Build Your Card App Start free

Every step, in order

Go one step at a time. Each step ends with a check, so you always know it worked before you move on.

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Start with step 1
Your app is for:
Your computer:
Have you used a computer before?
Do you have the Claude app on your computer, with a paid plan (Pro or Max)?
Part 0

Start here Free

What this guide helps you make, what you need, how long it takes, how the guide works, and the safety rules.

  1. 1What this guide helps you make 5 minutes
  2. 2What you need 15 minutes
  3. 3How long it really takes 5 minutes
  4. 4How to use this guide 10 minutes
  5. 5Safety rules before you begin 10 minutes
Part 1

Computer basics Free

Everything you need to know about using your computer and your phone before you meet Claude.

  1. 1Turn on your Mac and sign in Mac only 15 minutes
  2. 2Turn on your PC and sign in Windows only 15 minutes
  3. 3Point and click with the mouse or touchpad Windows only 15 minutes
  4. 4Point and click with the trackpad or mouse Mac only 15 minutes
  5. 5The keyboard and its special keys Windows only 15 minutes
  6. 6The keyboard and its special keys Mac only 15 minutes
  7. 7App windows on a PC: open, move, resize, close Windows only 15 minutes
  8. 8App windows: open, move, resize, close Mac only 15 minutes
  9. 9Find and open apps with the Dock and Spotlight Mac only 10 minutes
  10. 10Find and open apps with the Start menu, search and the taskbar Windows only 10 minutes
  11. 11Files and folders in File Explorer Windows only 15 minutes
  12. 12Files and folders in Finder Mac only 15 minutes
  13. 13Copy, paste and undo Windows only 10 minutes
  14. 14Copy, paste and undo Mac only 10 minutes
  15. 15Your web browser Windows only 15 minutes
  16. 16Your web browser Mac only 15 minutes
  17. 17Download and open a file Windows only 15 minutes
  18. 18Download and open a file Mac only 15 minutes
  19. 19Take a screenshot Windows only 15 minutes
  20. 20Take a screenshot Mac only 15 minutes
  21. 21Your email account Windows only 15 minutes
  22. 22Your email account Mac only 15 minutes
  23. 23Strong passwords and where your PC keeps them Windows only 15 minutes
  24. 24Strong passwords and the Passwords app Mac only 15 minutes
  25. 25Two-step sign-in codes Windows only 15 minutes
  26. 26Two-step sign-in codes Mac only 15 minutes
  27. 27Keep your Mac updated and with free space Mac only 30 minutes
  28. 28Keep your PC updated and with free space Windows only 30 minutes
  29. 29iPhone basics for testing your app iPhone only 20 minutes
  30. 30Android phone basics for testing your app Android only 20 minutes
Part 2

Meet Claude Free

Make a Claude account, learn how to talk with it, and put the Claude app on your computer and your phone.

  1. 1What AI is, and what it isn't 10 minutes
  2. 2Make your Claude account 15 minutes
  3. 3Choose a Claude plan 10 minutes to read, 5 more if you pay today
  4. 4Your first conversation 15 minutes
  5. 5How to ask well 20 minutes
  6. 6Show Claude a picture 15 minutes
  7. 7When Claude is wrong or stuck 15 minutes
  8. 8What never to type into Claude 10 minutes
  9. 9Install the Claude app on your computer and your phone 20 minutes
Part 3

Plan your app Free

Turn a rough idea into a small, clear first version with a one-page plan Claude can build from.

  1. 1Your idea in one sentence 20 minutes
  2. 2Who is it for? 20 minutes
  3. 3Look at similar apps (that's normal) 45 minutes
  4. 4What makes yours different 20 minutes
  5. 5The first version: must-have and later lists 30 minutes
  6. 6Sketch your screens on paper 45 minutes
  7. 7Pick a name 30 minutes
  8. 8Individual or company? Decide early 20 minutes
  9. 9Turn your plan into a plan file with Claude 45 minutes
Part 4

Set up your workshop Free

Open the Code tab, make your project folder, learn how Claude asks permission, pick your rules, make a backup account on GitHub, and let Claude install the building tools.

  1. 1Get your Mac ready Mac only 20 minutes, plus a download that runs on its own
  2. 2Get your PC ready Windows only 20 minutes
  3. 3Open the Code tab in the Claude app 15 minutes
  4. 4Make your project folder Windows only 20 minutes
  5. 5Make your project folder Mac only 20 minutes
  6. 6Understand "Allow?" questions from Claude 15 minutes
  7. 7Run a command Claude gives you 15 minutes
  8. 8Pick your rules and give them to Claude 20 minutes
  9. 9Make a GitHub account for backups 25 minutes
  10. 10Let Claude install the building tools 45 minutes to 1 hour, mostly waiting for downloads
Part 5

Your first screen Free

Ask Claude to start your app, see the first screen on your own phone, change it, back it up, and undo a mistake.

