# softdev23.com


## Posts

- [Best Apps for ADHD: What Actually Helps, Sorted by Need](https://softdev23.com/best-apps-for-adhd/): The best ADHD app depends on what you are fighting, starting, focus, time, or motivation. Here are the ones worth trying, by need, from someone who builds them.
- [Dopamine Menu: How I Use One to Actually Get Started](https://softdev23.com/dopamine-menu/): A dopamine menu is a pre-made list of feel-good activities for the moments your brain will not start. Here is what it is, why it works for ADHD, and how I built mine.
- [Your AI Chat History Is Not a Backup](https://softdev23.com/ai-chat-history-not-a-backup/): An AI tool quietly rolled my session back two days and erased the conversation, mid-task. It barely cost me anything. Here is why your AI chat history is not a backup, the one thing I still lost, and the habit that turns a wiped chat into a five-minute recovery.
- [Manage Multiple App Projects: How I Do It, Solo, Without Burning Out](https://softdev23.com/manage-multiple-app-projects/): Managing multiple apps as a solo developer is mostly about deciding what to ignore. Here is the system I use to keep three app projects moving without burning out or feeling constantly behind.
- [AI Website Redesign: Rebuilding softDev23 in One Session](https://softdev23.com/ai-website-redesign/): I rebuilt softdev23.com in a single session with AI: new home page, new apps page, new blog layout, and a dark indie studio look. The blog was the hard part on a free theme tier, and one Safari bug stayed in on purpose.
- [AI Operating System: What It Is and Why I Built One](https://softdev23.com/ai-operating-system/): I kept starting every AI chat from zero. The output was generic, the context was always missing, and nothing carried over between sessions. So I built a personal AI operating system. Here is what it is and why it actually helps.
- [Building a Content Automation Pipeline With n8n and Airtable (Day Three)](https://softdev23.com/n8n-aios-content-automation-pipeline/): On day three my content automation pipeline finally worked. Airtable approves, n8n routes, and the idea becomes a blog draft, a social draft, and a newsletter draft. It creates drafts and stops there, on purpose.
- [Automation Approval Gates: Adding Guardrails to My AIOS (Day Two)](https://softdev23.com/aios-automation-approval-gates-dry-run-rules/): Day two of building my AIOS was about brakes, not power. I added dry-run rules and automation approval gates so AI can draft and prepare work, but nothing public happens without my explicit yes. Plus the X lesson that replies beat posting.
- [Building an AI Operating System in Obsidian (Day One)](https://softdev23.com/building-ai-operating-system-obsidian/): I sat down to organize some AI notes and ended up building the first version of an AI operating system in Obsidian. Here is what I built on day one, the folder an AI caught me missing, and the tool limit that changed my automation plans.
- [What I Learned Building an Obsidian AI Workflow](https://softdev23.com/obsidian-ai-workflow-aios/): The first version of my AIOS is a local Markdown system that gives AI tools shared context, reusable workflows, hard rules, and a safe approval process.
- [How I Built 3 iOS Apps as a Solo Dev Using AI Coding Agents](https://softdev23.com/how-i-built-ios-apps-using-ai-coding-agents/): I started my programming journey in 2023. By 2026, I had shipped three iOS apps to the App Store and a fourth in beta. Not bad for someone who started from scratch three years ago. Related: Follow my build-in-public series on creating an AI operating system. But the real shift happened when I started using […]
- [Hermes Desktop Review: What It's Like to Run Open Source AI Agents on a Mac](https://softdev23.com/hermes-desktop-review/): I installed Hermes Desktop on my Mac to see if open source AI agents are ready for daily dev work. Here is my Hermes Desktop review after spending time with it.
- [Best Gamified Habit Trackers for ADHD and Neurodivergent Brains](https://softdev23.com/best-gamified-habit-trackers/): Discover the best gamified habit trackers for ADHD and neurodivergent brains to turn daily routines into RPG quests without the pressure of streak guilt.
- [From Beta to App Store: The Real Numbers Behind Launching My First RPG Habit Tracker](https://softdev23.com/numbers-behind-launching-my-first-rpg-habit-tracker/): Habitual: The Grand Journey is officially live on the App Store. And right now, it has zero ratings, zero reviews, and zero revenue.  This is what a real indie app launch looks like.
