I sit down with Frey Chu to go deep on how to use Claude Code to build AI-coded directories, specifically how to tackle the hardest part: getting valuable data. Frey walks us through three real-world directory examples (a funeral home directory, a senior living directory, and GasBuddy), we play a game guessing their traffic and monetization, and then he does a full live walkthrough of the seven-step process he used to build a luxury restroom trailer directory in four days for under $250. I also ask him about the future of directories in a world where LLMs are changing how people search.Timestamps00:00 – I...
I sit down with Frey Chu to go deep on how to use Claude Code to build AI-coded directories, specifically how to tackle the hardest part: getting valuable data. Frey walks us through three real-world directory examples (a funeral home directory, a senior living directory, and GasBuddy), we play a game guessing their traffic and monetization, and then he does a full live walkthrough of the seven-step process he used to build a luxury restroom trailer directory in four days for under $250. I also ask him about the future of directories in a world where LLMs are changing how people search.
Timestamps
00:00 – Intro
02:15 – What you’ll learn
03:00 – Directory Game:Parting(Funeral Home Directory)
05:42 – Directory Game: A Place for Mom (Senior Living Directory)
08:00 – Directory Game: GasBuddy (Crowdsourced Gas Price Directory)
12:32 – The Data Moat Thesis
14:02 – Luxury Restroom Trailers: The Niche Directory Demo
15:52 – Before & After: WordPress Directory vs. Claude Code Directory
19:04 – Cost Breakdown: Built in 4 Days for Under $250
21:23 – Step 1: Scraping Raw Data with Outscraper
22:25 – Step 2: Cleaning Data with Claude Code
23:27 – Step 3: Using Crawl4AI for Automated Website Verification
28:01 – Step 4: Enriching Trailer Inventory Data
31:33 – Step 5: Scraping & Verifying Images with Claude Vision
36:33 – Step 6: Amenities, Features & Filter Data
38:31 – Step 7: Service Areas
39:15 – Niche Directory Ideas: Dementia Care, ADA Bathrooms, Tap Water Quality
43:38 – For Naysayers: Is Building a Directory Worth It in 2026?
47:51 – LLMs, AI Search & the Future of Directories
Links Mentioned:
Outscraper: https://startup-ideas-pod.link/outscraper
Crawl4AI: https://startup-ideas-pod.link/crawl4AI
Key Points
Data is the moat for any successful directory — and with Claude Code plus Crawl4AI, the hardest part (data cleaning and enrichment) is now dramatically faster and cheaper.
Every successful directory helps people save time, save money, or make money — and price transparency is a massive, underserved opportunity across boring niches.
Frey built a fully enriched luxury restroom trailer directory in four days for under $250, a process that would have taken 2,000+ hours of manual work.
Monetization depends on the niche: lead generation, vertical SaaS, agency services, ads, debit cards, affiliate, and marketplace models all work.
Directories remain strong in an AI search world because users browsing a directory are in the decision-making phase, especially in high-stakes niches like health, legal, finance, and senior living.
Building a directory is one of the best playgrounds to learn Claude Code, SEO, and lead generation — even if the first one is just a learning exercise.
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