Tutorials

Build your first app

For solo founders who want one platform, not five.

Who this is for

You have an idea. You want to ship a real deployed app, on a real URL, with auth and AI and storage that actually work. You do not want to stitch five separate services together first.

This page is the one path.

What you’ll get

A deployed URL in about 20 minutes. Auth, AI agents, file storage, Postgres, deploy pipeline. All wired through @recursiv/sdk. You do not touch any of it directly. Claude does.

Step 1: Install Claude Desktop

Install Claude Desktop and turn on the Code panel. The Code panel is the part of Claude that can read and write files in a folder on your machine. That is what builds your app.

Step 2: Get a Recursiv API key

Sign up at recursiv.io and copy your API key from Org Settings.

Step 3: Connect Recursiv to Claude Desktop

Open claude_desktop_config.json and paste this. Replace sk_live_xxx with the key from step 2. Save the file and restart Claude Desktop.

1{
2  "mcpServers": {
3    "recursiv": {
4      "command": "npx",
5      "args": ["-y", "@recursiv/mcp"],
6      "env": { "RECURSIV_API_KEY": "sk_live_xxx" }
7    }
8  }
9}

Claude now has 200+ Recursiv tools. It can create projects, provision databases, set up agents, push code, and deploy.

On Mac, the config file lives at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. On Windows, at %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json.

Step 4: Pick your shape

Building…PickWhy
A web app or internal toolNext.jsDesktop-first, data-dense, easy to share a URL
A phone appExpo (React Native)iOS, Android, and web from one codebase

If you are not sure, pick Next.js.

Step 5: Tell Claude to build it

Open Claude Desktop. Point the Code panel at an empty folder on your machine. Paste the matching prompt below. Fill in the brackets with your idea.

Web — Next.js

Build me [DESCRIBE YOUR APP, e.g. "a personal CRM with contacts, deals, and notes"].
Steps:
1. Clone recursivlabs/template-nextjs into this folder.
2. Read CLAUDE.md and SDK.md in the cloned repo BEFORE writing any
   code. They are the source of truth for how to use the Recursiv
   SDK. Use r.auth for auth (not NextAuth), r.agents for AI (not raw
   OpenAI), r.databases for data (not Prisma), r.storage for files,
   r.chat for messaging.
3. Use the Recursiv MCP to create a new org and project, push to a
   new GitHub repo, and deploy.
4. Give me the live URL when done.
Reference apps already deployed on Recursiv's SDK end-to-end:
Ticker and SparkAI. Same pattern as this template.

Mobile — Expo (React Native)

Build me [DESCRIBE YOUR APP].
Steps:
1. Clone recursivlabs/template-expo into this folder.
2. Read CLAUDE.md and SDK.md in the cloned repo BEFORE writing any
   code. Use r.auth for auth, r.agents for AI, r.databases for data,
   r.storage for files, r.chat for messaging. Do not use generic
   alternatives.
3. Use the Recursiv MCP to create a new org and project, push to a
   new GitHub repo, and deploy the Expo web build.
4. Give me the live URL when done.
Reference apps already deployed on Recursiv's SDK end-to-end:
Kempt, Alua, Dibs, Minds. Same pattern as this template.

What happens next

Claude clones the template, reads CLAUDE.md and SDK.md (which force it to use the Recursiv SDK rather than reach for NextAuth / raw OpenAI / Prisma), writes code that uses r.auth / r.agents / r.databases / r.storage / r.chat, calls Recursiv MCP for the org, project, repo, and deploy, and pings you with a live URL in about 20 minutes.

From there, keep chatting in the same window:

  • “Add Google sign-in.”
  • “Add a Stripe checkout.”
  • “Make it multi-tenant. Each of my clients should be their own org with scoped data and their own AI assistant.”
  • “Add a notes field to the contact form.”

You watch Claude make the change, hot reload picks it up, and you keep going.

What’s running under the hood

Two pieces, doing two jobs:

  1. The Code panel writes the actual files in your project folder. This is what edits pages, adds fields, wires up forms.
  2. The Recursiv MCP gives Claude the platform tools. It creates the org, the project, the database, the storage buckets, the agents, the GitHub repo, and the deploy. You never log into a separate dashboard for any of it.

The deployed app talks to Recursiv at runtime through @recursiv/sdk. You do not write SDK code. Claude does.

Pricing

Free to start with $5 in credits, no credit card required. Builder plan is $49/mo + usage when you outgrow free. Pricing details.

Where to go from here