# Pen or Prompt

> A light page for people who do not write code, for the moment before vibe-coding a little app. List up to 6 small recurring annoyances - what it is, how often it comes round, the minutes it costs each time and what a fix would need to do. The page works out the minutes each costs a year, sorts each into the lightest fix by a fixed rule, picks the 1 tiny app worth building first and hangs everything on a pegboard shadow board. One metered run gives a reason and a first move for every item, plus a build card (3 must-haves, 1 thing to leave out, a first prompt for an AI app builder).

URL: https://pen-or-prompt.skillsafe.ai/
API: https://pen-or-prompt.skillsafe.ai/api.html

## The sort (free, in the browser)
Minutes a year = times a year (every day 365, every week 52, every month 12, a few times a year 4) x minutes each time.
Checked in order, first match wins:
1. Let it be - under 60 minutes a year. An annoyance about health, safety, money owed or a deadline is never let be: under 60 minutes a year it gets a built-in reminder instead.
2. Built-in feature - a fix needs a nudge at the right time (alarm, reminder, timer, calendar).
3. Pen and paper - a fix needs a fixed list or steps.
4. A simple sheet - a fix needs a running record or numbers, under 600 minutes a year.
5. Vibe-code it - several needs at once, or a record or numbers worth 600 minutes a year or more.
Build first: the tiny-app item with the most minutes a year; the earlier row wins a tie.

## The metered run (task "tool-sort")
Input strings: task, kit, items (the page's lines), facts (build first, total minutes a year, the sort counts, how many items need no tiny app). Reply: one JSON object with headline, items (item, verdict copied from the page, why, first_move), build (null, or item, must, leave_out, first_prompt) and closing. The page re-checks every verdict, the build card's item, every number and the word limits.

## Sources
- Built on the SkillSafe skill @sickn33/personal-tool-builder: https://skillsafe.ai/skill/@sickn33/personal-tool-builder
- Inspired by the steady growth of interest in vibe coding - asking an AI to build a small app.

The minutes are your own estimates, so the sort is a starting point. A tiny home app should keep its data on your device and never hold passwords, bank or card details, or other people's personal details. Not professional advice.