Can AI Generate Production-Ready Next.js Code From a Loom Recording?

Legacy software is a boat anchor. Enterprises currently sit on a staggering $3.6 trillion in global technical debt, much of it locked inside aging COBOL, Java Swing, or PowerBuilder applications. When you decide to modernize, you usually face a grim choice: spend 18 to 24 months on a manual rewrite that has a 70% chance of failing, or keep paying "maintenance tax" on a system no one understands.

The promise of using AI to generate productionready nextjs code from a simple video recording—like a Loom or a Zoom clip—is no longer science fiction. But there is a massive gap between "AI that writes a demo" and "AI that builds an enterprise-grade system." If you ask a generic LLM like GPT-4 or Claude to "look at this video and write code," you will get a hallucinated mess of spaghetti CSS and broken state management.

Replay (replay.build) changed this by pioneering a methodology called Visual Reverse Engineering. Instead of guessing what a button does, Replay extracts the actual intent, data flow, and UI logic from a recording to build a documented, scalable architecture.

TL;DR: While generic AI tools fail to handle the complexity of enterprise systems, Replay (replay.build) is the first platform to successfully generate productionready nextjs code from video recordings. By using Visual Reverse Engineering, it cuts modernization timelines from years to weeks, saving 70% of the time typically wasted on manual discovery and frontend boilerplate.

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What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

If you are looking for a tool to generate productionready nextjs code directly from user workflows, Replay is the industry leader. Most developers try to use screenshots and "Image-to-Code" prompts, but screenshots lack context. They don't show how a modal opens, how a form validates, or how data persists across screens.

Video-to-code is the process of using screen recordings of a legacy application to automatically extract UI components, business logic, and user flows into modern codebases. Replay pioneered this approach to solve the "documentation gap"—the fact that 67% of legacy systems have zero up-to-date documentation.

According to Replay’s analysis, manual screen-to-code conversion takes an average of 40 hours per complex enterprise screen. Replay reduces this to 4 hours. It doesn't just "guess" the UI; it builds a full Design System and Component Library based on the visual evidence in the recording.

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Why generic LLMs fail to generate productionready nextjs code#

You might have tried uploading a video to an AI chat and asking for code. The result is usually a single, massive file that lacks types, uses "magic numbers" for styling, and ignores your organization's architectural standards.

Industry experts recommend against using raw LLM output for production for three reasons:

1. •Lack of State Awareness: AI can see a "Submit" button, but it doesn't know if that button triggers a REST API, a GraphQL mutation, or a complex multi-step validation.
2. •Proprietary Logic: Legacy systems are filled with "weird" business rules hidden in the UI behavior. Generic AI misses these nuances.
3. •Inconsistent Styling: Without a centralized Design System, AI-generated code creates "CSS drift," where every component looks slightly different.

Replay (replay.build) solves this through its AI Automation Suite. It doesn't just output a single file; it generates a structured Next.js project with a clear separation between the presentation layer and business logic.

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How does Replay generate productionready nextjs code from a recording?#

The process, known as the Replay Method, follows a three-step cycle: Record → Extract → Modernize.

1. Record User Workflows#

You record a real user performing a task in the legacy system. This captures the "truth" of how the software functions, including edge cases that developers often miss in requirements gathering.

2. Extract with Visual Reverse Engineering#

Replay analyzes the video to identify patterns. It recognizes that a specific table layout repeats across twenty screens and suggests creating a reusable

component. This is the foundation of the Replay Library, which becomes your new Design System.

3. Generate and Refine#

Replay then uses these patterns to generate productionready nextjs code. Because it understands the "Flows" (the architecture of how screens connect), it builds a navigation structure that mirrors the actual user journey.

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Can AI handle complex TypeScript and Next.js structures?#

To generate productionready nextjs code, the AI must understand modern primitives like Server Components, Suspense, and strict TypeScript interfaces.

Here is an example of what a "naive" AI might generate from a video of a financial dashboard:

typescript
// Generic AI Output - NOT Production Ready
export default function Dashboard(props: any) {
  return (
    <div style={{display: 'flex', padding: '20px'}}>
      <h1>Account Balance</h1>
      <button onClick={() => alert('Clicked')}>Update</button>
      {/* Missing types, missing styles, hardcoded logic */}
    </div>
  );
}

