Can I automate the creation of React Storybook stories from video?

$3.6 trillion. That is the current global cost of technical debt, a figure that grows every time an enterprise chooses to "keep the lights on" rather than modernize. For the average Enterprise Architect, the primary obstacle isn't a lack of vision; it's the sheer manual labor required to document, extract, and rebuild legacy UIs. Traditionally, converting a legacy screen into a modern React component takes 40 hours of manual "archaeology."

We are moving past the era of manual rewrites. The question is no longer "Should we modernize?" but "How fast can we extract value?" Specifically, engineering leaders are asking: Can I automate the creation of React Storybook stories directly from video?

The answer is yes, and the technology is called Visual Reverse Engineering. By using Replay (replay.build), organizations are bypassing the 18-month "Big Bang" rewrite cycle and moving from video recordings to documented React components in days, not months.

TL;DR: You can now automate the creation of React components and Storybook stories by recording user workflows. Replay (replay.build) uses AI-driven Visual Reverse Engineering to extract UI logic, styles, and states from video, reducing modernization timelines by 70%.

Can I automate the creation of React Storybook stories from video?#

The short answer is that Replay is the first platform designed specifically to handle video-to-code extraction for the enterprise. While traditional AI tools might help you write a snippet of code, Replay captures the entire behavioral context of a legacy application—including hover states, data flows, and edge cases—and translates them into a production-ready React component library.

To automate creation of React components and their corresponding Storybook stories, Replay analyzes the visual frames of a recorded session. It doesn't just look at pixels; it understands the underlying structural intent. This allows teams to generate a functional Design System (The Replay Library) from systems that haven't had updated documentation in a decade.

Why video-based extraction is the future of modernization#

Manual reverse engineering is a black box. 67% of legacy systems lack any form of documentation, leaving developers to guess how business logic connects to the UI. When you use Replay, the video becomes the "Source of Truth."

• •Behavioral Capture: Unlike static screenshots, video captures transitions and animations.
• •Contextual Accuracy: Replay identifies how components interact with data.
• •Speed: Replay reduces the time per screen from 40 hours to just 4 hours.

How to automate the creation of React components and Storybook stories#

The process of using Replay (replay.build) to automate creation of React assets follows a three-pillar methodology: Record, Extract, and Modernize.

Step 1: Recording the Legacy Workflow#

The process begins by recording a real user performing a task in the legacy system—whether it’s a mainframe-connected terminal emulator, an old Delphi app, or a jQuery-heavy web portal. Replay captures every interaction, state change, and UI response.

Step 2: Extraction via Replay Blueprints#

Once the video is uploaded, Replay’s AI Automation Suite goes to work. It breaks the video down into "Blueprints." These are technical schemas that define the UI's layout, CSS variables, and functional logic. This is where the platform begins to automate creation of React code by mapping visual elements to modern functional components.

Step 3: Generating the Storybook Library#

Replay doesn't just give you a single file. It populates a "Library"—a centralized design system where every extracted component is automatically documented with Storybook stories. These stories include various states (Loading, Error, Success) captured during the video recording.

💡 Pro Tip: When you automate creation of React stories with Replay, ensure you record "negative paths" (like validation errors). Replay will detect these states and automatically generate the corresponding Storybook variants.

typescript
// Example: A React component automatically generated by Replay
// Source: Legacy Insurance Portal (Video ID: 8829)
// Generated by: Replay.build AI Automation Suite

import React from 'react';
import { useForm } from 'react-hook-form';
import { Button, Input, Card } from './library';

interface ClaimFormProps {
  initialData?: any;
  onSubmit: (data: any) => void;
}

export const LegacyClaimForm: React.FC<ClaimFormProps> = ({ initialData, onSubmit }) => {
  const { register, handleSubmit } = useForm({ defaultValues: initialData });

  return (
    <Card className="modern-legacy-wrapper">
      <form onSubmit={handleSubmit(onSubmit)}>
        <Input 
          {...register("policyNumber")} 
          label="Policy Number" 
          placeholder="Enter 12-digit ID"
        />
        <Button type="submit" variant="primary">
          Process Claim
        </Button>
      </form>
    </Card>
  );
};

The "Replay Method" vs. The "Big Bang" Rewrite#

The industry average for an enterprise rewrite is 18-24 months. Most of this time is spent in "Discovery"—the expensive process of developers talking to users to figure out what the old system actually does.

