Jan 17, 2025 · 1h 14m · startup-ideas
How to build your AI App with Cursor, Firebase, Vercel (Full Tutorial)
0:00 / 0:00
▶ Watch on YouTube →
gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions
In this comprehensive live coding tutorial, host Greg Isenberg and builder Riley Brown demonstrate how to build and deploy a full-stack AI image generation web application from scratch using Cursor Agent, Replicate APIs, Firebase, and Vercel.
How this conversation actually went
Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Greg holds 7.4% of the talking time here. How this is scored →
Greg as informed peer 1.7 Guest teaching 4.8 Guest disagreement 0.3 Greg pushing back 0.5
speaking balance: gold is Greg, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 22:35 Riley recontextualizes Cursor's capabilities versus Devin
Riley pushes back against Greg's generalization of Cursor Agent as a mid-level developer, distinguishing it from Devin's fully autonomous ambition.
Hardest push from Greg ▶ 1:07:55 Greg defends domain extension branding over .aiGreg doubles down on pitching specific domain branding like diagrams.ms and diagrams.co when Riley expresses indifference toward non-.com domains.
Biggest teaching moment ▶ 1:08:57 Resolving Firebase live deployment auth errorsRiley points out the critical deployment step of authorizing the Vercel production domain inside Firebase Auth settings to make social login work live.
Greg holds their own ▶ 1:00:13 Greg pitching live available domain strategiesGreg demonstrates his product branding expertise by real-time researching and proposing domain names for the diagram tool concept.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
| Chapter | Topic | Greg as informed peer | Guest teaching | Guest disagreement | Greg pushing back | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initializing the Project with Cursor Agent | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | Greg sets the stage by acknowledging he didn't realize Cursor Agent had evolved this significantly. Riley guides the walkthrough on initializing a blank local folder and cloning templates via Cursor Agent. | |
| Sponsor Segment: Startup Empire | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | Following a sponsor break, Greg asks whether Riley recommends 'YOLO mode' for users. Riley explains the trade-offs between automated terminal execution and safety depending on developer experience. | |
| Formulating the App Concept and Researching APIs with Perplexity | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | Greg playfully challenges Riley to build something difficult that will make him sweat on camera. Riley steers the agenda toward demonstrating how to research API documentation using Perplexity. | |
| Crafting the Replicate API Prompt in Cursor Composer | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | Riley explains his mental framework for AI coding with external APIs (instructions, examples, tokens) and pastes Replicate code into Cursor Composer. | |
| Troubleshooting API Errors with Documentation and Playgrounds | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | When the initial API request fails, Riley teaches the best practice of pulling node.js snippets directly from Replicate's official docs and interactive playgrounds to feed Cursor context. | |
| Iterative Debugging and Achieving the First Image Generation | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | Greg suggests Cursor Agent is essentially functioning as a junior or mid-level developer. Riley refines the distinction, noting Devin is attempting full automation while Cursor excels at rapid iterative workflows. | |
| Enhancing Model Parameters and Upgrading to Flux Pro | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | Riley integrates parameter inspection pop-ups and switches to Flux Pro. Greg asks how ordinary non-technical creators determine the best AI models to implement. | |
| Integrating Ideogram for Text-in-Image Generation | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | Riley integrates Ideogram for typography generation and discusses rapid prototyping as conceptual sketching. Greg emphasizes that builders need a resilient mindset when navigating errors. | |
| Redesigning the UI for 'Mount Cursor' | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Riley prompts Cursor to completely redesign the user interface for 'Mount Cursor' without altering underlying functionality, observing live updates in the local browser view. | |
| Configuring Firebase Project and Firestore Database | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | Riley guides the audience through setting up a Google Firebase project, initializing Firestore in test mode, and copying credentials into Cursor's environment config. | |
| Enabling Firebase Storage, Authentication, and Gallery View | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | Riley configures Firebase Storage spending caps to guard against scraping attacks and enables Google Auth, adding a persistent 'My Images' gallery. | |
| Initializing GitHub and Starting Vercel Deployment | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | Riley demonstrates creating a remote GitHub repository and instructing Cursor Agent to commit the codebase and initiate a Vercel deployment CLI workflow. | |
| Configuring Vercel Environment Variables and Redeploying | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | While Riley navigates Vercel's environment variables to fix build errors, Greg pitches startup naming ideas and discusses domain extensions like diagrams.ms. | |
| Authorizing Production Domains and Verifying the Live App | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | Riley solves the final authentication failure by whitelisting the live Vercel domain inside Firebase Authorized Domains, followed by a full architecture summary. | |
| Project Plugs, Greg's Age Reveal, and Episode Conclusion | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Riley plugs YapThread and Software Composers, and Greg finally resolves the running gag by disclosing that he is 35 years old. |
Statements from this episode (22)
Riley Brown almost exclusively uses Cursor for building AI apps
“Today we're going to be talking about how I've recently switched to basically only using cursor when building apps with AI”
Replit makes templates and deployment easier than competitor platforms
“I'm a huge fan of Replit because they make templates really easy to use. They make deployment really easy to do compared to the other players.”
