TL;DR
HN commenters shared two concrete examples of lightweight, self-made tools: a multiplayer Pomodoro app (spocklet) and a bar inventory system built with an AI coding assistant. Both projects were created to solve personal frustrations and remain primarily for the authors' own use rather than for commercial purposes.
What happened
In a thread asking for examples of successful "vibe-coded" products, commenters described two small, functioning projects built out of personal need. One developer created a multiplayer Pomodoro app after running into reliability issues with cuckoo.team; the app lives at spocklet-pomodo.hf.space with a beta variant that adds usability features. That author says the service is a single main.go file with one primary dependency (gorilla websockets), the initial prototype took under 30 minutes to build, and it is used among friends without plans to monetize. Another commenter who owns a small bar described replacing spreadsheets or larger SaaS with a custom inventory system developed using an AI coding tool called Claude Code. The bar owner wrote initial markdown documentation to drive design, made careful incremental changes, relied on the AI for much of the code while manually testing, and has been running the system for about a year; Claude Code credits to date have not exceeded the price of a paid product.
Why it matters
- Small, targeted tools can be built quickly to solve immediate personal or local problems.
- Lightweight codebases and minimal dependencies can enable maintainable, fast-to-prototype projects.
- AI-assisted coding is being used in production by at least some small-business owners, with trade-offs around oversight and manual testing.
- Not every successful utility needs to be monetized; personal utility and continued use are valid success measures.
Key facts
- A multiplayer Pomodoro app (spocklet) was created in response to issues with cuckoo.team.
- spocklet is available at spocklet-pomodo.hf.space and has a feature-expanded beta at spocklet-beta-pomodo.hf.space.
- The Pomodoro prototype was reportedly built in under 30 minutes and implemented as a single main.go with gorilla websockets as a main dependency.
- The Pomodoro app is primarily used by the author and friends and is not intended for monetization by its creator.
- A bar owner built a custom inventory management system using Claude Code, starting from markdown documentation.
- That inventory system has been in use for about a year and the commenter says Claude Code credits spent are still below the cost of a paid alternative.
- Database migrations and calculation-related tasks in the bar tool required more hands-on guidance when using the AI assistant.
- Both projects emphasize incremental development and manual testing in addition to any automated tests produced.
What to watch next
- Whether either project expands beyond the creator's immediate circle — not confirmed in the source.
- If maintainers will open-source, commercialize, or otherwise distribute these tools more widely — not confirmed in the source.
- Long-term maintenance and reliability as usage grows beyond current small user bases — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Pomodoro: A time-management technique that alternates focused work intervals with short breaks, often implemented as a timer app.
- WebSocket: A communication protocol enabling persistent, full-duplex connections between a client and server, commonly used for real-time features.
- Prototype: An early, often minimal implementation of a product used to validate ideas and iterate quickly.
- AI-assisted coding: Using artificial intelligence tools to generate, modify, or suggest code during software development.
- Claude Code: An AI coding assistant referenced by a commenter as having been used to develop an inventory system; specific product details are not provided in the source.
Reader FAQ
Were these projects monetized?
For the Pomodoro app the author explicitly says they do not intend to monetize; broader monetization plans for the projects are not confirmed in the source.
How long did development take?
The Pomodoro prototype was reportedly built in under 30 minutes; the bar inventory system evolved over time and has been in use for about a year.
What dependencies or tools were used?
The Pomodoro app used gorilla websockets and a single main.go; the bar tool was developed with help from Claude Code—other technical details are not confirmed in the source.
Is the code open-source or available?
Not confirmed in the source.
I once created a pomodoro multiplayer application after being frustrated by https://cuckoo.team (although good software, nothing against the team) just not working/actively glitching spocklet-pomodo.hf.space/ I created it as a single…
Sources
- Ask HN: Any example of successful vibe-coded product?
- What people are vibe coding (and actually using)
- In Which I Vibe-Code A Personal Library System
- Vibe coding is not the same as AI-Assisted engineering.
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