Cursor and Claude Code make building fast. But without a system,...
Prajwal Tomar@PrajwalTomar_
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Sep 07, 2025
~3 min read
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Cursor and Claude Code make building fast. But without a system, your MVP will break.
Here are 7 lessons I learned after building 20+ MVPs with Lovable, Cursor, and Claude Code.
Bookmark this if you want to ship clean, not just fast.
Here are 7 lessons I learned after building 20+ MVPs with Lovable, Cursor, and Claude Code.
Bookmark this if you want to ship clean, not just fast.
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1/ The wrong stack will break your MVP
Cursor doesn’t code like humans. It replicates patterns it’s seen before.
So if your stack is rare or messy, it’ll hallucinate.
What works for me:
• Next/React for frontend
• Supabase for backend
• Stripe for payments
• Vercel for deploying
Cursor flows clean when your stack is AI-native.
Cursor doesn’t code like humans. It replicates patterns it’s seen before.
So if your stack is rare or messy, it’ll hallucinate.
What works for me:
• Next/React for frontend
• Supabase for backend
• Stripe for payments
• Vercel for deploying
Cursor flows clean when your stack is AI-native.
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2/ You don’t need a full team. You need roles and structure.
My builds follow 4 clear stages, powered by Cursor + Claude Code:
• Planner: Draft the PRD, UI dev plan, and docs (ChatGPT works best here)
• Architect: Break the PRD into tasks and flows (Taskmaster helps here)
• Builder: Load the plan into Cursor and execute step by step (Taskmaster works here too)
• Reviewer: Run security checks, test flows, polish UI, and commit builds (CodeRabbit makes this fast)
My builds follow 4 clear stages, powered by Cursor + Claude Code:
• Planner: Draft the PRD, UI dev plan, and docs (ChatGPT works best here)
• Architect: Break the PRD into tasks and flows (Taskmaster helps here)
• Builder: Load the plan into Cursor and execute step by step (Taskmaster works here too)
• Reviewer: Run security checks, test flows, polish UI, and commit builds (CodeRabbit makes this fast)
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3/ Train Cursor with memory
Cursor forgets.
If you don’t guide it, it’ll keep repeating the same mistakes.
I keep memory docs inside every project (Cursor Project Rules + Notion files) with:
→ Auth patterns
→ Common queries
→ Security rules (RLS, validation, etc.)
It’s like giving Cursor a mini playbook every time you build.
Cursor forgets.
If you don’t guide it, it’ll keep repeating the same mistakes.
I keep memory docs inside every project (Cursor Project Rules + Notion files) with:
→ Auth patterns
→ Common queries
→ Security rules (RLS, validation, etc.)
It’s like giving Cursor a mini playbook every time you build.
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4/ Don’t let Cursor run on autopilot
Cursor isn’t a senior dev.
If you just accept everything, you’ll ship broken apps.
Instead:
→ Read what it’s changing
→ Stop patterns early before they spread
→ Use planning prompts (Taskmaster in Claude Code) to scope first
You’re still the architect. Cursor is the assistant, not the boss.
Cursor isn’t a senior dev.
If you just accept everything, you’ll ship broken apps.
Instead:
→ Read what it’s changing
→ Stop patterns early before they spread
→ Use planning prompts (Taskmaster in Claude Code) to scope first
You’re still the architect. Cursor is the assistant, not the boss.
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5/ Save often. Or regret it later.
Cursor is powerful. But it can nuke your working code in one wrong generation.
My tip?
Use git from day 1.
Run:
git init
git add .
git commit -m "stable"
Code broke?
git log
git reset --hard <commit>
Cursor is powerful. But it can nuke your working code in one wrong generation.
My tip?
Use git from day 1.
Run:
git init
git add .
git commit -m "stable"
Code broke?
git log
git reset --hard <commit>
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6/ If you’re debugging, stop copy-pasting logs
Use Browser MCP.
Now I just prompt:
“Use Browser MCP to take a screenshot and gather console logs.”
Cursor sees the actual screen + errors and fixes them without me doing anything.
Faster QA, smoother feedback loops, no tab switching.
Use Browser MCP.
Now I just prompt:
“Use Browser MCP to take a screenshot and gather console logs.”
Cursor sees the actual screen + errors and fixes them without me doing anything.
Faster QA, smoother feedback loops, no tab switching.
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7/ Document features as they’re built
Cursor leaves things half-done.
So I document every feature in real time:
→ Files changed
→ How they connect
→ What still needs manual work
Later I can just feed this back into Cursor to continue cleanly.
Cursor leaves things half-done.
So I document every feature in real time:
→ Files changed
→ How they connect
→ What still needs manual work
Later I can just feed this back into Cursor to continue cleanly.
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8/ Reset when things feel “off”
Context bloats.
Once Cursor starts hallucinating, it rarely recovers.
→ Start a fresh chat
→ Revert to your last good commit
→ Feed it your project rules again
A clean restart is faster than fighting broken context for hours.
Context bloats.
Once Cursor starts hallucinating, it rarely recovers.
→ Start a fresh chat
→ Revert to your last good commit
→ Feed it your project rules again
A clean restart is faster than fighting broken context for hours.
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Final Thoughts
The tools aren’t the problem.
It’s the lack of system.
You can build a real MVP solo if you prep your docs, set rules, and use Cursor + Claude Code the right way.
Vibe coding got me here.
Structured coding with these tools is what’s taking it to the next level.
The tools aren’t the problem.
It’s the lack of system.
You can build a real MVP solo if you prep your docs, set rules, and use Cursor + Claude Code the right way.
Vibe coding got me here.
Structured coding with these tools is what’s taking it to the next level.
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Only 10 spots left at $45/mo. After that it’s $57.
Lock it in now:
skool.com/ai-mvp-builders
