Rachel Cantor

React's whole promise was to be declarative and tree-like, but useEffect quietly reintroduced the timeline, and most codebases leaned into it. Moves like banning useEffect aren't just about agents. They're about closing the gap between what React promised and how it's actually...

Here's the tl;dr on how I handle feature development using Cursor as a solo dev:

1. Pick a feature and use the plan tool with blocking/non-blocking tasks in mind

2. Ask Cursor to analyze the plan for gaps in logic and unintended consequences

3. Use Cursor Composer to execute tasks...

Building RecipeCast solo meant I was my own QA, accessibility expert, and code reviewer. I needed AI to remember my preferences without me repeating them constantly. See how I use Cursor rules to ship consistent code: https://rachel.fyi/posts/say-less-with-cursor-rules/

When Google deprecated the Cookbook feature on Nest Hub, I was frustrated — I'd invested in several for my kitchen based on the promise of voice-guided recipes. So, I built RecipeCast — a browser-based app that lets you cast any recipe to your Nest Hub, Chromecast, or smart TV.

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