Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats

Full Stack Developers Wes Bos and Scott Tolinski dive deep into web development topics, explaining how they work and talking about their own experiences. They cover from JavaScript frameworks like React, to the latest advancements in CSS to simplifying web tooling.
Website : https://syntax.fm
IPFS Feed : https://ipfspodcasting.net/RSS/166/Syntax-TastyWebDevelopmentTreats.xml
Last Episode : July 30, 2025 11:00am
Last Scanned : 5.9 hours ago

Episodes
Episodes currently hosted on IPFS.

Wes and Scott talk about local-first sync engines—why they matter, what makes apps feel fast, and which platforms stand out. From LiveStore to Convex to Instant DB, they break down the pros and cons of each and debate what the “next React” might look like in a local-first future.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
01:52 Intro to local data: what makes apps feel fast
05:08 Could the next React be a local-first sync engine?
08:23 LiveStore
18:01 Zero
21:58 Instant DB
24:18 Brought to you by Sentry.io
24:43 Convex
27:54 ElectricSQL
29:48 PowerSync and PartyKit
30:51 Choosing the right sync engine
40:34 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs
Sick Picks
Scott: Rummikub
Wes: Headphone covers
Shameless Plugs
Syntax YouTube Channel
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Expires in 30 hours
Published Wednesday

Confirmed 3
Scott and Wes share their top strategies for getting high-quality results from AI coding tools like Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT, and Windsurf. From better prompting to building reusable rule sets, they cover practical tips for making AI your most productive coding partner.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
Wes' Tweet
02:56 How to get the best results when using AI.
03:15 Scaffold it out yourself.
05:40 Be clear with your prompts.
07:45 Use XML tags around specific items
08:47 Utilize Rules like Cursor rules or Copilot rules.
13:20 Ask it to create some rules based on an existing codebase.
16:03 Break things down into clear concise actionable items.
17:22 Where to store your rules files.
18:37 Utilizing llm.txt files.
19:24 Context7.
20:28 Tag relevant files, functions, etc.
21:38 Feed logs back into the AI.
22:36 Logging Errors.
22:54 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
24:14 Long running chats get worse.
Wes' Tweet
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Published Monday

Wes and Scott talk about how developers can expose powerful tools to AI using the Model Context Protocol. They discuss tool calling, remote MCP specs, authentication, and real-world use cases that make AI more capable through smarter integrations.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
01:36 What is MCP?
07:23 MCP tools
11:33 MCP resources
13:43 Saving reusable prompts
16:18 Creating and validating MCP tools
18:31 Brought to you by Sentry.io
18:31 Tool calling vs MCP servers
21:28 Remote vs local MCP servers
mcp-remote
26:24 Useful MCP servers
mcp-server-cloudflare
use-mcp
awesome-mcp-servers
32:48 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs
Sick Picks
Scott: Mario Kart World
Wes: anyloop Kid’s Watch
Shameless Plugs
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Published 07/16

Scott and Wes recap the current state of web authentication and explore how Better Auth simplifies the whole process. With built-in plugins, modern features, and no need to hand-roll your own solution, Better Auth makes secure login a breeze for developers.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
00:59 Scott’s history with authentication.
02:05 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
03:15 My opinion has changed on auth.
04:40 Current authentication options.
06:32 Arctic.
06:56 OpenAUTH.
07:36 Auth.js.
08:02 Better Auth.
10:45 Better Auth CLI.
11:37 Email integration.
12:09 Hooks and Tokens.
13:43 CAPTCHA Integration.
14:36 Database Integration.
15:04 Integrations.
15:19 Plugin Ecosystem.
17:40 Admin features.
19:41 The Docs.
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Published 07/14

Wes and Scott talk with Loïc Houssier about how Superhuman builds lightning-fast, delightfully-designed email software. They dig into engineering philosophy, offline-first architecture, local databases, AI-powered productivity, and what it takes to create tools that people love.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
03:05 Inside Superhuman and Loïc’s role
06:49 Is Superhuman native? What’s the tech stack?
08:16 How Superhuman approaches product design and speed
12:17 Local-first architecture – Sync, storage, and performance
Realm
13:46 Vector search, AI, and privacy considerations
18:12 How the team ships fast and stays focused
21:27 Rethinking email for the future
26:54 Brought to you by Sentry.io
27:19 How calendar integration and smart features work
29:54 Where new ideas come from
31:54 Will there ever be a true dark mode?
33:02 Are people actually using keyboard shortcuts?
36:42 How shortcuts work and the role of the command palette
41:28 Engineering for speed – Costs and trade-offs
43:32 How Superhuman’s sync engine works
46:09 What code runs locally and what runs on the server?
46:51 How Superhuman handled the Google and Cloudflare outage
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Published 07/09

Scott and Wes round up the hottest AI tools you should have on your radar; from text-to-speech wizards to self-hosted image generators. They break down what they’re using, what’s worth paying for, and which tools are changing their workflows.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
00:49 Getting too cozy with your tools.
01:34 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
03:40 LangFlow.
08:44 Super Whisper and Whisper Flow.
15:00 Dia.
23:16 Chat apps.
Claude
ChatGPT
Raycast
Cursor
Midjourney (Imagine.art)
26:58 Self-hosted.
27:01 Comfy UI.
31:27 Automatic1111 and Forge UI.
Xenova Shoutout
34:11 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs.
Sick Picks
Scott: Rat A Tat Cat Card Game.
Wes: Syntax Hats
Shameless Plugs
Wes: Syntax Hats
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Published 07/07

