A 3-step AI coding workflow for solo founders | Ryan Carson (5x founder)

Ryan Carson is a five-time founder who has spent the past 20 years building, scaling, and selling startups. In this episode, he shares his playbook for using AI to build products, turning “vibe coding” into a structured and scalable approach that can replace full engineering teams.

What you’ll learn:

1. A simple three-file system that transforms chaotic AI coding into a structured, reliable process

2. How to create AI-generated PRDs and task lists that actually work

3. A step-by-step workflow using Cursor to build features systematically

4. Why slowing down to provide proper context is the secret to speeding up your AI development

5. How to use model context protocols (MCPs) to extend your AI’s capabilities beyond just coding

6. Why founders can now build entire companies with minimal engineering teams and how Ryan is doing it himself

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Brought to you by:

ChatPRD—An AI copilot for PMs and their teams

Notion—The best AI tools for work

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Where to find Ryan Carson:

Website: https://www.ryancarson.com/about

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryancarson/

X: https://x.com/ryancarson

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Where to find Claire Vo:

ChatPRD: https://www.chatprd.ai/

Website: https://clairevo.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairevo/

X: https://x.com/clairevo

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Introduction and Ryan’s recent AI projects

(03:25) Demo: Creating a PRD with Cursor

(05:00) Ryan’s open source links: https://github.com/snarktank/ai-dev-tasks

(09:23) Repo Prompt: https://repoprompt.com/

(09:53) Quick recap and common mistakes to avoid

(11:00) Demo: Generating a task list from the PRD

(15:31) The importance of context when working with LLMs

(18:07) Demo: Working through tasks systematically using Cursor

(18:56) Change management

(20:00) How task lists save time for product managers

(21:50) Demo: Using MCPs for front-end testing

(24:50) Specific MCPs and what to use them for

(26:45) Demo: Using Repo Prompt to gain precise control over context

(31:23) Music’s role in Ryan’s development stack

(32:10) Lightning round and final thoughts

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Tools referenced:

• ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com/

• Claude: https://claude.ai/

• Gemini 2.5 Pro: https://deepmind.google/models/gemini/pro/.

• Repo Prompt: https://repoprompt.com/

• Taskmaster: https://github.com/nooqta/taskmaster

• Browserbase: https://browserbase.com/

• Stagehand: https://docs.stagehand.dev/integrations/mcp-server

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Other references:

• PostgreSQL: https://www.postgresql.org/

• Prisma: https://www.prisma.io/

• SQL: https://www.sql.org/

• MCP: https://www.anthropic.com/news/model-context-protocol

• VS Code: https://code.visualstudio.com/

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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email jordan@penname.co.