- [Plugging the Leaks: How a 90% Bounce Rate Forced Us to Redesign Our Beta Landing Page](https://softdev23.com/90-bounce-rate-forced-redesign-beta-landing-page/): When you finally launch a public beta for your indie app, your immediate reflex is to go into full megaphone mode. You want eyes on the product, sign-ups, and feedback—yesterday. This is part of my build-in-public journey, where I also cover how I built iOS apps using AI coding agents. But as I recently learned […]
- [The Creator's Stack: How Focus and Hydration Fuel Independent Projects](https://softdev23.com/how-focus-and-hydration-fuel-independent-projects/): As creators, developers, designers, and writers, we are obsessed with our tech stacks. We will spend hours debating the merits of Neovim vs. VS Code, discussing hosting providers, or configuring the perfect keyboard shortcut macros. We optimize our development environments down to the millisecond. Yet, we regularly ignore the most critical hardware in our entire […]
- [Building in Public: Behind the Scenes of a Solo iOS Developer](https://softdev23.com/behind-the-scenes-solo-ios-developer/): If you look at the App Store today, it’s easy to feel a sense of fatigue. The charts are dominated by corporate giants, hyper-monetized utilities, and clones of clones wrapped in heavy subscriptions. The “craft” of app development—the joy of building something native, beautiful, fast, and intensely focused on user experience—often feels like a relic […]
- [The Dopamine Engine: Why Standard Habit Trackers Fail (And How Gamification Can Fix It)](https://softdev23.com/why-standard-habit-trackers-fail/): We’ve all been there. You decide to improve your life. You download a highly rated, super-minimalist habit-tracking app. For three days, you check off your goals with religious zeal. You’re flossing, you’re drinking water, you’re reading 10 pages a day. You have a shiny 3-day streak. For the wider picture, see my roundup of the […]
- [Jev AI Explained: A Fixed Choice Can Still Be Wrong](https://softdev23.com/jev-ai-explained/): A receipt can also need a reply. See how Jev’s fixed-choice answers work, why confidence needs a review rule, and use a six-question worksheet to plan your own task.
- [GPT-6 Astra Usage Limits: A Practical Task Checklist](https://softdev23.com/gpt-6-astra-usage-limits/): A copyable task card helps scope a four-item table and a toy calculation review, with verified local arithmetic and clear limits on what the examples prove.
- [AI Agent Boundaries Start With the Tools](https://softdev23.com/ai-agent-boundaries/): A fictional shop rehearsal explains how live connections create real effects, what Anthropic reported, and where a handoff note stops helping.
- [The AI Slowdown: What OpenAI and Anthropic Actually Promised](https://softdev23.com/ai-slowdown-openai-anthropic/): Dario Amodei outlined a pacing plan. Sam Altman promised outside access. Here is how to separate dated statements from evidence that the plans are operating.
- [ToolGrad Explained: How AI Learns From Working Tool Calls](https://softdev23.com/toolgrad-explained/): A library example shows how ToolGrad constructs practice data. Follow the separate training stage, read the student comparison and see what the results leave open.
- [GPT-6 Sol Rumors: What the Sources Actually Show](https://softdev23.com/gpt-6-sol-rumors/): A closer look at the sources behind the GPT-6 Sol discussion, plus a fair way to compare models using tasks, costs and results you can actually check.
- [ChatGPT Image Editing Test: What Stayed and What Changed](https://softdev23.com/chatgpt-image-editing-test/): I changed a grip, replaced a background and made a square image in ChatGPT. Here are all three prompts and results, including the details that drifted.
- [GPT-7 Rumors: What OpenAI Has Actually Confirmed](https://softdev23.com/gpt-7-rumors-openai-confirmed/): OpenAI has described a stronger internal model. Here is what its research confirms, what the GPT-7 rumors leave unproven, and how to test the next model.
- [Why Does ChatGPT Agree With Everything? How to Fix It](https://softdev23.com/why-does-chatgpt-agree-with-everything/): Why ChatGPT can become too agreeable, why a contrarian prompt is not enough, and how to build a more reliable criticism loop.
- [Obsidian AI Plugins: 5 Options for Search, Writing, and Agents](https://softdev23.com/obsidian-ai-plugins/): A practical comparison of five Obsidian AI plugins for finding notes, editing text, and letting an agent work inside a vault.
- [Personal AI Council: A Better Way to Stress-Test Decisions](https://softdev23.com/personal-ai-council/): A practical architecture for using several AI roles to challenge a decision without confusing consensus, confidence, and evidence.
- [Water Reminders on Windows: 5 Reliable Setups](https://softdev23.com/water-reminder-app-windows/): Five practical Windows hydration reminder setups, including one dedicated-app path and four dependable tools already in your daily workflow.
- [Flora vs Forest: Which Focus App Fits You Better?](https://softdev23.com/flora-vs-forest/): Flora and Forest both turn focus time into growing trees, but their platform support, group tools, blocking, and commitment mechanics differ.
- [Forest App Alternatives for PC: 6 Windows Focus Tools](https://softdev23.com/forest-app-alternative-for-pc/): Six practical Forest alternatives for Windows, from strict app blockers to free browser extensions and the Focus tools already built into Windows.
- [Structured App Alternatives: 5 Better Fits by Need](https://softdev23.com/structured-app-alternative/): Five alternatives to Structured, compared by the reason you might switch: free planning, Android access, deeper tasks, or fewer moving parts.
