built a full stack app in just 2 afternoons using tavily api credits and a boilerplate template. combined it with my apex spec system to break work into phases, sessions, specs, and task checklists with validation gates so ai stayed on track. ended up with fastapi backend, react frontend, postgres, auth, crud, and tavily operations all production ready in about 15k lines of code. key takeaway is ai works best when scope is clear, steps are structured, and progress is traceable, not when you just wing it.