DOCS / Tools / Tech stack § Tools THE TECH STACK What the platform is actually built on.
Build Tool Role Why Claude Code Strategic engineering & planning Opus + Sonnet + Haiku. Multi-file refactors, architecture, agent orchestration, copy. Cursor Daily IDE Where code actually gets written. Tab-complete + inline edits, alongside Claude Code.
Host Tool Surface What runs there Vercel paythedolls.comNext.js storefront. Every public page, every API route, the docs hub you're reading. Shopify shop.paythedolls.comSTuDiØ ZØ's original store. Source of truth for in-house product fulfillment.
Commerce Tool Layer Role Medusa Commerce engine Headless. Products, carts, orders, customers, regions, taxes. The substrate. Mercur Multi-vendor on top of Medusa Sellers, vendor panel, payout routing. Turns one store into a marketplace. Stripe Payments + payouts Connect Express. Destination charges drive the tiered split at capture.
How it fits together BUILD HOST COMMERCE
───── ──── ────────
Claude Code ─┐
├─▶ Vercel (storefront) ─▶ Medusa ─┐
Cursor ─┘ + Mercur ├─▶ Stripe Connect
┘ (tiered split)
─▶ Shopify (legacy storefront)Why this stack: every tool is either open-source (Medusa, Mercur) or has a real free / hobby tier (Vercel, Shopify dev, Stripe pay-as-you-go). The platform can run on near-zero fixed cost. So the fee funds the build and the DØLLs keep more, instead of feeding cloud bills.