Build a to-do app that emails you the 3 tasks that matter each morning, ranked by Claude
A veteran engineer who went through 25 task systems built 3 & Done with AI help, starting from a Claude web session. You dump tasks by voice or text, and every morning a Claude prompt with rules tuned over four months ranks the whole list and emails the top three with reasons.
Source
dmayle on Hacker News · 2026-10-19 · Project link
Written in our own words. Credit to the original author. Link checked 2026-10-20.
What they did
A veteran engineer who went through 25 task systems built 3 & Done with AI help, starting from a Claude web session. You dump tasks by voice or text, and every morning a Claude prompt with rules tuned over four months ranks the whole list and emails the top three with reasons.
Result (as claimed)
56 points on Hacker News; launched as a paid app with export to JSON and plain text. He says task lists go to Anthropic for ranking under terms that exclude training.
Tools they used
Cost: Pricing depends on the tools you pick; check each official pricing page.
Set it up
Define the job
Say exactly what you want done and what the agent may and may not do on your behalf.
Share only what is needed
Give Claude the minimum files or access required. Avoid sharing passwords in chat when a safer login flow exists.
Review the plan
Ask the agent to show its plan or draft before it acts, and approve each step that has real consequences.
Check the result
Confirm the outcome yourself (order placed, request sent, document understood) and keep a record.
Copy the full setup prompt
Paste into your agent and it will walk you through the setup, asking before anything that sends, posts or spends.
You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Claude Code. Goal: Build a to-do app that emails you the 3 tasks that matter each morning, ranked by Claude What the original author did: A veteran engineer who went through 25 task systems built 3 & Done with AI help, starting from a Claude web session. You dump tasks by voice or text, and every morning a Claude prompt with rules tuned over four months ranks the whole list and emails the top three with reasons. Reported result (as claimed by the author): 56 points on Hacker News; launched as a paid app with export to JSON and plain text. He says task lists go to Anthropic for ranking under terms that exclude training. Source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50151980 Tools they used: Claude Category: Personal & life Please: 1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like). 2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure. 3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data. 4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.
You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Codex. Goal: Build a to-do app that emails you the 3 tasks that matter each morning, ranked by Claude What the original author did: A veteran engineer who went through 25 task systems built 3 & Done with AI help, starting from a Claude web session. You dump tasks by voice or text, and every morning a Claude prompt with rules tuned over four months ranks the whole list and emails the top three with reasons. Reported result (as claimed by the author): 56 points on Hacker News; launched as a paid app with export to JSON and plain text. He says task lists go to Anthropic for ranking under terms that exclude training. Source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50151980 Tools they used: Claude Category: Personal & life Please: 1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like). 2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure. 3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data. 4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.
You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Grok Bot. Goal: Build a to-do app that emails you the 3 tasks that matter each morning, ranked by Claude What the original author did: A veteran engineer who went through 25 task systems built 3 & Done with AI help, starting from a Claude web session. You dump tasks by voice or text, and every morning a Claude prompt with rules tuned over four months ranks the whole list and emails the top three with reasons. Reported result (as claimed by the author): 56 points on Hacker News; launched as a paid app with export to JSON and plain text. He says task lists go to Anthropic for ranking under terms that exclude training. Source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50151980 Tools they used: Claude Category: Personal & life Please: 1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like). 2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure. 3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data. 4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.
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