Build and ship a native Swift menu bar app solo with Claude Code and Codex
A solo developer builds FavTray, a native Swift and SwiftUI menu bar app, with Claude Code and Codex. He shipped versions 2.1 and 2.2 on consecutive days and still runs and tests every change himself.
Source
@akashsairaja on X · 2026-10-19
Written in our own words. Credit to the original author. Link checked 2026-10-22.
What they did
A solo developer builds FavTray, a native Swift and SwiftUI menu bar app, with Claude Code and Codex. He shipped versions 2.1 and 2.2 on consecutive days and still runs and tests every change himself.
Result (as claimed)
Two releases in two days; his rule is that agents speed up shipping but you still own what ships.
Tools they used
Cost: Claude Code: from $17/mo; OpenAI Codex: free plan, paid from $8/mo.
Set it up
Write a one-page brief
Describe the app in plain words: who it is for, the 3 core screens or actions, and what "done" looks like.
Start the project with your agent
Open Claude Code and paste the brief. Ask it to propose a stack and a file plan before writing code.
Build one slice at a time
Ship the smallest working flow first, run it, then add features one by one. Commit after each working step.
Test it like a user
Click through on desktop and phone. Ask the agent to add basic tests and fix anything that breaks.
Check security and ship
Keep keys in environment variables, check auth and database rules, then deploy and share the link.
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 and ship a native Swift menu bar app solo with Claude Code and Codex What the original author did: A solo developer builds FavTray, a native Swift and SwiftUI menu bar app, with Claude Code and Codex. He shipped versions 2.1 and 2.2 on consecutive days and still runs and tests every change himself. Reported result (as claimed by the author): Two releases in two days; his rule is that agents speed up shipping but you still own what ships. Source: https://x.com/akashsairaja/status/2112217208327680059 Tools they used: Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, SwiftUI, macOS Category: Vibe coding & apps 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 and ship a native Swift menu bar app solo with Claude Code and Codex What the original author did: A solo developer builds FavTray, a native Swift and SwiftUI menu bar app, with Claude Code and Codex. He shipped versions 2.1 and 2.2 on consecutive days and still runs and tests every change himself. Reported result (as claimed by the author): Two releases in two days; his rule is that agents speed up shipping but you still own what ships. Source: https://x.com/akashsairaja/status/2112217208327680059 Tools they used: Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, SwiftUI, macOS Category: Vibe coding & apps 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 and ship a native Swift menu bar app solo with Claude Code and Codex What the original author did: A solo developer builds FavTray, a native Swift and SwiftUI menu bar app, with Claude Code and Codex. He shipped versions 2.1 and 2.2 on consecutive days and still runs and tests every change himself. Reported result (as claimed by the author): Two releases in two days; his rule is that agents speed up shipping but you still own what ships. Source: https://x.com/akashsairaja/status/2112217208327680059 Tools they used: Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, SwiftUI, macOS Category: Vibe coding & apps 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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Guides for this use case
How to build a Mac menu bar app with AI · How to vibe code an app with Claude Code · How to use Claude Code and Codex together · How to build an iPhone or Android app with AI
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