⌥

Developer Productivity Stack

Ship faster with AI coding tools, automation, and smart documentation

Software developersFull-stack engineersIndie developersTechnical founders ● Easy to start

▶ Start with just one tool

Overwhelmed by the full stack? Start with Cursor — it covers the most critical part of this workflow.

Start with Cursor →

Core tools

These tools form the core of the workflow. Each has a specific role — no overlap.

1 AI-native code editor with full codebase context Required
Cursor

Your primary development environment. Cursor indexes your entire codebase, enabling multi-file edits, AI chat with repo context, and agent-mode for autonomous tasks. VS Code fork — your existing setup transfers directly.

$20/mo

Free plan

↳ manual integration with github-copilot — Most developers use either Cursor or Copilot — not both. Switch to Cursor to get deeper codebase context.

2 Architecture discussions, debugging, and code explanation
ChatGPT

Use for high-level architecture questions, explaining unfamiliar code patterns, and debugging sessions where you want to think out loud with an AI.

$20/mo

Free plan

3 React/Next.js UI component generation from text prompts
v0 by Vercel

Describe a UI component in plain text, get production-ready React code using shadcn/ui and Tailwind. Eliminates blank-canvas frontend work.

$20/mo

Free plan

2 Technical documentation and API research
Perplexity AI

Faster than Googling for technical lookups. Perplexity retrieves and cites current documentation, Stack Overflow threads, and package changelogs.

$20/mo

Free plan

Optional add-ons

These tools enhance the stack but are not required to get started.

n8n

Self-hosted workflow automation for internal tooling

Notion

Technical documentation and project tracking

Loom

Async video communication for remote teams

GitHub Copilot

Alternative to Cursor for JetBrains users

Overview

The best AI coding tools reduce cognitive overhead — they handle boilerplate, surface relevant context, and let you focus on the parts of the problem that require genuine engineering judgment.

The core choice: Cursor vs Copilot

This stack is built around Cursor, but the right choice depends on your IDE:

  • VS Code users → Switch to Cursor. It’s a VS Code fork, so your extensions and settings transfer. The codebase-aware context is significantly better than Copilot.
  • JetBrains users → Use GitHub Copilot. Cursor doesn’t have a JetBrains plugin. Copilot integrates natively.
  • Both → Unnecessary for most developers. Pick one.

How the tools work together

  1. Cursor is where most of your AI-assisted development happens. Use Chat mode to ask questions about your codebase, Composer mode for multi-file changes, and Agent mode for autonomous tasks like writing tests or refactoring a module.

  2. v0 handles UI prototyping. When you need a new component — a data table, a form, a modal — describe it in plain English. v0 generates ready-to-use React code. Copy it into your project and customize.

  3. Perplexity replaces most technical Googling. It retrieves current documentation and cites sources, so you’re not getting outdated Stack Overflow answers.

  4. n8n (add-on) is for developers who want to automate internal workflows — webhook triggers, Slack notifications, database syncs — without per-task pricing. Self-host on a small VPS for free.

Common mistakes

  • Accepting AI code without reviewing it — AI-generated code can introduce subtle bugs, security issues, and architectural inconsistencies
  • Using Cursor and Copilot simultaneously — redundant and confusing; pick one
  • Not giving Cursor enough context — the more you use Cursor’s codebase indexing, the better its suggestions become
  • Over-automating too early — build the workflow manually first; automate only after it’s stable