- [AI Adversarial Review: How I Make AI Push Back](https://softdev23.com/ai-adversarial-review/): A practical workflow for making AI challenge a plan, expose unsupported claims, and separate real blockers from fixable weaknesses.
- [Tiimo Alternative: 7 Planning Apps for Different Needs](https://softdev23.com/tiimo-alternative/): Tiimo is a strong visual planner, but it will not fit every problem. These seven alternatives handle timelines, routines, task breakdown, and simpler task lists.
- [Gamified Focus App: 7 Options for Work and Study](https://softdev23.com/gamified-focus-app/): Seven focus apps turn timed work into trees, companions, planets, collections, and quests. Here is which reward loop fits each kind of distraction.
- [Finch Alternative: 7 Apps for Different Needs in 2026](https://softdev23.com/finch-alternative/): Finch works because a friendly pet makes self-care easier to return to. These seven alternatives keep different parts of that idea and solve different problems.
- [n8n-MCP Skill for Codex: Official Setup and Safety Rules](https://softdev23.com/n8n-mcp-skill/): n8n now offers an official MCP server and Skills package for Codex. Here is how they fit together and which safety rules I kept after a real publishing incident.
- [Finch vs Habitica: Which Habit App Fits You?](https://softdev23.com/finch-vs-habitica/): Finch offers gentle self-care while Habitica brings deeper RPG task management. Compare both motivation styles and choose the better fit.
- [Task Paralysis vs Executive Dysfunction, What's the Real Difference](https://softdev23.com/task-paralysis-vs-executive-dysfunction/): Task paralysis and executive dysfunction get used interchangeably, but one is a symptom and the other is the system underneath it. Here's the honest, plain-language distinction and why it changes what you should try.
- [Claude Skills Library, the Skills Actually Worth Installing](https://softdev23.com/claude-skills-library/): A Claude skills library is not the marketplace catalog, it is the actual set of skills worth installing. Here are the ones that earn a place in a starter library and how to judge community skills before adding them.
- [What a Focus Timer Actually Does, and Why Plain Ones Stop Working](https://softdev23.com/focus-timer/): A focus timer works by giving your brain a fixed box to work inside. Here's what a plain timer does, why it stops working for a lot of people, and what a gamified alternative like Mana's Crucible mode does differently.
- [What a Personal AI Assistant Actually Does in 2026](https://softdev23.com/personal-ai-assistant/): A personal AI assistant handles real tasks, drafting, memory, and multi-step work. Here's what these tools actually do today, and where they still fall short of a human assistant.
- [Awesome Claude Code Subagents: The Ones Worth Installing](https://softdev23.com/awesome-claude-code-subagents/): Awesome Claude Code subagents worth installing or building, sorted by job: code quality, research, docs, and multi-reviewer patterns.
- [Grounding Techniques List: 15 Ways to Calm Down Fast](https://softdev23.com/grounding-techniques-list/): A full list of grounding techniques for anxiety, grouped by physical, sensory, mental, and movement approaches, plus how to pick one fast.
- [Which AI Has the Best Memory? ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini (2026)](https://softdev23.com/which-ai-has-the-best-memory/): Which AI has the best memory in 2026? Here is how ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini differ on recall, projects, controls, privacy, and portability.
- [Claude Cowork Plugins: What They Are and How to Install Them](https://softdev23.com/claude-cowork-plugins/): What Claude Cowork plugins actually install, how to add one, where marketplaces come from, and how to manage them across a team.
- [AI Tools for Solopreneurs: What Actually Earns Its Cost](https://softdev23.com/ai-tools-for-solopreneurs/): A category breakdown of AI tools for solopreneurs, what a minimal stack costs, and the context gap none of them fix.
- [What Are the 5 Emotion Regulation Strategies?](https://softdev23.com/5-emotion-regulation-strategies/): Situation selection, situation modification, attentional deployment, cognitive change, and response modulation, explained simply.
- [ADHD Brain Dump Template: The Structure That Actually Works](https://softdev23.com/adhd-brain-dump-template/): The three-stage template structure that makes an ADHD brain dump actually work, plus a free tool to try it right now.
- [Obsidian Copilot V4: What the Plugin Actually Does](https://softdev23.com/obsidian-copilot/): A practical guide to Obsidian Copilot V4, including Agent Chat, Codex, Claude Code, opencode, pricing paths, permissions, and MCP differences.
- [What Are the 5 C's of Self-Care?](https://softdev23.com/5-cs-of-self-care/): The 5 C’s of self-care do not have one single agreed-upon version. Ask five different sources and you will get five overlapping but not identical lists, which is worth knowing upfront before treating any one version as the official framework. I build my own coping tools around whatever actually gets used on a hard day, […]
- [What Is Claude Cowork? A Plain Explanation](https://softdev23.com/what-is-claude-cowork/): A guide to Claude Cowork, with examples from my earlier softDev23 workflow and current documentation on cloud sessions, file access, permissions and how it differs from chat.
