How Senior Engineers Actually Build With AI in 2026 | Build a Full Stack Systems Architecture App

The Six-File Context System00:09:50

Explanation of the six essential documentation files (Project Overview, Architecture, Code Standards, AI Workflow Rules, UI Context, and Progress Tracker) that provide the AI with necessary constraints and project state.

Project Initialization and Setup00:14:32

Step-by-step setup of the Next.js foundation, cleaning up boilerplate, and preparing the environment for an agentic build process.

Introduction to Spec-Driven Development00:00:00

An overview of how senior engineers use AI as an implementation engine rather than a replacement for architectural thinking. Introduces the core philosophy of defining clear specs and context before writing code to prevent AI from drifting.

Implementing the Editor Layout00:48:18

Building the foundational UI components including the top navbar and project sidebar using a spec-driven workflow to ensure consistent design and structure.

Authentication Integration00:58:18

Wiring up authentication using Clerk, configuring route protection, and creating minimal, professional sign-in and sign-up flows.

Project Management UI and Dialogues01:21:07

Implementing the project management interface, including the creation, renaming, and deletion dialogues, and setting up the hook-based state management for these actions.

Database Schema and Prisma Setup01:31:02

Setting up the PostgreSQL database with Prisma ORM, defining models for projects and collaborators, and creating a singleton client for the application.