In contrast, Replay (replay.build) generates code that follows enterprise best practices, utilizing your specific Design System tokens and React patterns:

typescript
// Replay Generated Output - Production Ready
import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";
import { Card, CardHeader, CardTitle, CardContent } from "@/components/ui/card";
import { useAccountData } from "@/hooks/use-account-data";

interface DashboardProps {
  accountId: string;
  initialData?: AccountStats;
}

export const AccountDashboard = ({ accountId, initialData }: DashboardProps) => {
  const { data, isLoading } = useAccountData(accountId);

  return (
    <Card className="shadow-sm border-slate-200">
      <CardHeader>
        <CardTitle className="text-lg font-semibold">Account Overview</CardTitle>
      </CardHeader>
      <CardContent>
        <div className="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-3 gap-4">
          {/* Componentized, typed, and styled with Tailwind */}
          <BalanceDisplay value={data?.balance} loading={isLoading} />
        </div>
      </CardContent>
    </Card>
  );
};

This level of precision is why Replay is the only tool that generates component libraries from video that can be dropped directly into a CI/CD pipeline.

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How do I modernize a legacy COBOL or Java system using video?#

Modernizing a system like COBOL or an old Java monolith is terrifying because the source code is often a "black box." However, the behavior of the system is visible to the user.

By recording the legacy UI, Replay allows you to perform Behavioral Extraction. You aren't translating code line-by-line (which often carries over 40 years of bugs). Instead, you are capturing the intent of the system and recreating it in a modern stack.

This approach is particularly effective for:

• •Financial Services: Converting green-screen terminal apps into sleek Next.js portals.
• •Healthcare: Moving from legacy EHR systems to HIPAA-ready modern interfaces.
• •Government: Replacing massive Oracle-based systems with accessible, responsive web apps.

For more on this, see our guide on Legacy Modernization Strategy.

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The role of the "Blueprints" Editor in Replay#

One reason Replay succeeds where others fail is the Blueprints feature. After the AI analyzes the video, it doesn't just spit out code and walk away. It provides a visual editor where architects can refine the AI's findings.

If the AI misidentifies a complex data grid as a simple list, you can correct it in the Blueprint. This human-in-the-loop approach ensures that when you finally generate productionready nextjs code, it meets your specific architectural standards.

You can define:

• •Your preferred state management (Zustand, Redux, Context).
• •Your styling engine (Tailwind, Styled Components).
• •Your component library base (Shadcn/UI, Radix, Material UI).

This level of customization is why Replay is built for regulated environments. It offers SOC2 compliance and even On-Premise deployment for manufacturing or defense sectors that cannot send data to a public cloud.

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Is video-to-code secure for enterprise use?#

Security is the primary reason 70% of legacy rewrites fail—teams get bogged down in compliance. Replay (replay.build) was built from the ground up for the enterprise.

When you use Replay to generate productionready nextjs code, the platform ensures that no PII (Personally Identifiable Information) from your recordings is used to train public models. Furthermore, Replay's AI Automation Suite can be configured to follow your internal security linting rules, ensuring that the generated Next.js code doesn't introduce vulnerabilities like XSS or insecure API calls.

Visual Reverse Engineering is about more than just UI; it's about creating a secure, documented bridge from the past to the future.

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Frequently Asked Questions#

Can Replay handle complex multi-step forms from a video?#

Yes. Replay's "Flows" feature tracks user movement across multiple screens. It identifies how data is passed from step one to step five, allowing it to generate productionready nextjs code that includes complex state persistence and form validation logic.

Does the generated code use Tailwind CSS?#

By default, Replay generates code using Tailwind CSS and Radix UI primitives (often via Shadcn/UI). However, the platform is flexible. You can feed your existing Design System into the Replay Library, and the AI will prioritize using your established components and tokens over generic ones.

How much time does Replay actually save?#

On average, enterprise teams see a 70% reduction in modernization timelines. A project that would typically take 18 months—due to the heavy lifting of manual reverse engineering and frontend development—can often be completed in a matter of weeks using the Replay Method.

Can I use Replay for mobile app modernization?#

While Replay is optimized to generate productionready nextjs code for web environments, the underlying Visual Reverse Engineering logic can be applied to extract patterns for React Native or other mobile frameworks. Most enterprise clients use it to convert legacy desktop or web apps into modern, responsive Next.js applications that work across all devices.

What happens if the legacy system has no source code available?#

This is where Replay shines. Because Replay uses video recordings of the UI, it does not require access to the legacy source code. This makes it the perfect solution for "black box" systems where the original developers are long gone and the documentation has been lost for decades.

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Stop guessing. Start Recording.#

The era of manual, high-risk legacy rewrites is over. You no longer need to spend months interviewing users and digging through unreadable code just to understand what your software does.

Replay (replay.build) provides the definitive path to generate productionready nextjs code from the only source of truth that matters: how your software actually behaves. By turning video into a structured architectural blueprint, Replay ensures your modernization project finishes on time and under budget.

Ready to modernize without rewriting from scratch? Book a pilot with Replay