- [How to Add an MCP Server to Claude Code Globally](https://softdev23.com/claude-code-mcp-globally/): Adding an MCP server to Claude Code globally means one command with a scope flag, not editing config files by hand in every project folder you ever plan to open. I keep a lean, deliberate set of servers running across all my projects, covered in more depth in my lean MCP server set and my […]
- [ADHD Time Blindness Test: What It Actually Measures](https://softdev23.com/adhd-time-blindness-test/): An ADHD time blindness test cannot diagnose anything on its own. What it actually does is put a number on something you already suspect, that you consistently misjudge how much time has passed or how long a task will take. I built my own morning around the assumption that I cannot trust my internal sense […]
- [Claude Code on Mobile: How It Actually Works](https://softdev23.com/claude-code-mobile/): Claude Code on mobile does not require a separate app or a beta program anymore. It lives inside the regular Claude app on iOS and Android, one tap away from the same terminal-native agent you run at your desk. I already run Claude Code as my main coding agent, covered in my own comparison against […]
- [Open Weight AI Models Explained: Why DeepSeek and Qwen Are Legal to Use](https://softdev23.com/open-weight-ai-models/): What open weight AI models actually are, why the US cannot ban Chinese models like DeepSeek and Qwen, and what that means for your own dev stack.
- [DeepSeek vs Claude: What Actually Changes When You Switch](https://softdev23.com/deepseek-vs-claude/): DeepSeek vs Claude for indie developers: real pricing, where Claude still wins, and how to split your AI stack to cut costs without losing quality.
- [The 1-3-5 Rule for ADHD: How It Actually Works](https://softdev23.com/1-3-5-rule-adhd/): The 1-3-5 rule for ADHD caps your day at one big task, three medium tasks, and five small ones, nine items total, chosen before the day gets a chance to fill itself with everything you could theoretically do. I run my own days around a version of this because an open-ended to-do list is where […]
- [MCP Server List: The Servers I Actually Run](https://softdev23.com/mcp-server-list/): The awesome-MCP directories are huge and overwhelming. This is the opposite: the short list of MCP servers I actually run, filtered by one rule, would I set it up again?
- [Dubbii: The Body Doubling App for ADHD Chores and Admin](https://softdev23.com/dubbii-body-doubling-app/): Dubbii is a body doubling app built specifically around ADHD and the tasks that quietly pile up around a home, dishes, laundry, admin, the stuff that is never hard exactly, just somehow impossible to start alone. I keep a running list of tools that address the actual mechanism behind a struggle rather than just the […]
- [Free Prompt Library: What's Actually Worth Using](https://softdev23.com/free-prompt-library/): A free prompt library sounds like exactly what you need until you open one with 30,000 entries and realize the actual problem was never finding prompts. It was finding the handful worth keeping. I write and ship content for a one-person business, so I lean on a small set of prompts constantly rather than searching […]
- [Build With AI: The Right Tool for What You're Actually Making](https://softdev23.com/build-with-ai/): Build with AI means something completely different depending on what you are actually trying to ship. A landing page, a mobile app, and a real piece of business software all sit on different tools, and picking the wrong one wastes weeks before you notice. I build software for a living, so I care about this […]
- [AI File Organizer: The Drive AI vs Sortio vs Hazel](https://softdev23.com/ai-file-organizer/): A current comparison of three ways to organize files with AI or rules, including cloud storage, local processing, preview controls, and platform limits.
- [Best Second Brain App: The One Your AI Can Read](https://softdev23.com/best-second-brain-app/): The second brain debate used to be about features. Now it is about access. Here is why I think the best second brain app is simply the one your AI can read.
- [AI Agents for Data Analysis: Which Tier Actually Fits You](https://softdev23.com/ai-agents-for-data-analysis/): AI agents for data analysis split into two very different products wearing the same label. One lets you drop a spreadsheet into a chat window and ask questions. The other autonomously investigates a data warehouse and flags problems before anyone asks it to. I run into this category constantly checking my own SEO and content […]
- [Natural Ways to Increase Dopamine for ADHD Brains](https://softdev23.com/natural-ways-to-increase-dopamine-adhd/): The natural ways to increase dopamine ADHD research actually backs come down to six things: exercise, sleep, music, nutrition, meditation, and specific supplements, not wellness marketing. None of them replace treatment when treatment is what you actually need, but all six do something measurable on their own. I built a dopamine menu tool because a […]
- [LLM Memory: How AI Agents Actually Remember Things](https://softdev23.com/llm-memory/): Large language models do not have memory. Nothing persists between calls unless something outside the model explicitly writes it down and hands it back later. Everything that feels like an AI tool remembering you is engineered, not learned by the model itself. That fact surprised me more than it should have, given how much time […]
- [Cursor Alternative: 6 Real Options and How to Pick One](https://softdev23.com/cursor-alternative/): The best cursor alternative depends entirely on one question. Do you want a different editor, or do you want to stop thinking about editors altogether. I switched between three of these tools before landing on my current setup, and that question is the one that actually sorted the options, not feature checklists. I already wrote […]
- [How to Make a Remote Vault in Obsidian (My Git-Backed Setup)](https://softdev23.com/how-to-make-a-remote-vault-in-obsidian/): There is no remote vault button in Obsidian. A vault is just a folder, so going remote means syncing it off your machine. Here are the three real ways, and why I back mine with Git.
