Put a Tesla controller in your Mac menu bar with Claude Code
He found Tesla's developer site and asked Claude Code to make him something cool. It built a Mac menu bar app that turns the car's AC on or sets the destination before he walks out, so self-driving is ready when he gets in.
Source
@doooyle on X · 2026-10-17
Written in our own words. Credit to the original author. Link checked 2026-10-20.
What they did
He found Tesla's developer site and asked Claude Code to make him something cool. It built a Mac menu bar app that turns the car's AC on or sets the destination before he walks out, so self-driving is ready when he gets in.
Result (as claimed)
He says Claude Code delivered on the first ask; shown working in the post.
Tools they used
Cost: Claude Code: from $17/mo.
Set it up
Map the task
Write the trigger, the inputs, the decisions and the output. Note which steps need a human yes.
Connect the tools
Set up Claude Code, Tesla Fleet API, macOS with the narrowest permissions that work. Use a test account or sandbox first.
Build the workflow
Create the steps in order. Add an approval step before anything sends, pays or deletes.
Run it on real but low-stakes data
Run a few times, read every output, and fix prompts or rules that misfire.
Schedule and monitor
Turn on the schedule or trigger, and add a daily summary or alert so you notice failures.
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: Put a Tesla controller in your Mac menu bar with Claude Code What the original author did: He found Tesla's developer site and asked Claude Code to make him something cool. It built a Mac menu bar app that turns the car's AC on or sets the destination before he walks out, so self-driving is ready when he gets in. Reported result (as claimed by the author): He says Claude Code delivered on the first ask; shown working in the post. Source: https://x.com/doooyle/status/2111527517286789228 Tools they used: Claude Code, Tesla Fleet API, macOS Category: Automation & business 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: Put a Tesla controller in your Mac menu bar with Claude Code What the original author did: He found Tesla's developer site and asked Claude Code to make him something cool. It built a Mac menu bar app that turns the car's AC on or sets the destination before he walks out, so self-driving is ready when he gets in. Reported result (as claimed by the author): He says Claude Code delivered on the first ask; shown working in the post. Source: https://x.com/doooyle/status/2111527517286789228 Tools they used: Claude Code, Tesla Fleet API, macOS Category: Automation & business 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: Put a Tesla controller in your Mac menu bar with Claude Code What the original author did: He found Tesla's developer site and asked Claude Code to make him something cool. It built a Mac menu bar app that turns the car's AC on or sets the destination before he walks out, so self-driving is ready when he gets in. Reported result (as claimed by the author): He says Claude Code delivered on the first ask; shown working in the post. Source: https://x.com/doooyle/status/2111527517286789228 Tools they used: Claude Code, Tesla Fleet API, macOS Category: Automation & business 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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