I build software with the use of AI.

My process goes like this:

I think with ChatGPT. I build with Codex. I review everything in between.

ChatGPT: the thinking happens here

ChatGPT is usually where a project starts.

I use it to:

  • untangle ideas
  • define features
  • question decisions
  • plan technical approaches
  • turn vague thoughts into scoped prompts

Eventually, my conversations with ChatGPT turn into README files, project status files, project roadmaps and feature prompts.

Codex: this is where the prompts turn into code

Once I know what I want, I give Codex a focused prompt.

Codex works inside the repository, reads the existing code, makes changes, and helps implement the next slice of the project.

I use Visual Studio Code with the Codex extension. Usually I'll make a new chat for each feature or query. Most of the context is already in the repo (existing code & docs) and in the prompts.

My loop is roughly:

Idea → ChatGPT → Prompt → Codex → Review → Test → Commit (code, then prompt)

I keep going, until the features are implemented, bugs are addressed and the code is tested & improved.

This portfolio is an example

When I revamped this portfolio, I gave Codex a prompt describing:

  • the visual direction
  • the site structure & content
  • technical constraints

The site had to stay simple: plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript, with no framework or build step.

You can see the original prompt here:

View the portfolio build prompt on GitHub

I like keeping important prompts in the repository because they become part of the project history.

A code commit shows what changed.
A prompt commit shows what I was trying to make happen.
I separate the code commits from the prompt commits. Prompts are committed after the code changes are.

The first of many

I'll be using my portfolio as a home for my blogs. This is the first blog of many.

Going forward, expect to see blogs about:

  • How I am building Thin Walls: From an idea to a working system
  • How I am building the world around Thin Walls
  • A technical dive into how I am building the Thin Walls mobile app
  • A technical look at how I am building the backend for the Thin Walls mobile app

That's it for this blog. See you next time.

Happy building,
Margaret