  1. 1Ask Claude to start your app 30 to 45 minutes
  2. 2See it on your phone 30 minutes
  3. 3Change words and colors 30 minutes
  4. 4Save a backup 15 minutes
  5. 5Undo a mistake 20 minutes
  6. 6Your first "it works" checklist 15 minutes
Part 6

Build your card app: your collection Full guide

From the first screen to a working collection app on your phone: exact printings, real card data, search, values, a card page, wishlists, sealed products and slabs, plus a name, an icon, help and a way to report problems.

  1. 1How your app stores a card (the exact printing) Full guide, coming soon
  2. 2Get card data into your app (Claude shows you the options; you pick) Full guide, coming soon
  3. 3Search and add cards Full guide, coming soon
  4. 4Your collection list: conditions, quantities and what you paid Full guide, coming soon
  5. 5Each card's value and your collection total Full guide, coming soon
  6. 6The card page: details, value and price history Full guide, coming soon
  7. 7Wishlists and completing sets Full guide, coming soon
  8. 8Sealed products and graded slabs Full guide, coming soon
  9. 9Your card app so far: the \"it works\" checklist Full guide, coming soon
  10. 10App icon and name Full guide, coming soon
  11. 11A help button on every screen Full guide, coming soon
  12. 12Ask for permissions at the right moment Full guide, coming soon
  13. 13Read an error and fix it with Claude Full guide, coming soon
  14. 14A "Report a problem" button and an error log Full guide, coming soon
  15. 15Make it yours: change anything or add your own features Full guide, coming soon
Part 7

Work safely as it grows Full guide

The habits that keep a growing app safe: switches, testing before anything goes live, locks, backups you check, helpers in moderation, an honest "done", notes, one to-do list, fresh conversations, and watching usage and disk space.

  1. 1On/off switches for new features Full guide, coming soon
  2. 2Test before anything goes live Full guide, coming soon
  3. 3Lock what works Full guide, coming soon
  4. 4Back up after every change Full guide, coming soon
  5. 5Let Claude use helpers (but not too many) Full guide, coming soon
  6. 6Done" means checked: ask what Claude tested Full guide, coming soon
  7. 7Keep notes Claude can read later Full guide, coming soon
  8. 8One to-do list Full guide, coming soon
  9. 9When to start a fresh conversation Full guide, coming soon
  10. 10Several conversations at once (and who goes live) Advanced Full guide, coming soon
  11. 11Watch your Claude usage and your disk space Full guide, coming soon
Part 8

Customer accounts and a server Full guide

Buy your domain, give your app a server and a database, add sign-in with an email code, Apple and Google, keep data in step between phone and computer, and handle secrets, backups and privacy safely.

  1. 1Make a Cloudflare account Full guide, coming soon
  2. 2Buy your domain name first Full guide, coming soon
  3. 3What a server is, in plain words Full guide, coming soon
  4. 4Your app's server and database Full guide, coming soon
  5. 5Store pictures and files (your own copies, small and large) Full guide, coming soon
  6. 6Daily jobs on your server (prices, reminders, tidy-up) Full guide, coming soon
  7. 7Sign in with an email code (that says where it came from) Full guide, coming soon
  8. 8Sign in with Apple and Google (and Apple's "Hide My Email") Full guide, coming soon
  9. 9Passkeys: sign in with Face ID or a fingerprint Advanced Full guide, coming soon
  10. 10Lock the app with Face ID, with a way back in Full guide, coming soon
  11. 11Keep data in step between the phone and the computer Full guide, coming soon
  12. 12Let people delete their account (the stores require it) Full guide, coming soon
  13. 13Back up your customers' data (and never look inside it) Full guide, coming soon
  14. 14Keep secret keys secret Full guide, coming soon
  15. 15Privacy basics: collect less Full guide, coming soon
Part 9

Outside services (APIs) Full guide

What an API is, how to choose an outside service and read its terms, where your app's data comes from, and how to keep the bills small.

