Claude Code - is it better than Cursor?

Description

This video walks through a real-world experiment with agent-first development using Claude Code from the terminal, building a full Convex-backed app from scratch without opening an IDE. From YouTube and X API ingestion to AI-driven parsing, auth, and admin tooling, it explores how far cloud-native, agentic coding workflows have actually come. From a developer experience perspective, the video breaks down what works well in Claude Code CLI. Plugin installation, plan mode, tool calling, and rapid iteration speed stand out, especially for greenfield projects. It also highlights where terminal-based agent workflows struggle compared to IDE-centric tools like Cursor, particularly around discoverability, interaction design, model switching, and cost control. The second half offers a candid critique of agentic development ergonomics, token economics, and workflow friction, alongside reflections on what these tools mean for developers and DX engineers heading into 2026. This video is aimed at experienced developers evaluating AI-first coding tools, agent workflows, and the trade-offs between CLI and IDE-based approaches. Timestamps [00:00] First impressions of Cloud Code [00:05] Building a full app from scratch with an agent [00:39] Initial issues and terminal friction [00:58] Why this experiment started [01:21] AI-first development anxiety [01:55] Opus 4.5 and agent-first workflows [02:15] Avoiding philosophy, focusing on tooling [02:25] Why Claude Code hadn’t been tried before [02:53] Installing and starting Claude Code [03:10] What Claude Code does well [03:39] Plugins and extensibility [04:09] Browser, Convex MCP, and built-in plugins [05:14] Plan mode and collaborative problem solving [06:09] Agent intelligence and tool usage [07:12] CLI speed and workflow advantages [07:36] Transition to dislikes and limitations [07:52] Why terminal UIs fall short [08:25] Mouse and text interaction problems [09:36] Screenshots, multiline input, and UX gaps [10:07] Model switching and message queue issues [11:21] Token usage and cost breakdown [12:46] Reviewing the generated code (kind of) [13:14] Writing Convex code without rules files [13:55] What agentic dev means going forward [14:31] Thoughts on Ralph Wiggin and Kanban coding [15:01] Closing thoughts Resources - Mikes Convex Portfolio: https://mikes-convex-portfolio.mikeysee.workers.dev/ - My existential crisis post: https://x.com/mikeysee/status/2008348189922136181?s=20 Hashtags #ai #agenticcoding #claudecode #convex #dx #developerexperience #clouddevelopment #aicoding #cli #softwareengineering #llm #vibecoding