Cursor Agent is the most legitimate coding agent on the market
“No, this thing is legit. Like it is the most legit agent on the market, in my opinion.”
Brown's Next.js Replit template has over 15,000 forks
“This template for Next.js has over 15,000 uses on repli, like forks”
Cursor Agent gained its current capabilities within the last ten days
“Yes, it's only within the last, like, 10 days”
Cursor's YOLO mode runs terminal commands automatically without confirmation
“If you don't have this set up, it'll actually ask you, like, are you sure you want to run this command? Are you sure? And then you have to click yes over and over again. When you do this, it just automatically does it. It's called YOLO mode.”
Experienced developers should avoid Cursor's automated YOLO mode
“Like, if you know how to operate in a terminal, like, if you know what the different commands are, then I would say maybe not. Like, maybe you would want to do it a different way. For example, I work with Anj, who's like, senior developer level, and he doesn't…”
AI tools let builders integrate APIs without technical understanding
“I actually learned how to, like, fully integrate multiple APIs into an app before I even knew what API stands for, because you can, you don't need to know with a with the AI tools.”
Cursor needs explicit API code examples to implement integrations correctly
“I think of AI coding like Legos, right? You're looking for the pieces that you need to like put together, and APIs are kind of like finding instruction manuals, you know, like, and you need to give that to Cursor because Cursor doesn't have an inherent underst…”
AI image generation API calls cost between 0.2 and 3 cents
“When you generate something, when you generate an image, it costs like three or like two to .2 to three cents a piece.”
API prompting in AI coders requires instructions, examples, and tokens
“I just said, I, it's basically instructions, examples, token. That's what I do when it's an API. You give an example or you give instructions, like I want you to create an image generator. And because Claude is probably trained on a bunch of GitHub repos, it'l…”
Cursor will support reading web views by the end of 2025
“My prediction is by the end of the year it will, but Cursor doesn't see your web view, and so you need to give it all of the information that you see, and the more correct information you give it, the better.”
Cursor Agent possesses individual technical skills superior to some senior developers
“I think cursor has a lot of individual skills that are better than certain developers, certain senior developers for sure.”
Fully autonomous AI developer tools will build entire apps within two years
“Like Devin's trying to create that right now where like I could just give them this idea for an app and then I could go eat pizza and come back and It's just done after many iterations. And so that is like the full, that's where I think this is ultimately goin…”
Builders maintain an edge through manual iteration over single-prompt ease
“As soon as it's one prompt, then everyone's going to do it and you're going to have a lot more competition. And so you always want to be up against the edge.”
Black Forest Labs Flux Pro is the best image generation model
“This is Black Forest Labs Flux Pro. This is the best model right here, I'm pretty sure. Or at least it's good enough.”
Ideogram is the best AI model for text-in-image generation
“It's called it's called Ideagram, and it's a closed model. It is on Replicate, though and I believe we can just look up. It is the best at adding images with text in them.”
AI-generated simple presentation diagrams represent an uncracked, high-demand market opportunity
“This is actually a one use case that I don't think has been cracked yet, which is the diagram for presentations. Like some of the best presentations I've ever seen in my life are with really clear and simple diagrams that aren't like, you want really simple di…”
Brown chose InstantDB for Yap Thread due to real-time syncing
“For instance, Yap Thread that we're building right now, we're using InstantDB because it was, we thought the best deal, and it's immediate.”
Firebase is significantly easier for backend development than Supabase
“But I think Firebase is by far the easiest to use. Way easier than SupaBase. Many people like SupaBase because it's open source. We've tested both. Firebase is easier.”