Hey everyone, Kevin here with Episode 2 of our "Let's Build Cursor" series. In this video, we're rolling up our sleeves and building a functional, open-source AI coding assistant, taking inspiration from Cursor. We're not just talking about it – we're live coding a simplified version, right from the command line!
This isn't about flashy interfaces; it's about understanding the core mechanics. We'll start by laying a solid foundation:
The Spec is Key: We'll use some clever meta-prompting techniques to get our LLM (Large Language Model) to generate a detailed Product Requirements Document (PRD). Think of this as our blueprint, guiding the AI's actions.
Markdown Checklist: From the PRD, we'll extract a precise checklist of tasks. This keeps our AI focused and helps us track progress. We are keeping all the tasks in markdown files.
Coding the Core: This is where the magic happens! We'll build a command-line application that can communicate with an LLM. I'm using sonnet 3.7 for most of the prompts. We'll explore how to structure prompts, handle responses, and implement basic tool use. It is going to be called Forq.
Agent in Action: We'll watch as our AI agent tackles the checklist, performing tasks like setting up project files, writing code snippets, and even interacting with the file system.
The reveal of the CLI tool, and tasks.
The goal here is to demystify AI coding assistants. By building one ourselves (even a simple one!), we'll gain a much deeper understanding of how they work, how to best utilize them, and maybe even spark some ideas for your own AI-powered projects.
I truly believe that understanding how an AI coding agent works from first principles will make you a far better coder when using these tools. You'll learn to prompt effectively, troubleshoot issues, and even create your own tips and tricks.
So, join me on this coding adventure as we build Forq, learn a ton, and have some fun along the way!
Links:
ChatGPT Spec to Checklist: https://chatgpt.com/share/67c10fe7-4a60-800d-b226-7b5da25c46d7
Github Repo for Forq CLI: https://github.com/kleneway/forq-cli/
Let's Build Cursor Episode 1: https://youtu.be/9m9OgM_P1Wo