  1. 1The services your app will need (an overview, with costs) Full guide, coming soon
  2. 2What an API is, in plain words Full guide, coming soon
  3. 3How to choose a service (a checklist) Full guide, coming soon
  4. 4Read the terms before you build on it Full guide, coming soon
  5. 5Good options for common needs (email, maps, notifications, file storage, crash reports, AI) Full guide, coming soon
  6. 6Card data: where names, sets and numbers come from (options) Full guide, coming soon
  7. 7Card prices: options, how fresh they are, and what you may show Full guide, coming soon
  8. 8Card pictures: where they come from and the copyright rules Full guide, coming soon
  9. 9Scanning cards with the camera (options) Advanced Full guide, coming soon
  10. 10Costs: free tiers, paying per use, and setting limits Full guide, coming soon
  11. 11Have a backup plan if a service changes Full guide, coming soon
Part 10

Your card app: prices, deals and shows Full guide

Licensed prices people can trust, price history for everyone, deals and the customer screen, card show mode, scanning, labels, payments at the table, certificate lookups, a storefront, and the legal check.

  1. 1Prices people can trust (no borrowed prices, estimates, freshness) Full guide, coming soon
  2. 2Price history and "since you got it Full guide, coming soon
  3. 3Deals: buy, sell and trade Full guide, coming soon
  4. 4The customer screen (what stays private) Full guide, coming soon
  5. 5Card show mode Full guide, coming soon
  6. 6Your customers Full guide, coming soon
  7. 7Test your scanner with real photos Advanced Full guide, coming soon
  8. 8Scanning cards into your app Advanced Full guide, coming soon
  9. 9Price labels and QR stickers Advanced Full guide, coming soon
  10. 10Taking card payments at shows iPhone onlyAdvanced Full guide, coming soon
  11. 11Grading certificate lookups Full guide, coming soon
  12. 12A storefront and shareable want lists Advanced Full guide, coming soon
  13. 13Card app legal check (trademarks, credits, data terms) Full guide, coming soon
  14. 14Make it yours: more features of your own Full guide, coming soon
Part 11

Extras that make your app feel premium Full guide

Optional features that make an app feel finished: search, charts, a computer version, team members, sharing in, barcodes, labels, addresses, an opening animation, Lock Screen and Apple Watch extras, Siri, in-person payments, a shop and working offline.

  1. 1Search that finds anything Full guide, coming soon
  2. 2Charts and summaries for your users Full guide, coming soon
  3. 3Use your app on a computer too (from the same code) Full guide, coming soon
  4. 4Team members, roles and approvals Full guide, coming soon
  5. 5Share a photo into your app from other apps Full guide, coming soon
  6. 6Scan barcodes Full guide, coming soon
  7. 7Print labels Full guide, coming soon
  8. 8Maps and addresses that fill themselves in Full guide, coming soon
  9. 9A short opening animation Full guide, coming soon
  10. 10Lock Screen live updates and widgets iPhone onlyAdvanced Full guide, coming soon
  11. 11An Apple Watch app iPhone onlyAdvanced Full guide, coming soon
  12. 12Siri and Apple Intelligence shortcuts iPhone onlyAdvanced Full guide, coming soon
  13. 13Take card payments in person (tap to pay) Advanced Full guide, coming soon
  14. 14A shop inside your app Advanced Full guide, coming soon
  15. 15Works without internet Advanced Full guide, coming soon
Part 12

Developer accounts and testing Full guide

Join Apple's and Google's developer programs, put a real build of your app on your own phone and on your testers' phones, send small fixes as instant updates, and write a "What's new" note for every build.

  1. 1Do you need to pay? Use your app free on your own phone Full guide, coming soon
  2. 2Join the Apple Developer Program iPhone only Full guide, coming soon
  3. 3Individual or company? iPhone only Full guide, coming soon
  4. 4Make your app in App Store Connect iPhone only Full guide, coming soon
  5. 5Pick the oldest iPhone you support iPhone only Full guide, coming soon
  6. 6Your first TestFlight build iPhone only Full guide, coming soon
  7. 7Invite testers on TestFlight iPhone only Full guide, coming soon
  8. 8Use a rented Mac for iPhone builds (Windows PC) iPhone onlyWindows onlyAdvanced Full guide, coming soon
  9. 9Apple's approvals and waiting lists iPhone only Full guide, coming soon
  10. 10Make a Google Play developer account Android only Full guide, coming soon
  11. 11Personal or organization account? Android only Full guide, coming soon
  12. 12Make your app in Play Console Android only Full guide, coming soon
  13. 13Your first Android build Android only Full guide, coming soon
  14. 14Internal testing on Google Play Android only Full guide, coming soon
  15. 15The closed test before launch Android only Full guide, coming soon
  16. 16Instant updates, and what forces a new build Full guide, coming soon
  17. 17A "What's new" note for every build Full guide, coming soon
Part 13

Your website Full guide

Put a simple, honest website on your domain, publish the web version of your app from the same code as the phones, get an email address on your domain, make your emails land in inboxes, and write the privacy policy, terms, support page and help center the stores require.

