The Building Blocks of AI
Everything I build uses the same core components. Before we work together, it helps to understand what they are and why they matter.
This isn't a comprehensive technical guide. Just enough to understand the landscape. When you're ready to build something real, let's talk.
Claude Code
AI that writes and runs code for you
Claude Code is Anthropic's command-line tool that turns conversation into action. You describe what you want, and it reads your files, writes code, and executes commands. It's not just answering questions. It's actually doing the work.
Think of it as having a developer on call 24/7. "Create a script that processes my sales data and sends me a daily summary." Done. "Build a web form that captures leads and adds them to my CRM." Done. You don't need to know how to code. You just need to know what you want.
The real power comes from context. Claude Code understands your entire project: your file structure, your existing code, your patterns. It builds on what's there rather than starting from scratch every time.
Key Points
- →Works in your terminal, on your actual files
- →Remembers context within a session
- →Can execute commands, not just suggest them
- →No coding knowledge required, just clear instructions
n8n
Visual workflow automation
n8n is an open-source automation platform that connects your apps and services visually. Instead of writing code to make things talk to each other, you drag and drop nodes on a canvas and draw connections between them.
When something happens in one system, n8n can trigger actions in another. New email arrives? Extract the data, add it to a spreadsheet, send a Slack notification, and create a task. All automatically. It's the glue that makes your tools work together.
Unlike Zapier or Make, n8n can run on your own server. You own the workflows, you control the data, and you're not paying per task. For complex automations, this makes a massive difference.
Key Points
- →Visual drag-and-drop interface
- →Connects hundreds of apps and services
- →Self-hosted option - you own everything
- →Powerful enough for complex business logic
Model Context Protocol (MCP)
Connect AI to your data sources
MCP is Anthropic's open protocol for connecting AI to external tools and data. Without it, you're constantly copy-pasting information into ChatGPT. With it, Claude can directly access your Google Drive, databases, APIs, and more.
Think of MCP as giving AI "hands" to reach into your systems. Instead of you finding the document and pasting its contents, Claude can search your Drive, find the right file, and read it directly. Instead of you looking up customer data, Claude can query your CRM.
This is what separates a chatbot from a genuine assistant. The AI isn't just responding to what you give it. It's actively pulling in the context it needs to actually help you.
Key Points
- →Connects Claude to your existing tools
- →Google Drive, Notion, databases, APIs
- →AI can search and retrieve on its own
- →Open standard, not locked to one vendor
Vector Databases
Give AI a memory
Traditional databases store rows and columns. Vector databases store meaning. When you save a document, it's converted into a mathematical representation of what it's about. When you search, you're finding things that are semantically similar, not just keyword matches.
This is how AI "remembers" things. Your meeting notes, your documents, your emails, all stored in a way that AI can search by meaning. "Find me everything related to the Johnson deal" works even if "Johnson" isn't in the text.
Without vector databases, every AI conversation starts from zero. With them, you're building a knowledge base that compounds over time. The AI gets smarter about your business because it has access to everything you've ever worked on.
Key Points
- →Search by meaning, not just keywords
- →AI can "remember" your documents
- →Knowledge compounds over time
- →Essential for personalised AI systems
Why This Matters
These aren't separate tools
They're building blocks that work together. Claude Code orchestrates. n8n automates. MCP connects. Vector databases remember. Combined, they create systems that were impossible a year ago.
You don't need to master all of them
Start with one. Get a win. Then add another. I spent months going down this rabbit hole so you don't have to figure it out alone.
This is just the beginning
These explanations will give you a foundation. But building a system that actually fits how you work? That's where I come in.
Ready to Go Deeper?
Now you understand the building blocks. When you're ready to assemble them into a system that actually fits how you work, let's have a conversation.
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