- [Catzy: What the Self-Care App With a Virtual Cat Actually Does](https://softdev23.com/catzy/): Catzy combines a virtual cat with goals, mood tracking, reflection, breathing, focus, and sleep tools. Here is what it does and how it compares.
- [AI Workspace: What Actually Separates Architecture From Add-On](https://softdev23.com/ai-workspace/): An ai workspace is a digital environment where AI sits inside every layer of the product, projects, notes, tasks, search, and automation, instead of being bolted on as a chatbot sidebar. That distinction is the whole category, and most tools claiming the label do not actually clear it. I have watched the “all-in-one workspace” pitch […]
- [Visual Timers for ADHD: A Practical Guide for Daily Use](https://softdev23.com/visual-timer/): A practical guide to physical visual timers, countdown apps, visual schedules, and focus tools, including how to choose one without adding more friction.
- [How to Add an OpenAI API Key to an n8n Node (and the Gotchas)](https://softdev23.com/how-to-add-openai-api-key-to-n8n-node/): The key does not go in the node. It goes in a credential the node borrows. Here is the full setup, plus the billing and model gotchas that look like a broken key but are not.
- [AI Chief of Staff: Why My Own System Already Is One](https://softdev23.com/ai-chief-of-staff/): An ai chief of staff is software that coordinates and prioritizes your workload across email, calendar, and tasks, triaging the inbox, surfacing what actually needs attention, and handing you a briefing instead of a raw list. That description matches my own daily setup closer than any other category I have covered this week. It is […]
- [Prompt Manager: Why Mine Lives in the Vault, Not an App](https://softdev23.com/prompt-manager/): A prompt manager is what stops your best prompts from living in a scattered pile of notes, chat history, and half-remembered phrasing you have to reconstruct every time you need it again. I do not keep prompts in a separate tool at all. Mine live as structured Skills inside my own vault, versioned, reusable, and […]
- [ADHD Task Paralysis: Why You Freeze and How to Get Unstuck](https://softdev23.com/adhd-task-paralysis/): ADHD task paralysis is being unable to start a task you genuinely want to do. Here is why it happens and practical ways to break the freeze without willpower.
- [AI Accountability Partner: Why Memory Is the Real Feature](https://softdev23.com/ai-accountability-partner/): An ai accountability partner is software that checks whether you actually did the thing, not just software that reminds you to do it. That distinction runs through my own process too, just applied to work instead of habits. I do not trust a single pass to tell me something is actually done. I trust a […]
- [Second Brain AI: What the Category Gets Right and Wrong](https://softdev23.com/second-brain-ai/): A second brain ai is not a single product, it is a category of tools that store, connect, and retrieve what you already know so you stop losing it in a pile of unsearched notes. My own vault runs this way already. Every decision, every draft, every piece of research this site is built on […]
- [Vibe Coding Workflow: 7 Steps to Avoid the Doom Loop](https://softdev23.com/vibe-coding-workflow/): A vibe coding workflow is not just typing prompts and hoping the output works. Without structure behind it, vibe coding turns into a doom loop, one fix creating two new bugs, then two more fixes creating four. I run most of my own build process this way, describing outcomes instead of writing every line myself. […]
- [Best AI Code Review Tools for Solo and Small Teams](https://softdev23.com/best-ai-code-review-tools/): Best AI code review tools comes down to a real tradeoff most comparisons skip. Catch more bugs and put up with more noise, or stay quiet and risk missing something. I run a solo AI-assisted stack, so code review is not optional polish for me. It is the layer that keeps a fast pipeline from […]
- [Claude Code vs Cursor: The Real Difference](https://softdev23.com/claude-code-vs-cursor/): Claude Code vs Cursor compared honestly, terminal agent vs AI editor, pricing, token efficiency, and which one fits your workflow.
- [Claude Subagents: What They Are and How I Use Them](https://softdev23.com/claude-subagents/): Claude subagents explained plainly, what they are, how they work, and how I use them to run the review process behind my own AIOS.
- [AI Token Cost: Why It's So High and What Drives It](https://softdev23.com/ai-token-cost/): AI token cost explained plainly, what a token actually is, why coding agents burn through them fast, and why pricing keeps changing.
- [An ADHD Morning Routine That Survives Real Mornings](https://softdev23.com/adhd-morning-routine/): A realistic ADHD morning routine built around how the ADHD brain actually works, with a simple checklist and tips to make it stick on the hard days.
