Build your own Craigslist with Claude Code

Local classified ads: post ads by category, browse by city, anonymous email relay and more.

WeekendA working first version in a day or two

The Claude Code prompt

Build my own take on Craigslist: local classified ads. Give it an original name, logo, colours and copy, and do not use Craigslist's name, branding or assets.

Version one should have:
- Post ads by category
- Browse by city
- Anonymous email relay
- Flagging
- Expiry

The hard part: Spam. Add rate limits and moderation.

How to build it:
1. Read this folder first. If it is empty, set up Next.js (App Router, TypeScript, Tailwind) with Postgres through Prisma or Supabase, and Supabase Auth or Auth.js for sign-in. Write a short PLAN.md with the data model, screens, third-party services and what you are leaving out of version one.
2. Build the core loop end to end before anything else: post ads by category, working with real data saved to the database.
3. Add the rest of the features one at a time, and seed realistic demo data so every screen looks alive.
4. Keep API keys in environment variables, and put any paid service behind a small interface with a local stub, so the app runs on a fresh machine without accounts.
5. Run it, click through every screen on desktop and mobile widths, fix what breaks, and finish with a summary of what works, what is stubbed and how to deploy it.

Paste it into Claude Code in an empty folder. It plans first, so read PLAN.md and steer before it starts building.

Version one

  • Post ads by category
  • Browse by city
  • Anonymous email relay
  • Flagging
  • Expiry

The hard part

Spam. Add rate limits and moderation.

Make it yours: a niche Craigslist ignores, an original name and brand, and one feature it does badly done well.

More to build

More in Marketplaces & shopping · Every build idea