AI Rebuilt Photoshop in 42 Hours — Here's How to Copy the Method (Free)

AI rebuilt Photoshop in 42 hours: one developer working with Claude took a free Photoshop look-alike, PhotoCraft (not Adobe's Photoshop, not Adobe's code), from first commit to v0.1.0 in 41 h 57 min. Eight days later its own scorecard said ~45% ready for real work, down from 82%. Here's the method you can copy, free.

Every figure is from a primary document (sources below). Clean-room is the project's own claim, not a court ruling. Download ArtCraft apps only from the official storytold GitHub releases or getartcraft.com, and check every file against SHA256SUMS.txt; copycat 'official free download' repos exist.

STEAL THESE 5 TRICKS
1. A one-page AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md your agent reads first
2. A one-line handoff in a dev log at the end of every session
3. Parallel agents: own build folder, own files, atomic config writes (temp file, then mv)
4. A measured checklist with a floor that never drops (count behaviour, not wiring)
5. Drive the apps from an agent via CLI/MCP, fenced to read/write folders, on copies

🎁 FREE STARTER KIT: run the whole method yourself
https://github.com/fayaz1010/clean-room-starter
A ready AGENTS.md rules file, a worked 2048-style behaviour spec, a parity checklist with a ratchet floor, a one-line devlog, a robot judge that scores the game, and one command (./run.sh) that loops any coding agent, including free OpenRouter models (IDs ending in :free are limited to 20 requests a minute and 50 a day under 10 purchased credits). Clean-room means behaviour only: never give the agent original code or assets. The original 2048 is MIT-licensed (Gabriele Cirulli, 2014).

CHAPTERS
00:00 42 hours, 45% ready
00:59 What you'd download
01:51 The 42-hour clock
03:11 Why you can't trust 82%
04:33 The fee you pay to leave
05:49 Is this legal for you?
07:07 Can your free AI do this?
08:09 Steal these 5 tricks
10:03 What I think it means for you

SOURCES AND SECTION REFERENCES
GitHub API (photocraft first commit; photocraft re): https://api.github.com/repos/storytold/photocraft
PhotoCraft parity doc (Headline (2026-10-10); Headline · para): https://github.com/storytold/photocraft/blob/main/docs/target-app-parity.md
PhotoCraft README (tagline · licence badge · trademark no): https://github.com/storytold/photocraft/blob/main/README.md
PhotoCraft AGENTS.md (s.1 Orientation · s.3 Golden rules · s): https://github.com/storytold/photocraft/blob/main/AGENTS.md
WordCraft CLAUDE.md (Start every session here + Assets + Cl): https://github.com/storytold/wordcraft/blob/main/CLAUDE.md
WordCraft README (For agents: CLI and MCP): https://github.com/storytold/wordcraft/blob/main/README.md
WordCraft ROADMAP (Why not beta): https://github.com/storytold/wordcraft/blob/main/ROADMAP.md
Hacker News (item 49928088 · 2026-10-01 23:05 UTC): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49928088
Hacker News (item 49934844 · 2026-10-02 15:47 UTC): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49934844
Hacker News (item 50029110 · 2026-10-10 03:01 UTC): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50029110
Hacker News (item 49959605 · 2026-10-05 01:04 UTC): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49959605
Hacker News (item 50029182 · 2026-10-10 03:13 UTC): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50029182
Department of Justice release (para 1; para 1-2; para 5; para 4 (US A): https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/adobe-agrees-150-million-settlement-and-injunction-resolve-alleged-violations-restore-online
Federal Trade Commission release (para 1-2; ETF paragraph; para 3 (Samue): https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/06/ftc-takes-action-against-adobe-executives-hiding-fees-preventing-consumers-easily-cancelling
The Register (company responses; Neil Brown · decode): https://www.theregister.com/software/2026/10/08/rust-upstart-reveals-reimplementation-of-microsoft-office-with-claude-on-coding-duty/5301952
ArtCraft pricing page (plans; footnote): https://getartcraft.com/pricing
ArtCraft apps page (apps list): https://getartcraft.com/apps
OpenRouter docs (Rate limits: Free usage limits): https://openrouter.ai/docs/api/reference/limits
2048 licence (LICENSE.txt): https://github.com/gabrielecirulli/2048/blob/master/LICENSE.txt

Narration: AI clone of the creator's voice. Six generic b-roll shots are AI-generated (Google Flow, Veo 3.1), only on lines with no sourced claim; the rest is Pexels/Pixabay stock and our own page captures. PhotoCraft is not affiliated with Adobe; Photoshop is Adobe's trademark.

#AI #Claude #Photoshop