In this potluck episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott answer your questions about maintaining popular open-source projects, where to start after a layoff, impostor syndrome, Scott’s recording setup, whether a computer science degree is still worth it in the age of AI, and more!
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
00:44 Brought to you bySentry.io
04:16 How to maintain a successful NPM package
08:03 What to do in Denver while attending Laracon
11:18 How to branch out and learn new frameworks while balancing work life and family
15:55 Built-in state management vs external state managementFull Stack App Build | Travel Log w/ Nuxt, Vue, Better Auth, Drizzle, Tailwind, DaisyUI, MapLibre
19:43 Suggestion for CSS battles: Removing white space and new lines after the time limit?
23:06 What is Scott’s recording setup?
Aputure Light Dome
Aputure Amaran 150c
Sony FX3
Electro-Voice RE20
27:46 Snake case vs camel caseEye Tracking Study on camelCase and under_score Identifier Styles
31:16 Have you ever had impostor syndrome?
34:56 Is a degree worth it for computer science or machine learning?
38:41 Should I use a reverse proxy server?Ep 798: Self Hosting: Reverse Proxy Servers
42:03 Where to start when updating your webdev skillset
50:11 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs
Sick Picks
Scott:Cardboard Cutter
Wes:Kitchen Scissors
Shameless Plugs
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Published 07/02

Wes and Scott talk about the latest JavaScript proposals from TC39, including features like import defer, the powerful new random namespace, Array.fromAsync, and native clamp and upsert methods. They break down what’s coming, why it matters, and how it might improve your code.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
02:55 Brought to you by Sentry.io
05:37 Import Defer
proposal-defer-import-eval
proposal-deferred-reexports
Rob Palmer
09:30 Random Functions
proposal-random-functions
proposal-seeded-random
18:32 Array from Async
proposal-array-from-async
20:56 Upsert for Maps
proposal-upsert
23:13 Clamp
proposal-math-clamp
27:02 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs
Sick Picks
Scott: Anker Max USB 4-Port
Wes: Clarkson’s Farm
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Published 06/25

Wes and CJ break down the latest web dev news, including big changes in Safari 26, TypeScript Native Previews, and Remix dropping React. They also chat about new proposals from TC39, Vite 7 beta, and a surprise project from the Astro team.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
00:41 Safari WWDC.
01:05 SVG Favicons.
02:01 Every site can be a web app on iOS and iPadOS.
03:08 WebGPU in Safari.
08:02 Lots of CSS goodies.
@Una Tweet.
10:19 Remix 3 dropping React.
Wake Up Remix.
@mjackson Tweet.
17:40 Typescript Native Preview.
@drosenwasser Tweet.
Microsoft Blog: Announcing TypeScript Native Previews.
20:53 Cursor 1.0.
29:12 TC39 Advances Several Proposals to Stage 4.
29:51 Array.fromAsync.
31:15 Error.isError.
32:14 Explicit Resource Management: using.
36:53 Astro Creators working on an email client.
@FredKSchott Tweet.
39:23 Announcing Rolldown-Vite.
Voidzero.
Compatibility.
44:43 Vite 7 in Beta.
46:04 Angular v20 Released.
47:30 Take the State of CSS Survey!
48:40 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
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Published 06/23

Wes chats with James Mikrut, founder of Payload CMS, about being acquired by Figma! They discuss building an open source business, the future of UI design, AI interfaces, and what this means for the future of Payload and Figma.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax.
01:06 What is Payload CMS?
01:56 The big announcement.
03:03 Why does Figma want a CMS?
05:23 This has got to be about AI, right?
09:37 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
10:02 What will the interface be?
14:02 Generative, user-specific UI.
16:17 Agents make everything look like ShadCN.
18:18 What does this mean for Payload users?
20:23 How this improves Payload.
22:31 Trying to stand out as a CMS.
23:35 Is this going to cost users?
25:12 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs.
Sick Picks
James: Triumph Street Triple, Malört Liquor.
Shameless Plugs
James: PayloadCMS.
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Published 06/17

Scott and Wes break down the state of web browsers in 2025, from the rise and fall of Arc and the fate of Firefox to hot takes on Opera GX, Raycast, and why power users might not be profitable. They compare rendering engines, rant about dev tools, and reveal what browser stats say about Syntax listeners.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
01:37 Rendering Engines.
02:11 Arc Browser.
02:41 Microsoft Edge.
03:45 Why not Brave?
05:25 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
05:50 Google Manifest v2.
07:32 Opera.
OperaGX.
10:13 Vivaldi.
11:23 The death of Arc Browser.
11:44 Dia?
14:43 No revenue from power-users.
Letter to Arc Members.
15:38 Arc’s transition to a new browser.
17:02 Browser companies need to lock users fast!
19:42 Gecko.
19:45 Firefox.
21:08 Zen.
22:38 Webkit.
There Still Arent Any iPhone Browsers With Custom Engines
29:18 Wtf is Ladybird?
34:14 Usage statistics.
StatCounter.com.
39:32 Dev Tools experience ranked.
42:06 Tab experience.
43:37 Containers and profiles.
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Published 06/16
910: If Statements in CSS?
Wes and Scott talk about the new If statements in CSS, breaking down how they work, why they matter, and when to use them. They explore use cases, syntax quirks, and how this feature pushes CSS closer to true conditional logic—no JavaScript required. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:30 Brought to you by Sentry.io 02:37 CSS If statements in action CSS if() functions & reading-flow (in Chrome 137) CodePen - If with style without attr 09:08 Advanced examples and the attribute function CodePen - CSS If() Themes 13:43 Mixing If statements with media queries CodePen - CSS If() Mixed Logic 16:54 Can’t this be done with classes? 18:16 The future of CSS: declarative APIs CSS Battle LIVE! in Denver | Switch Edition 21:10 Is CSS now a programming language? Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads
Published 06/11