  1. 1Put your website online Full guide, coming soon
  2. 2Your web app, from the same code as the phone app Full guide, coming soon
  3. 3An email address on your domain (forwarding to your inbox) Full guide, coming soon
  4. 4Sending emails from your domain (so they don't land in spam) Full guide, coming soon
  5. 5Privacy policy and terms Full guide, coming soon
  6. 6A support page and a help center Full guide, coming soon
Part 14

Your owner dashboard Full guide

A private page only you can open, to run the app as a business: customers and plans, free plans and trials, revenue, bug reports with replies, live switches, health checks, writing to customers by hand, and the rule that you see accounts but never what's inside them.

  1. 1Why you need an owner page (and keeping it private) Full guide, coming soon
  2. 2See your customers, their plans and new sign-ups Full guide, coming soon
  3. 3Give someone a plan for free, or a longer trial Full guide, coming soon
  4. 4Revenue at a glance (what counts and what doesn't) Full guide, coming soon
  5. 5Bug reports: read, fix, reply, and tell the sender Full guide, coming soon
  6. 6Live switches: turn features on and off without an update Full guide, coming soon
  7. 7Health checks: errors, usage and costs in one place Full guide, coming soon
  8. 8Write to your customers (by hand, with care) Full guide, coming soon
  9. 9You see accounts, never what's inside them Full guide, coming soon
Part 15

Getting paid Full guide

Business basics, the stores' rules for charging inside apps, in-app purchases on iPhone and Android, payments on your website, prices and a free trial, test purchases without real money, and a safety check before you charge anyone.

  1. 1Business basics (ask a professional) Full guide, coming soon
  2. 2Apple's rules for charging inside apps iPhone only Full guide, coming soon
  3. 3Set up in-app purchases on iPhone iPhone only Full guide, coming soon
  4. 4Google Play's rules for charging inside apps Android only Full guide, coming soon
  5. 5Set up in-app purchases on Android Android only Full guide, coming soon
  6. 6Payments on your website (options compared) Full guide, coming soon
  7. 7Choose prices and a free trial Full guide, coming soon
  8. 8Test a purchase without real money Full guide, coming soon
  9. 9A safety check before you charge anyone Full guide, coming soon
Part 16

Grow your app Full guide

Free trials with a reminder before they end, a free launch period you can switch off, invite rewards, creator codes, notifications and emails people want, a What's new screen, ratings, finding your first customers by hand, and adding features safely after launch.

  1. 1Free trials, and a reminder before they end Full guide, coming soon
  2. 2A free launch period, and the day it ends Full guide, coming soon
  3. 3Invite-a-friend rewards Full guide, coming soon
  4. 4Creator and affiliate codes Advanced Full guide, coming soon
  5. 5Notifications people actually want Full guide, coming soon
  6. 6The emails your app sends (codes, receipts, reminders) Full guide, coming soon
  7. 7A "What's new" screen in the app Full guide, coming soon
  8. 8Ratings and reviews Full guide, coming soon
  9. 9Finding your first customers (by hand) Full guide, coming soon
  10. 10Keep adding features after launch (the same way, safely) Full guide, coming soon
Part 17

Launch in the stores Full guide

Make your store pages, re-check your legal pages and privacy answers against the real app, give the reviewers a test account, submit to the App Store and Google Play, handle a no, and release on a day you choose.

  1. 1Screenshots and description Full guide, coming soon
  2. 2Re-check your privacy policy and terms Full guide, coming soon
  3. 3App Privacy answers iPhone only Full guide, coming soon
  4. 4A test account for the reviewers (never your own) Full guide, coming soon
  5. 5Submit to the App Store iPhone only Full guide, coming soon
  6. 6If Apple says no iPhone only Full guide, coming soon
  7. 7Store listing and Data safety form Android only Full guide, coming soon
  8. 8Content rating and target audience Android only Full guide, coming soon
  9. 9Submit to Google Play Android only Full guide, coming soon
  10. 10If Google says no Android only Full guide, coming soon
  11. 11Release day Full guide, coming soon
Part 18

After launch Full guide

Run your app as a living thing: answer every bug report, ship small updates often and safely, listen to your first users, tell more people, and keep the monthly costs in sight.

  1. 1Bug reports and replies Full guide, coming soon
  2. 2Updates: small and often Full guide, coming soon
  3. 3Listen to your first users Full guide, coming soon
  4. 4Tell people about your app Full guide, coming soon
  5. 5Keep an eye on costs Full guide, coming soon