𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗠𝘆 𝗦𝗮𝗮𝗦 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗠𝘆 𝗦𝗮𝗮𝗦 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵

I tried to automate my SaaS migration using AI. I failed three times.

I wanted to move my app, CourseShelf, from React to Phoenix LiveView. I thought I could just give an AI a prompt and walk away. I was wrong.

Here is how my four attempts went:

Attempt 1: The Lazy Test

• Effort: 0/10
• Result: Total failure.
• I gave a tiny prompt. The AI hallucinated components and left "coming soon" badges everywhere. It was a mess.

Attempt 2: The Batch Method

• Effort: 0/10
• Result: Better, but still flawed.
• I told the AI to break the task into smaller pieces. It worked better for a few pages, but it still left unfinished code and to-do comments.

Attempt 3: The Detailed Plan

• Effort: 4/10
• Result: Good code, bad UI.
• I wrote a long instruction file. The code quality improved, but the UI looked nothing like my original app.

Attempt 4: Manual Skill Implementation

• Effort: 9/10
• Result: Success.
• I turned my instructions into a "skill." I ran the AI page by page. I reviewed every single line.

The truth about AI coding: AI does not have a crystal ball. It cannot read your mind. If you want high-quality code, you cannot be lazy.

I spent 40 days driving the process. I did not automate the migration. I automated the playbook, but I did the actual work. I sat next to the AI, caught every mistake, and wrote new rules whenever it drifted.

The payoff:

• UI fidelity: 9/10
• Code quality: 10/10

I spent more time than a simple prompt would take. But now I have a clean codebase I am proud of. If you want professional results, you must stay in the driver's seat.

Source: https://dev.to/danielbergholz/how-i-used-ai-to-rebuild-my-saas-from-scratch-5f3m

Optional learning community: https://t.me/GyaanSetuAi