---
title: "amply-starter-astro case study"
description: "Case study: the Astro starter for Amply's three-tier stack, planned with a written spec and built with Claude Code, with the checks built in."
source: https://solomid.tech/work/amply-starter-astro/
last_updated: 2026-10-07T20:57:08Z
---

Case study

# amply-starter-astro: a starting point with the rules built in

A starter for the code tier of Amply's stack. Every new Astro project begins with the same components, conventions and checks.

## In short

I planned and built the Astro starter for Amply's three-tier stack (Webflow, Astro, Next.js), using a written spec and Claude Code. I maintain it.

- **Role**: Planned, built and maintain it
- **Client**: Amply (internal)
- **Stack**: Astro, Tailwind v4, shadcn islands
- **Built with**: Claude Code, from a planning document
- **Year**: 2026

01 / PROBLEM

## Problem

Amply works in three tiers: Webflow, Astro and Next.js. Webflow projects already started from a shared base, the Webflow Project Starter. The Astro tier had no equivalent, so each code project set up its own structure and rules.

02 / APPROACH

## Approach

Six steps, in order.

1. 01
   ### Plan before code
   A written planning document set the stack, folder structure and conventions first.
2. 02
   ### Bootstrap with Claude Code
   A detailed bootstrap prompt let the agent build the starter from the plan, step by step.
3. 03
   ### Static by default, interactive by exception
   Astro renders HTML on the server. Tailwind v4 handles styles. shadcn components load as islands only where a page needs interaction.
4. 04
   ### Guardrails kit
   Lint, type checks, accessibility checks, layout checks at five widths, token and contrast gates, a launch preflight and a robots policy. They run before every commit and in CI.
5. 05
   ### Markdown twins and llms.txt
   Every build writes a Markdown copy of each key page and an llms.txt map from the built HTML.
6. 06
   ### Roll out to the team
   I presented the Astro and Webflow starters together at an Amply all-hands, as proof of the three-tier stack.

Markdown content goes through the Astro build and the guardrails, then ships as HTML, a Markdown twin and llms.txt

_Fig. 1 One source, three outputs. Nothing ships unless the guardrails pass._

03 / RESULT

## Result

What is true today. Numbers come when they are measured.

- **Live test**: solomid.tech is built on the starter, as a live test of the stack and the ideas.

04 / STACK

## Stack

Stack

| Layer | Choice | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Framework | Astro | Server-rendered HTML with no JavaScript by default |
| Styles | Tailwind v4 | Utility classes that agents and people write the same way |
| Components | shadcn islands | Accessible components, loaded only where needed |
| Build agent | Claude Code | Built the starter from the planning document |
| Checks | Lint, types, axe, layout, preflight | Rules enforced by tools, not by memory |