How I build: five agents, one engineer in charge
Years of building mobile apps with Claude, turned into a pipeline: a scope agent, a design agent, a build agent, a test agent and a release agent. They do the volume; I review every step and make every call that matters.
From your idea to TestFlight
Every stage has something you can see, and something you decide.
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01Scope agent
Your idea, split into an MVP and later versions
We go through what you want to build. The scope agent turns it into a one-page plan: what's in the first version, what waits for version two, and what each screen has to do.
- You
- Agree what's in the MVP.
- You get
- A one-page plan and a fixed price.
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02Design agent
A real design system, not loose mock-ups
Using the prompts and settings I've refined over years of building apps with Claude, the design agent designs the app the way a product designer works in Figma: a theme with colours, type, spacing, corner radius and motion, saved as design tokens, then every screen built from those tokens.
- You
- Choose the fonts, colours and style. Nothing is locked until you say so.
- You get
- The design system and every screen of the MVP.
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03Prototype
A clickable app on your phone within hours
The approved design becomes a working prototype that opens in Expo Go on your own phone. It scrolls, taps and navigates like the real app, because it's built the same way, not a web page pretending to be one.
- You
- Tap through it and tell me what to change.
- You get
- A prototype you can share with your co-founder or investors.
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04Build agent
The real app, in the same proven structure every time
The design and its tokens move as they are into my build agent, set up specifically for Expo and React Native. Every app gets the same structure: screens by feature, a shared component kit, data fetching, error handling and animations already in place. No colour or size is typed by hand; everything comes from the tokens.
- You
- Test a new build on your phone as it grows.
- You get
- Daily builds and a short daily update.
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05Test agent
Every screen measured against the design
The test agent runs the unit tests and Maestro flows on iOS simulators and Android emulators, then renders every screen and measures it pixel by pixel against its design. Any screen more than 2% off is flagged and goes back to the build agent with the exact difference highlighted. You see the numbers, including the screens that are still off.
- You
- Read the test results, screen by screen.
- You get
- A report: each screen, design versus app, and how far off it is.
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06Release agent
On your phone through TestFlight in 1–2 days
Once the tests pass, the release agent builds the app with Expo and uploads it to App Store Connect and Google Play, in your accounts, where I'm added as a developer. You get it through TestFlight and Play internal testing, usually within 1–2 days of the build being ready.
- You
- Install it from TestFlight and use it like a customer.
- You get
- The app on real phones, in your store accounts.
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07Iterate
Connect the backend, sign-in and payments, and keep improving
Now we connect your backend APIs, sign-in and payments, and iterate. Because it's an Expo app, most changes reach your phone as an over-the-air update in minutes, with no reinstall. Changes to native code, permissions or SDKs still go out as a new store build, and I'll tell you which is which before we start.
- You
- Review each update and decide what's next.
- You get
- A live app and a release you can repeat.
The agents do the volume. I make the calls.
- Turning scope into a plan
- Screens from the design system
- The app's code, in a set structure
- Tests, and measuring screens against the design
- Builds and store uploads
- Routine fixes
- What goes in the MVP
- Architecture and data
- Security and data access rules
- Reviewing every change
- Store strategy
- Talking to you
What the pipeline doesn't promise
No app is bug-free
The pipeline catches design drift and broken flows before you see them. Real users still find things; when they do, most fixes reach phones the same day.
Simulators, not a device farm (yet)
Today the test agent runs on iOS simulators and Android emulators, and the design check measures screens at one phone size. Real devices in a device cloud, across many sizes, is the next step I'm adding.
Apple decides review times
TestFlight builds are usually ready in 1–2 days. The first App Store review of a new app can take longer, and I can't control it.
Not every update is over the air
Screen and logic changes go over the air. New permissions, native libraries or SDK upgrades need a new store build.
See it on your app.
Bring your idea or your half-built app. In 48 hours you'll know what the pipeline would build first, and what it costs.
Audit fee credited to your build · NDA on request
- A plain-English verdict: keep, fix or rebuild the risky parts
- Every issue ranked: what could lose you money or users first
- A backend and review check: data rules, exposed keys, payment webhooks, and Apple's and Google's top rejection reasons
- A fixed price to get you live
Credited to your buildFree · no call needed