# Prompt to Build a Next.js AI Tool Directory > AI agent prompt to build a searchable Next.js AI tool directory with MDX data files, category filters, and static generation. **Type:** Prompt **Tools:** Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, Windsurf **Stack:** Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind **Difficulty:** medium **Updated:** 2026-06-08 --- Give this prompt to your agent to build a statically generated, SEO-friendly directory of AI tools with category filtering, client-side search, and a detail page per tool — without it reaching for a database when flat MDX files are sufficient. ## Main Prompt ```txt title="Main Prompt" You are building a new Next.js 15 App Router project using TypeScript and Tailwind CSS v4. Task: build an AI tool directory site. Data model — each tool is a `.mdx` file in `src/data/tools/` with this frontmatter: name, slug, tagline, description, category, website, pricing ('free'|'freemium'|'paid'), tags (string[]), logo (relative path to public/). Requirements: - `src/lib/tools.ts`: read all MDX files at build time using `fs` + `gray-matter`; export `getAllTools()` returning `Tool[]` and `getToolBySlug(slug)` returning `Tool | undefined`. - `src/app/page.tsx`: static page showing a grid of `` components. - A `` client component that filters by category using URL search params (`?category=writing`). Use `useSearchParams` — no external state library. - A `` client component that does client-side substring match on name and tagline using `useSearchParams` (`?q=cursor`). - `src/app/tools/[slug]/page.tsx`: static detail page with `generateStaticParams` and `generateMetadata`. Include og:title, og:description, og:image (the tool logo). - `src/app/categories/[category]/page.tsx`: static list filtered by category. - Seed data: create 5 real AI coding tools as MDX files (Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Codeium, Tabnine) with accurate free/paid info. - Do NOT use a database, Contentlayer, or next-mdx-remote. Use `gray-matter` + `fs` only. Stop and list all planned files before writing code. ``` ## Implementation Notes - `getAllTools()` must only run server-side; calling it in a Client Component will expose `fs` to the browser and crash the build. Pass data as props to client components. - `generateStaticParams` for `[slug]` should call `getAllTools()` and map to `{ slug }` objects. - For category pages, derive the category list from the tools data rather than hard-coding it. ## Expected File Changes ```txt src/lib/tools.ts (new) src/app/page.tsx (new) src/app/tools/[slug]/page.tsx (new) src/app/categories/[category]/page.tsx (new) src/components/ToolCard.tsx (new) src/components/CategoryFilter.tsx (new — Client) src/components/SearchBar.tsx (new — Client) src/data/tools/cursor.mdx (new) src/data/tools/github-copilot.mdx (new) src/data/tools/claude-code.mdx (new) src/data/tools/codeium.mdx (new) src/data/tools/tabnine.mdx (new) ``` ## Acceptance Criteria - `bun run build` exits 0 and generates a static page for each tool slug. - Clicking a category filter updates the URL and filters the grid without a full reload. - Each tool detail page has unique `og:title` and `og:description` in the HTML ``. - Searching for "cursor" shows only the Cursor card. ## Test Commands ```bash bun run typecheck bun run build bun run start curl -s http://localhost:3000/tools/cursor | grep 'og:title' # navigate to /?category=writing and confirm filter ``` ## Common AI Mistakes - Calling `getAllTools()` inside a Client Component, breaking the build with a `fs` module error. - Forgetting `generateStaticParams` on the `[slug]` page, causing 404s in static export. - Using `next-mdx-remote` when the prompt explicitly bans it. - Hard-coding the category list instead of deriving it from tool data. ## Fix Prompt ```txt title="Fix Prompt" The build fails because `fs` is used in a client component, or static pages are not generated. Fix in order: 1. Move `getAllTools()` to a Server Component and pass the `tools` array as a prop to `CategoryFilter` and `SearchBar`. 2. Add `export async function generateStaticParams()` to `src/app/tools/[slug]/page.tsx`. 3. Confirm `gray-matter` is installed: `bun add gray-matter`. Show only the corrected diff. ```