Episode
How to build your own AI developer tools with Claude Code | CJ Hess (Tenex)
- Podcast
- How I AI
- Published
- Feb 9, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3187
- Processing state
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Summary
CJ Hess is a software engineer at Tenex who has built some of the most useful tools and workflows for being a “real AI engineer.” In this episode, CJ demonstrates his custom-built tool, Flowy, that transforms Claude’s ASCII diagrams into interactive visual mockups and flowcharts. He also shares his process for using model-to-model comparison to ensure that his AI-generated code is high-quality, and why he believes we’re just at the beginning of a revolution in how developers interact with AI. What you’ll learn: How CJ built Flowy, a custom visual planning tool that converts JSON files into interactive mockups and flowcharts Why visual planning tools are more effective than ASCII diagrams for complex UI and animation workflows How to create and use Claude Code skills to extend your development environment Using model-to-model comparison (Claude + Codex) to improve code quality How to build your own ecosystem of tools around Claude Code The value of bypassing permissions in controlled environments to speed up development — Brought to you by: Orkes —The enterprise platform for reliable applications and agentic workflows Rovo —AI that knows your business — Detailed workflow walkthroughs from this episode: • How I AI: CJ Hess on Building Custom Dev Tools and Model-vs-Model Code Reviews: https://www.chatprd.ai/how-i-ai/cj-hess-tenex-custom-dev-tools-and-model-vs-model-code-reviews • Implement Model-vs-Model AI Code Reviews for Quality Control: https://www.chatprd.ai/how-i-ai/workflows/implement-model-vs-model-ai-code-reviews-for-quality-control • Develop Features with AI Using Custom Visual Planning Tools: https://www.chatprd.ai/how-i-ai/workflows/develop-features-with-ai-using-custom-visual-planning-tools — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Introduction to CJ Hess (02:48)…