- [Claude Cowork Pricing: Is It Free? What It Costs](https://softdev23.com/claude-cowork-pricing/): Is Claude Cowork free? No. Here is exactly what each Claude plan costs, which ones include Cowork, and whether it is worth paying for.
- [Claude Cowork Examples: What I Actually Run in My AIOS](https://softdev23.com/claude-cowork-examples/): Real Claude Cowork examples from my own AI operating system, not another generic list. What I actually run, including a real red-team teardown.
- [AI Sycophancy: Why Your AI Always Agrees With You](https://softdev23.com/ai-sycophancy/): AI sycophancy explained, why it happens, and what a system that is actually built to argue with itself looks like in practice.
- [Claude Skills vs Agents: What I Actually Use and When](https://softdev23.com/claude-skills-vs-agents/): What Claude skills and Claude agents actually are, how they differ from MCP, projects, and subagents, and how I use both to run my AIOS.
- [Dopamine Menu Ideas: A Big List to Build Your Own, by Category](https://softdev23.com/dopamine-menu-ideas/): A big list of dopamine menu ideas sorted into starters, mains, sides, desserts, and specials, so you can build a menu that actually gets you moving.
- [The Claude Skills Marketplace: What It Is and How to Use It](https://softdev23.com/claude-skills-marketplace/): A plain guide to the Claude skills marketplace: what it is, how to add one and install a skill, official versus community sources, the trust caveat, and how to publish your own.
- [A Coping Skills List That Actually Helps, Sorted by What You Need](https://softdev23.com/coping-skills-list/): A practical coping skills list sorted by what the moment needs: grounding, soothing, releasing, connecting, and thinking. Pick a few and keep them where you can find them.
- [The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique: Calm Anxiety in Under a Minute](https://softdev23.com/5-4-3-2-1-grounding-technique/): The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique uses your five senses to interrupt anxiety fast. Here is exactly how to do it, why it works, and how to keep it handy.
- [OpenAI Image API: Auto-Generating Blog Featured Images](https://softdev23.com/openai-image-api-blog-images/): Using the OpenAI image API to auto-generate blog featured images. The model that works, the gotchas I hit, and how I wire it into WordPress hands-off.
- [ADHD Brain Dump: How to Empty Your Head When Everything Feels Like Too Much](https://softdev23.com/adhd-brain-dump/): Racing thoughts and too many open loops? An ADHD brain dump empties your head onto the page fast, with no sorting and no guilt. Here is how to do one, plus a free tool to try.
- [How to Make AI Writing Sound Human (Without Faking It)](https://softdev23.com/make-ai-writing-sound-human/): How to make AI writing sound human. The specific tells that give it away, and the simple rules I use to keep AI-assisted posts readable and honest.
- [Self-Care Menu Ideas: A Big List, Sorted by Type](https://softdev23.com/self-care-menu-ideas/): A big list of self-care menu ideas sorted by type: physical, emotional and mental, social, practical, and rest. Pick a few and build a menu you will actually use.
- [Coping Skills for Anxiety, Grouped by What Anxiety Is Doing](https://softdev23.com/coping-skills-for-anxiety/): Coping skills for anxiety that actually work, grouped by what anxiety is doing: in-the-moment spikes, racing thoughts, physical symptoms, and avoidance.
- [How to Find App Ideas Worth Building as a Solo Dev](https://softdev23.com/how-to-find-app-ideas/): How to find app ideas that are actually worth building. The research method I use as a solo dev to separate real demand from crowded, unwinnable markets.
- [AI Agent Workflow: The Loop That Finishes Hard Tasks](https://softdev23.com/ai-agent-workflow/): A good AI agent workflow is a loop, not a one-shot prompt. Here is how I use persistent memory and a test-don't-assert rule to get agents to actually finish hard tasks.
- [Loop Engineering: What It Means for a Solo Developer](https://softdev23.com/loop-engineering/): Loop engineering is the shift from prompting an AI agent to designing the loop that prompts it. Here is what it means, the four parts every loop needs, and how my AIOS was already halfway there.
- [n8n WordPress Automation: How My Blog Publishes Itself](https://softdev23.com/n8n-wordpress-automation/): n8n WordPress automation lets me draft, optimize, and schedule blog posts hands-off. Here is the exact pipeline I built with Claude, n8n, and the WordPress REST API.
- [Best ADHD Planner: The Apps That Actually Get Used](https://softdev23.com/best-adhd-planner/): The best ADHD planner is the one you will actually open on a bad day. Here are the apps that survive an ADHD brain, sorted by where your planning breaks down.
- [How to Build a Coping Skills Menu for Hard Moments](https://softdev23.com/coping-skills-menu/): A coping skills menu is a ready-made list of healthy ways to steady yourself, sorted so you can pick one when you are overwhelmed. Here is how to make one, plus a free tool.
