What I use

My main thinking tool. Architecture decisions, component logic, copy iteration, debugging. This entire portfolio was built with Claude Code. Not just assisted, actually built.

Where the code actually gets written. I write less, review and guide more. The autocomplete changed what's possible as a solo designer who codes.

Still where every project starts. Components, layouts, interactions. What changed isn't the start. It's the exit.

System diagrams and flow mapping. Thinking before I touch a frame.

Where I still live for heavier projects. Extensions, settings sync, and the baseline that Cursor is built on.

The only framework I've shipped with in 2+ years. Server components and file-based routing are the right defaults.

Design tokens as utilities. Consistency and theming without the fight.

Copy-paste component library built on Radix UI. The best Figma-to-code component system I've found.

Catches what I miss. Worth the setup every time.

Push and it's live. Zero config, zero ops.

Version control for decisions, not just code. Commit messages are documentation.

Primary second brain. Long-form thinking, knowledge graphs, connected notes. Where ideas actually live.

Secondary: projects, writing drafts, frameworks. Good for structured lists, not for connecting ideas.

Always reading. Non-fiction mostly, on design, systems, behavior, money.

Testing where the Figma → AI → production workflow holds and where it breaks down.

Where Framer Motion and CSS transitions overlap. Building interactions directly instead of prototyping them.