Reddit user shares experience with AI agent building a Next.js project overnight

A developer on the r/openclaw subreddit shared their experience giving an AI agent an open-ended task to build a project from scratch overnight. The goal was to create a setup guide for non-technical users.

What the AI agent handled successfully

• Scaffolding a Next.js project and writing content
• Git commits, pushing to GitHub, and wiring up Vercel for deployment
• Iterating on design when provided with feedback

Where human intervention was required

• Every single account signup process (CAPTCHAs, phone verification, etc.)
• DNS configuration
• Stripe setup — the agent couldn't access the dashboard

The developer noted they learned "a ton about what these agents are actually good at vs where they still need hand-holding." They ended their post by asking the community what kinds of projects others have tried with their agents, and what worked versus what flopped.

This type of experiment is becoming more common as developers explore the practical limits of AI coding agents. While agents excel at structured coding tasks and following established workflows, they still struggle with tasks requiring human verification, external account access, or complex system configuration that involves third-party services.