- [How to Make a Self-Care Menu You Will Actually Use](https://softdev23.com/self-care-menu/): A self-care menu is a pre-made list of small things that help you feel better, sorted by effort. Here is how to build one, and a free tool that makes it in minutes.
- [Obsidian MCP: How to Connect Claude to Your Vault](https://softdev23.com/obsidian-mcp/): An Obsidian MCP server lets Claude read, search, and write notes in your Obsidian vault. Here is what it is, how to set it up, and the guardrails that keep it safe.
- [Anytype vs Obsidian vs Notion: What I Picked for an AI Second Brain](https://softdev23.com/anytype-vs-obsidian/): Both can support AI agents now. Obsidian uses direct Markdown files, while Anytype adds encrypted objects, collaboration, export, and a local API.
- [The Best Calendar App for ADHD Is the One You Actually Open](https://softdev23.com/best-calendar-app-for-adhd/): An ADHD brain does not abandon a calendar for missing a feature. It abandons it for friction and guilt. Here is how to pick one that survives a real week.
- [The Best Habitica Alternative for People Who Hate Being Punished](https://softdev23.com/habitica-alternative/): A Habitica alternative is not about a better game. It is about motivation without making a missed day feel like losing. Here is how to choose one.
- [Best MCP Servers for Claude Code: The Lean Set I Actually Use](https://softdev23.com/best-mcp-servers-for-claude-code/): The best MCP servers for Claude Code are not the longest list. Here is the small, opinionated set I actually keep installed as a solo dev, and why fewer beats more.
- [Build 10 Apps First: Why I'm Choosing Craft Over Validation Right Now](https://softdev23.com/build-10-apps/): You do not get good at building software by planning. You get good by finishing a lot of real apps. Here is how the build 10 apps approach works, and how to do it without wasting the reps.
- [Why I'm Not Validating My App Ideas Yet (And Why That's Deliberate)](https://softdev23.com/validate-app-idea/): The usual advice is to validate your app idea before building. I am deliberately not doing that yet. Here is why, what I do instead, and when validation will actually matter.
- [Build in Public: Why I Chose It as a Solo Developer](https://softdev23.com/build-in-public-solo-developer/): A finished app nobody knows about is just a private project. Here is why I build in public as a solo developer, even though I dislike posting online.
- [App Store Optimization on a Budget: How I Use AI](https://softdev23.com/app-store-optimization-on-a-budget/): Paid ASO tools are not the price of entry. Here is a zero-cost process for App Store Optimization that uses AI for the research and drafting, and your judgment for the rest.
- [AI SwiftUI Code: How I Write It Faster Without Losing Control](https://softdev23.com/ai-swiftui-code/): AI can write SwiftUI fast, but speed is the easy part. The real skill is keeping control of code you did not type. Here is how I do it as a beginner.
- [Indie iOS Developer Tools I Actually Use Every Day](https://softdev23.com/indie-ios-developer-tools/): No secret stack makes shipping easy. Here is the small set of tools I keep coming back to as a solo iOS developer, and the longer list I abandoned.
- [Launching My First iOS App: What I Learned as a Solo Developer](https://softdev23.com/launching-my-first-ios-app/): The hard part of my first app was not the code. It was App Store Connect, scope decisions, and a launch day where nothing happened. Notes from shipping my first one.
- [Agentic Operating System: What It Actually Means for a Solo Dev](https://softdev23.com/agentic-operating-system/): An agentic operating system is the layer that lets AI agents act, not just answer. Here is what mine actually does as a solo dev, and why the guardrails matter more than the autonomy.

## Pages

- [Tandri YouTube Workflow](https://softdev23.com/tandri/youtube-workflow/): Free TandriYouTube workflow Tandri YouTube workflow · Optional paid pack Make the video.Keep the process. Your ideas deserve more than another unfinished script. Give Tandri a clear production workflow: research the topic, shape the story, work with your audio and footage, then review what is ready to publish. Explore the packWatch the demo ↓ Your […]
- [Download and set up Tandri](https://softdev23.com/tandri/download/): Download Tandri, follow three setup steps, and keep your project notes in files you control.
- [AI Project Memory Starter Kit](https://softdev23.com/ai-project-memory-starter-kit/): Carry your project goal, decisions and next task into a new AI chat with three templates, a worked example and a visual guide.
- [Tandri](https://softdev23.com/tandri/): Tandri keeps your project context in files you control, helps you continue in a new chat, and adds Council and Judge review. Join for launch updates.
