I built a full SaaS without writing a single line of code using Cursor, Claude 4

Over the past few weeks, I decided to test the limits of AI-assisted development by building PodGen.io - an AI podcast generator - without manually writing any code. Here's what I learned. The Setup Tools: Cursor IDE with Claude 4 (Sonnet) in "max mode" Cost: ~$300 extra for max mode (worth every penny) Product: Full-stack SaaS with Stripe payments, AI integrations, user auth, etc. What Actually Works The combination is genuinely impressive. I went from idea to deployed product entirely through natural language conversations. Claude handled: Next.js/React frontend with complex state management Supabase backend integration and database design Stripe checkout flows and webhook handling OpenAI API integration for script generation FAL.ai integration for voice synthesis User authentication and authorization Responsive design and mobile optimization SEO optimization and structured data Multi-language internationalization The Pain Points Rate Limits: Hit Claude's limits constantly. Had to pace development and sometimes wait hours to continue. Context Breaking: Long conversations (4-5 times) completely broke Cursor. Had to start fresh chats and re-explain the entire codebase structure. This was the biggest productivity killer. Debugging: When something broke, explaining the issue and getting the right fix took multiple iterations. A human developer would spot certain issues instantly. Complex Logic: Some business logic required very detailed explanations and multiple refinement rounds. What Surprised Me Integration Complexity: Setting up Stripe webhooks, handling async operations, managing user states - all handled correctly Code Quality: The generated code follows best practices, includes error handling, and is genuinely maintainable Architecture Decisions: Claude made sensible choices about file structure, component organization, and data flow The Result PodGen.io converts any content (YouTube, PDFs, blogs, etc.) into AI-generated podcasts. It has: Credit-based pricing system 50+ AI voices in 25+ languages Multi-format content processing Podcast distribution integration Full user dashboard and history Total development time: ~3 weeks of conversations with Claude. Key Takeaways It actually works for building complete products, not just prototypes Rate limits are the real bottleneck, not AI capability Context management in long projects needs better tooling Domain knowledge still matters - knowing what to ask for is crucial The $300 was worth it - max mode's capabilities justify the cost This isn't just "AI helping with coding" - it's AI doing the coding while you focus on product decisions and business logic. We're closer to natural language programming than I expected. Would be curious to hear others' experiences with similar approaches. The limiting factors seem more infrastructural (rate limits, context windows) than fundamental AI capabilities. Live at: https://podgen.io