The Full Workflow
From the idea in your head to a live URL — documented step by step. This is the complete process Billy uses on every project. Not a highlight reel. Every step including the parts that break.
Three Tools. One Document. A Repeatable Process.
The workflow runs on Claude, ChatGPT, and a CLAUDE.md file. Those three things handle every phase of the build — planning, writing code, debugging, and deploying.
Claude (via Claude Code)
The primary builder. Reads your CLAUDE.md, writes the build plan, executes it step by step, edits files directly. This is the engine.
ChatGPT (free tier)
The debugger. When Claude gets stuck in a loop, ChatGPT breaks it. Paste the error, get the probable cause, bring it back to Claude. Don't pay for Plus just for this — free works.
CLAUDE.md
The backbone. The document that tells Claude exactly what to build, for who, using what stack, and what's out of scope. Fill this out before writing a single line of code.
Before You Write Any Code
This phase is the most important and the most skipped. Don't skip it. Everything downstream depends on what you do here.
Define the Idea in Plain English
Write one paragraph: what are you building, who is it for, and what is the one thing it must do? Don't touch a computer yet. Write it on paper if you have to. The clearer this is, the better Claude performs.
Download and Fill Out the CLAUDE.md Template
The template has 8 sections. Fill out Vision, Tech Stack, Target Users, Core Features, and Out of Scope. Leave Build Steps blank — Claude fills that in. This document is what makes Claude effective. Don't skip sections.
Get the template →Use ChatGPT Free to Stress Test the CLAUDE.md
Paste your filled CLAUDE.md into ChatGPT free and ask: "Does this project scope make sense? What am I missing? What could go wrong?" Fix anything that comes back. This costs zero tokens from your Claude account.
Set Up VS Code and Claude Code
Download VS Code, install the Claude Code extension, sign in with your Claude account. Create your project folder. Drop the CLAUDE.md file in the root of that folder.
VS Code setup guide →The Build Phase
This is where Claude does the work. Your job is to direct, test, and stay disciplined about executing one step at a time.
Ask Claude Code to Read the CLAUDE.md and Write the Build Plan
Open Claude Code in VS Code. Type exactly this: "Read the CLAUDE.md file in this project and write a complete numbered build plan. Every step required to build this from scratch. Number everything. Do not skip anything."
Claude will read your file and produce a numbered plan tailored to your specific project. Save this plan. It's your roadmap.
Execute Step 1. Only Step 1.
Tell Claude Code: "Execute Step 1 only. Do not proceed to Step 2." Wait. Review what it built. Open the files it created. Does it look right? Does it run without errors?
Discipline here is everything. Do not move to Step 2 until Step 1 is confirmed working. A shaky foundation collapses the whole build.
Test Each Step Before Moving On
After each step, open the output in a browser (or run the appropriate test). Check for: does it look right, does it function correctly, are there any console errors? Fix before advancing.
When It Breaks, Use the Multi-AI Fix
Claude gets stuck. It happens. When it does: screenshot the error. Open ChatGPT free. Paste the error and ask for the probable cause. Bring that explanation back to Claude Code. This breaks the loop almost every time.
The full multi-AI workflow →Watch Your Token Usage
If you're on Claude Pro, you have daily limits. Don't burn them on planning conversations or long back-and-forths about what to build. Use free tools for thinking. Use Claude Pro tokens for building.
Token management guide →Deploying to a Live URL
A project that lives only on your machine isn't done. This is how you get it live.
Push to GitHub
Initialize a git repo in your project folder, commit everything, and push to GitHub. Ask Claude Code to handle this if you're not comfortable with git commands — it can run terminal commands directly.
Deploy to Firebase or Vercel
Firebase Hosting is free for static sites and handles SSL automatically. Vercel is also free, connects to your GitHub repo, and auto-deploys on every push. Either works for most projects built with this workflow.
Ask Claude Code to walk you through the deploy process for whichever platform you choose. It knows the commands.
Connect Your Domain (Optional)
If you have a domain, connect it through Cloudflare DNS. Use Cloudflare for free DNS management and DDoS protection — set records to DNS only (not proxied) when using Firebase.
Final QA Pass
Click every link. Check the site on mobile. Open the browser console and fix any errors. Test the core feature. Fix what's broken before you share it.
The workflow isn't magic. Claude breaks. Errors stack up. Steps that looked done turn out not to be. What makes this work isn't that the AI is perfect — it's that you have a process. You know what to do when it breaks. You know where to go for help. You know how to keep moving instead of getting stuck. That's what this whole site is really documenting.
Related Guides
Each part of this workflow has its own deep dive.