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.
Episodes
August 6, 2025 • 29 mins
Scott and CJ explore why RSS still matters and how it’s more underused than outdated. They discuss how to self-host RSS readers, escape the noise of the modern web, and reclaim a cleaner, ad-free reading experience across devices.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
01:09 Brought to you by Sentry.io
02:41 What is RSS and how does it work?
RSS
Atom (web standard)
JSON Feed
06:14 Hosting your own RSS server: Miniflu...
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August 4, 2025 • 51 mins
Scott and CJ go full productivity nerd, swapping notes on their favorite web apps for writing, coding, planning, and more. From terminals to to-do lists to dumb phones, it’s a deep dive into the tools powering their workflows.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
00:35 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
01:56 Text to speech or speech to text.
02:20 Superwhisper.
08:29 Kiro.
16:16 CJ’s current editor preference.
17:59 F...
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July 30, 2025 • 46 mins
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?...
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July 28, 2025 • 26 mins
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 ...
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July 23, 2025 • 58 mins
In this potluck episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott answer your questions about code reviews, migrating legacy apps, CSS attr() use cases, pre-commit hooks, the future of creative web development, whether front-end devs need to be full-stack, and more!
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
00:43 When is the appropriate time to use requestAnimationFrame?
05:10 How do you handle code reviews on larger teams?
13:08 When t...
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July 21, 2025 • 48 mins
Scott and Wes break down how to code with and for AI; perfect for skeptics, beginners, and curious devs. They cover everything from Ghost Text and CLI agents to building your own AI-powered apps with embeddings, function calling, and multi-model workflows.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
03:56 How to interface with AI.
04:07 IDE Ghost Text.
05:45 IDE Chat, Agents.
08:00 CLI Agents.
Claude Code.
Open Code.
Gem...
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July 16, 2025 • 37 mins
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
...
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July 14, 2025 • 26 mins
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 Curren...
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July 9, 2025 • 48 mins
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 Superhu...
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July 7, 2025 • 37 mins
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.
...
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July 2, 2025 • 58 mins
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 att...
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June 30, 2025 • 33 mins
AI coding agents are getting wild. Scott and Wes break down the latest tools that run in the background, write code across multiple steps, and charge you $200 a month to do it. From CLI-based primitives to full-on copilots, this episode covers the next wave of dev tools and what it takes to use them effectively.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
03:13 Background Agents.
04:26 Appropriate tasks for background agents.
12...
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June 25, 2025 • 33 mins
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
...
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June 23, 2025 • 50 mins
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.
...
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June 17, 2025 • 26 mins
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 Sentr...
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June 16, 2025 • 47 mins
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 ...
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June 11, 2025 • 24 mins
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 ...
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June 9, 2025 • 39 mins
We break down how to properly throw, catch, and log errors in JavaScript and TypeScript. They cover client-side and server-side strategies, using tools like Sentry, and how to handle errors without taking down your whole app.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
01:19 Error terminology.
01:42 Thrown and catching.
03:01 What’s in an error.
04:09 Name and message.
04:42 Stack.
07:12 Node system errors....
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June 4, 2025 • 50 mins
Wes and Scott talk with Jeppe Reinhold about Storybook 9’s powerful new features—including drastically reduced bloat, seamless Vite integration, and next-level component testing. They dive into visual regression testing, accessibility, performance, and best practices for writing robust, isolated UI components developers can actually enjoy testing and documenting.
Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
01:40 What is Storybook?
0...
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June 2, 2025 • 44 mins
Wes rebuilt his personal site from Gatsby to a modern stack using Waku, React Server Components, and Cloudflare Workers — all while keeping the same design. Scott and Wes break down the pain points with Next.js, MDX, image handling, caching, and the custom setup that now powers a blazing-fast blog.
Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
01:03 Barcelona Conference.
04:09 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
04:33 Existing stack, goodb...
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