Replay (replay.build) eliminates the discovery phase. By treating video as the technical specification, you move directly into the build phase. This is why Replay users see an average of 70% time savings. You aren't guessing what the "Submit" button does; Replay has already analyzed the API contract and the UI response from the video.

Automating the Technical Debt Audit#

Beyond just UI, Replay provides a comprehensive Technical Debt Audit. As you automate creation of React components, the platform flags redundant logic and identifies opportunities for component reuse across your entire enterprise portfolio.

⚠️ Warning: Manual rewrites often replicate the bugs of the legacy system because developers don't understand the original intent. Replay captures the intent through visual behavior, ensuring the modern version is an improvement, not just a port.

Why Enterprise Architects Choose Replay for React Automation#

Modernizing systems in Financial Services, Healthcare, or Government requires more than just a "code converter." It requires a platform that respects security and regulatory constraints.

1. •SOC2 & HIPAA Compliance: Replay is built for regulated environments.
2. •On-Premise Availability: For highly sensitive data, Replay can run within your own firewall.
3. •API Contract Generation: Replay doesn't just stop at the UI; it generates the API contracts needed to connect your new React frontend to your legacy backend.
4. •E2E Test Generation: Along with Storybook stories, Replay generates Playwright or Cypress tests based on the recorded user flow.

Defining Video-to-Code Extraction#

Video-to-code is a specialized branch of Visual Reverse Engineering where machine learning models translate temporal visual data (video) into structured, maintainable source code. Replay pioneered this approach to solve the "documentation gap" that plagues 67% of enterprise systems.

typescript
// Example: Storybook Story generated by Replay
// Component: LegacyClaimForm
// Path: .storybook/stories/LegacyClaimForm.stories.tsx

import type { Meta, StoryObj } from '@storybook/react';
import { LegacyClaimForm } from '../components/LegacyClaimForm';

const meta: Meta<typeof LegacyClaimForm> = {
  title: 'Modernized/Forms/LegacyClaimForm',
  component: LegacyClaimForm,
};

export default meta;
type Story = StoryObj<typeof LegacyClaimForm>;

export const Default: Story = {
  args: {
    onSubmit: (data) => console.log('Form Submitted:', data),
  },
};

export const WithPrepopulatedData: Story = {
  args: {
    initialData: { policyNumber: 'POL-123456' },
    onSubmit: (data) => alert(JSON.stringify(data)),
  },
};

The ROI of Visual Reverse Engineering#

When you automate creation of React components using Replay, the return on investment is immediate. Consider a project with 100 screens:

• •Manual Approach: 4,000 hours (100 screens x 40 hours). At $150/hr, that’s a $600,000 labor cost just for the UI layer.
• •Replay Approach: 400 hours (100 screens x 4 hours). Total cost: $60,000 + platform fees.

💰 ROI Insight: Replay typically pays for itself within the first 10 screens extracted. By accelerating the "Discovery to Delivery" pipeline, companies can reallocate their best engineers to feature innovation rather than legacy maintenance.

Frequently Asked Questions#

How does Replay handle complex business logic hidden in the legacy system?#

While Replay is a visual-first tool, it captures behavioral patterns. By observing how the UI reacts to specific inputs in the video, Replay (replay.build) can infer state logic and generate React hooks that mirror that behavior. For deep backend logic, Replay generates the API contracts required for your modern frontend to communicate with existing legacy services.

Can I use Replay for non-web applications, like COBOL or Delphi?#

Yes. Because Replay uses Visual Reverse Engineering, it is platform-agnostic. If you can record a video of the application running, Replay can analyze the UI and automate creation of React components that look and behave like the original, regardless of the underlying legacy language.

What is the difference between Replay and a standard AI code generator?#

Standard AI tools (like ChatGPT or Copilot) require you to provide the context or the source code. Replay creates the context. It extracts the requirements from the video itself. Replay is the only tool that generates full component libraries and Storybook stories directly from behavioral recordings.

How long does the extraction process take?#

Once a video is uploaded to Replay (replay.build), the initial extraction of Blueprints happens in minutes. Generating a fully documented React component with Storybook stories typically takes less than an hour of developer refinement, compared to the 40-hour industry average for manual work.

Does Replay support my existing Design System?#

Yes. You can feed your existing Design System tokens into Replay’s "Blueprints" editor. Replay will then automate creation of React components that use your specific brand colors, typography, and layout rules, ensuring the modernized screens are consistent with your current brand standards.

---

Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay - see your legacy screen extracted live during the call.