AI tools like Claude Code and Codex have made it faster than ever to get something up and running. But there's a common obstacle: when the app breaks in production, the AI provides five incorrect fixes in a row, or the codebase becomes impossible to understand. That obstacle isn't the AI's fault. It's the missing engineering fundamentals underneath.

This session closes that gap. You'll learn to use AI as a force multiplier, not a crutch,  so when the AI is wrong (and it will be), you know

A functional web application from scratch, live, in real time, using:
  - HTML5 + Tailwind CSS for the frontend
  - Laravel + Blade for the backend and templating
  - Claude Code / Codex as our AI pair programmer throughout

Every decision gets explained. Every AI suggestion gets evaluated. You'll see the full cycle: prompt → review → accept, reject, or fix.

Hour 1  - Architecture before code
  - How to think about a feature before you prompt for it
  - Breaking requirements into components that an AI can actually build correctly
  - Folder structure, routing, and database design in Laravel: why it matters before you type a single line

Hour 2 - Building with AI, not for AI
  - Live prompting with Claude Code and Codex
  - Reading AI-generated code critically, what to trust, what to question
  - Blade templates and Tailwind layouts built side by side with the AI
  - When to accept the suggestion, when to rewrite it, and how to tell the difference

Hour 3 - Debugging, testing, and monitoring
  - End-to-end testing with real assertions, not just "it looks right."
  - App monitoring basics: what to watch, what to alert on
  - Prompt fine-tuning: how to improve your results by improving your inputs
  - Debugging strategies when the AI's fix makes things worse

Hour 4 - Systems thinking in a vibe coding world
  - How professional engineers reason about performance, security, and maintainability
  - What AI tools still can't do, and why that's your competitive edge
  - Shipping the app: deployment, environment config, final review
  - Live Q&A

 Who this is for
  - Developers who've used AI to build things but want to understand why they work
  - Beginners who want to start with the right mental model, not just copy-paste prompts
  - Anyone who's hit the wall where AI stops being helpful and wants to break through it

What you leave with
- A working Laravel + Tailwind web app you built in the session
- A repeatable workflow for AI-assisted development that doesn't fall apart under pressure
- The debugging and systems thinking skills that separate engineers who use AI well from those who depend on it

Format: 4 hours live, hands-on, build-along
Tools: Claude Code, Codex, Laravel, Tailwind CSS, HTML5, Blade