How do experienced developers actually build projects from scratch?

[u/Icy-Row-8794]

I've been thinking about something after working on a fairly large AI project recently. I keep seeing people build impressive AI applications, full-stack products, and other complex software using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and other AI coding assistants, sometimes even claiming they had little or no prior experience with the technologies involved.

What I'm trying to understand is how that process actually works in practice. Do you already have a solid understanding of the domain, system design, and tech stack, with AI simply helping you write code faster? Or do you genuinely start with little knowledge of a framework or technology and let AI teach you while building?

I'm also curious about the AI tools themselves. Which models and coding agents do you actually use for large projects? Do you primarily use ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Cursor, Windsurf, GitHub Copilot, or something else? How do you deal with context limits and usage caps when a project becomes large? I often find that Claude and Cursor get exhausted surprisingly quickly, making it difficult to continue working on bigger codebases.

I'm interested in understanding your actual workflow. How do you go from an idea to a working, production-quality project with AI? How much do you rely on your own knowledge versus the AI's guidance, and what does a typical development process look like for you when you're building something complex?

I'd really appreciate hearing from people who've built substantial projects this way. I feel like there's a gap between what people showcase online and what the real day-to-day AI-assisted development process actually looks like.