Can Claude Code actually beat Cursor?
In this episode, I sit down with AI engineer Kehan Zhang to test if Claude Code can build a real app — fast. The goal? A Lovable clone. Built in one session that was less than 90 minutes. No shortcuts.
We cover:
-How Claude Code SDK actually works
-Building in isolated sandboxes with Daytona
-Real time app generation with Claude
-Fixing permissions, logs, and memory issues
Where you can find more of us:
Follow me on X: https://x.com/rileybrown_ai
Follow Kehan on X: https://x.com/kehanisvibing
Create your very own mobile app directly from your phone in less than 10 minutes (for free!): https://vibecode.go.link/7MLgY
Link to the GitHub Repo we used in this video: https://github.com/kehanzhang/lovable-clone
As always, thank you very much for supporting my content by listening/watching this podcast. If you liked this video, please subscribe to my channel and check out our other videos - and if there's any specific tutorials or ideas you have for future videos, please let me know below in the comments. -Riley
TIME STAMPS:
00:00 Introduction & Setup
00:31 Explaining Claude Code and SDK
02:11 Starting the Lovable Clone Build
04:04 Memory and Configuration Setup
05:51 Using Plan Mode and SDK Docs
07:00 Generating a Simple Function
09:00 Executing with Claude Code
11:00 Building a Tic Tac Toe Game
16:33 Front-End UI Build for Lovable Clone
21:24 Connecting Front-End with Backend Function
26:01 Scaling & Issues with Local Code Writes
30:04 Creating Isolated Bubbles with Daytona
34:24 Debugging & Testing Bubbles
42:48 Test Execution in Daytona Sandbox
52:32 All Components Working Together
54:17 The Big Reveal & Testing
🎥 Watch the full video version of our episodes:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5vhHYNVZ0BDeGx2LiOq3X3QUpMFYyHD5&si=C5nh6WVgVGXOiaLx
or
https://open.spotify.com/show/5USGQytEZw9o6hih2Ux2LZ?si=ptvEqNkmQOCAnARkiz_XuA
💼 Work with us: riley@smoothmedia.co
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