Build your own Snapchat with Claude Code

A disappearing photo messaging app: camera-first screen, send snaps that vanish after viewing, stories for 24 hours and more.

1–2 weeksMore screens, accounts and a backend

The Claude Code prompt

Build my own take on Snapchat: a disappearing photo messaging app. Give it an original name, logo, colours and copy, and do not use Snapchat's name, branding or assets.

Version one should have:
- Camera-first screen
- Send snaps that vanish after viewing
- Stories for 24 hours
- Friends list and streaks
- Simple filters and stickers

The hard part: Making things actually disappear. Delete media from storage on view and on expiry with a scheduled job.

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: camera-first screen, 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

  • Camera-first screen
  • Send snaps that vanish after viewing
  • Stories for 24 hours
  • Friends list and streaks
  • Simple filters and stickers

The hard part

Making things actually disappear. Delete media from storage on view and on expiry with a scheduled job.

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

More to build

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