Developer uses Claude to build entire dream journal app, removes all AI features from final product
Full-stack development with Claude
A developer on r/ClaudeAI shared their experience building a complete application called Somnia using Claude as their development partner. The solo founder described Claude as "essentially my entire team" throughout the weeks-long development process.
The workflow involved: describing what they wanted, having Claude write the code, testing on their phone, returning with what broke, and fixing it together. This cycle repeated approximately 200 times during development.
Technical stack built with AI assistance
The entire codebase was created through conversation with Claude, including:
- Next.js frontend
- Supabase backend
- Service worker
- Landing page
- Onboarding flow
- Database schema
- Every component
Decision to remove AI features
Initially, the developer planned to include multiple AI features in the product:
- AI-generated dream interpretations
- AI seed suggestions
- AI pattern analysis
After considering the target audience—people who want to journal dreams and program their subconscious—they realized users were seeking connection with their inner life, not outsourcing interpretation to a language model. The developer concluded that if someone plants an intention for their subconscious to process overnight, "the last thing they need is Claude telling them what it means."
Final product: mechanical dream journal
The app now contains zero AI features. The functionality is entirely mechanical:
- A 10-minute window opens before sleep time for writing what you want to dream about
- A window opens upon waking for recording what you dreamed
- The app shows whether your seed appeared in your dreams
The developer notes this approach feels right for this specific use case but raises the question of whether there are other products where hiding or removing AI features makes sense, even when AI was central to building the application.
The app is available to try at somniavault.me.
📖 Read the full source: r/ClaudeAI
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