the website first, then decide if you need a mobile app later.
There are two big categories. Pick the one that matches how you want to work.
Browser-based (no install)
Open a website, sign up, and you're building in 30 seconds. Best if you're brand new or just want to prototype fast.
Tools:
Local (install required)
Runs on your computer. More power, more control, but a little setup. Best for serious projects you plan to ship.
Tools:
Quick pick: If this is your first project, start with Lovable. You will be live in 5 minutes. Switch to Claude Code or Cursor when you outgrow it.
If you picked a browser tool, skip this section — you don't need anything. If you picked Claude Code or Cursor, here's the minimum.
Node.js
Required for Claude Code, Cursor, and most local tools
Download from nodejs.org, click install, done. Pick the LTS version (the one labeled "Recommended").
Git
Required for everyone using local tools
Mac: already installed. Windows: download from git-scm.com. The installer asks lots of questions — accept all the defaults.
A code editor
Cursor users: Cursor IS the editor. Claude Code users: VS Code is a good companion.
Cursor: cursor.com. VS Code: code.visualstudio.com. Both are free.
GitHub account
Required if you want to deploy or back up your code
Sign up at github.com. Free. Use your real name and a profile picture so it looks professional.
You don't create the project — you ask AI to. Open your tool and paste this prompt:
THE STARTER PROMPT
"I want to start a new project. It will be [one-sentence description of what you're building]. Please: 1. Create a new Next.js project with TypeScript and Tailwind CSS 2. Initialize a git repository 3. Add a sensible .gitignore (Next.js + .env files) 4. Create a single homepage that says "Hello, [project name]" in a centered hero 5. Confirm everything runs by starting the dev server Walk me through any choices I need to make in plain English."
That's it. In about 30 seconds, you have a working project running on your computer. No reading docs. No copy-pasting commands. No questions about what npm or yarn means.
Your project lives on your computer. If your laptop dies, your project dies. Push it to GitHub so it's safe in the cloud.
Create the repo
On GitHub, click "New repository". Give it a name. Leave everything else blank. Click create.
Copy the URL
GitHub shows you a URL ending in .git. Copy it to your clipboard.
Ask AI to push
Paste the URL into your AI tool with the prompt below. AI handles the rest.
PUSH TO GITHUB
"Connect this project to my GitHub repository at [paste your GitHub URL here]. Push the initial commit and confirm it shows up on GitHub. If anything goes wrong, walk me through the fix in plain English."
Things that trip up almost everyone on their first project.
"npm: command not found"
You skipped Node.js. Go install it from nodejs.org, then restart your terminal and try again.
"Permission denied (publickey)" when pushing to GitHub
Use the HTTPS URL from GitHub instead of the SSH URL. The HTTPS URL starts with https://github.com/ — paste that one to AI and ask it to use HTTPS auth.
Project starts but the page is blank
Open the browser's developer console (F12 or Cmd+Option+I). Copy any red error messages and paste them into AI with "help me fix this."
AI keeps trying to use a different framework than you wanted
Be specific in your prompt. Say "use Next.js 15 with the App Router and TypeScript" — not just "build me a website."
You want a personal portfolio with a homepage, an about page, and three project cards. Instead of reading 10 tutorials about Next.js, you install Cursor, sign in, and paste one prompt. Two minutes later you have a working site running on your computer with three pages already wired up.
Build this with AI
"I'm starting a personal portfolio site. Create a new project for me. Add a homepage with a hero section and three project cards, an /about page with a short bio placeholder, and a navigation bar linking between them. Set it up so I can save versions with Git and back it up on GitHub later, and start the local preview so I can see the site in my browser."
Three prompts that handle the most common setup tasks.
ADD A LIBRARY TO AN EXISTING PROJECT
"Add [tool name — e.g., Stripe / Supabase / Resend] to my project. Do the full setup, put placeholder keys in the safe spot where secrets go, and walk me through where to get the real keys from that tool's website."
SWITCH FROM ONE TOOL TO ANOTHER
"I started this project in [old tool] and I want to continue it in [new tool]. Make sure my git history is intact, the code still runs, and everything is configured properly for the new tool."
START FROM A TEMPLATE
"I want to start from a Next.js + Supabase + Tailwind starter template. Find a good free one (like the Vercel + Supabase starter), clone it, install dependencies, and get it running locally. Explain what each main folder does."