- [Brain Dump](https://softdev23.com/brain-dump/): Brain Dump by softDev23 Why empty your head? When too much is rattling around, deciding what to do becomes its own hurdle. Get it all onto the page, in any order, with no judgment, and your mind can finally stop holding it. No login needed Saved on your device Copy or print it Add to […]
- [Coping Skills Menu](https://softdev23.com/pluck/coping-skills-menu/): Coping Skills Menu Your menu of good-for-you things. Free, no login. A coping skills menu is a personal list of things that help you get through a hard moment, sorted so you can find one fast. Build yours above, save it, print it, or share it. How it works 1. Add what helps Tap a […]
- [Self-Care Menu Maker](https://softdev23.com/pluck/self-care-menu-maker/): Self-Care Menu Maker Your menu of good-for-you things. Free, no login. A self-care menu is a ready-made list of things that help you feel better, sorted by effort, so you do not have to figure it out on a bad day. Build yours above, then save it, print it, or share it. How it works […]
- [Dopamine Menu Builder](https://softdev23.com/pluck/dopamine-menu-builder/): Dopamine Menu Builder Your menu of good-for-you things. Free, no login. Free, no login When your brain is bored, stuck, or overwhelmed, it grabs the easiest hit, usually the phone. A dopamine menu gives it better options, ready ahead of time. Let’s build yours, one small step at a time. Build my menu Takes about […]
- [Pluck](https://softdev23.com/pluck/): Free, no login Your menu of good-for-you things When your brain is bored, stuck, or overwhelmed, give it better options, ready ahead of time. Build a menu in two minutes and pick from it instead of doomscrolling. Build a dopamine menu or a self-care or coping menu Why a menu helps When motivation is low, […]
- [Tools](https://softdev23.com/tools/): Free tools Tools for a calmer, more focused brain Small, free web tools I build alongside the apps. No login, no charge, no nagging. Made for ADHD and neurodivergent brains, but good for anyone with a busy head. Open Pluck →Try Brain Dump 2 tools live, more on the way. Part of the 10-product challenge. […]
- [Home](https://softdev23.com/): Indie Software Studio Apps built by softDev23 Software built to solve real problems and feel good to use. iOS apps and free web tools now, more on the way. Explore the apps →Follow the build The Lineup Three apps, one focused studio Each app is a small, polished tool, shipped and improved in public. Habit […]
- [Habitual Terms](https://softdev23.com/apps/habitual/terms/): Terms and Conditions Habitual: The Grand Journey Last Updated: May 2026 Welcome to Habitual: The Grand Journey (the “Application”), a gamified habit-tracking RPG. By downloading, accessing, or using this application, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the Application. 1. […]
- [Habitual Privacy Policy](https://softdev23.com/apps/habitual/privacy/): Privacy Policy Habitual: Habit Tracker RPG Last Updated: September 2026 Habitual is a gamified habit tracker. This policy explains what the app stores on your device and what data is processed by the services used for analytics and subscriptions. No account required Habitual does not require you to create a softDev23 account or provide a […]
- [Mana Terms](https://softdev23.com/apps/mana/terms/): // USER_TERMS_ESTABLISHED Mana: Focus Evolved Last Updated: May 2026 Welcome to Mana Focus Timer (the “Application”), a cyberpunk focus timer utility. By downloading, accessing, or using this application, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the Application. 1. License & […]
- [Mana Privacy Policy](https://softdev23.com/apps/mana/privacy/): Mana: Focus Evolved Privacy Policy Last updated: September 5, 2026 Mana is a focus and productivity app from softDev23. This policy explains what stays on your device, what the app sends for analytics, and what is shared only when you choose to contact support. No account required Mana does not require an account, registration, name, […]
- [Think Drink Terms](https://softdev23.com/apps/think-drink/terms/): Terms and Conditions Think Drink Last Updated: May 2026 Welcome to Think Drink (the “Application”), a minimalist hydration assistant. By downloading, installing, or using this application, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the Application. 1. License & Usage We […]
- [Think Drink Privacy Policy](https://softdev23.com/apps/think-drink/privacy/): Privacy Policy Think Drink Last Updated: May 2026 Welcome to the Privacy Policy for Think Drink, a minimalist hydration assistant. Think Drink is designed to help you stay hydrated with absolute simplicity and **zero compromises on your personal privacy**. 1. Zero Accounts, Zero Registration Think Drink requires no user accounts, passwords, or emails. You simply […]
- [Habitual](https://softdev23.com/apps/habitual/): The Grand Journey Awaits Transform your daily routines into an epic RPG adventure. Track habits, earn rewards, and conquer your goals in a mystical, premium experience. Requires an iPhone running iOS 17 or later. On your computer? Scan this with your iPhone camera to download the app instantly. See It In Action This isn’t just […]
- [Mana](https://softdev23.com/apps/mana/): LEVEL UP YOUR FOCUS Block distracting apps, complete real-world quests, and build the ultimate streak. Mana turns your productivity into a game you actually want to play. Get Early Access Join the TestFlight beta today. JOIN WAITLIST Requires iOS. Built for iPhone and iPad. ✨ Quest Accepted! One more important step. Check your inbox (or […]
- [Terms & Conditions](https://softdev23.com/terms-conditions/): Terms and Conditions softDev23 Terms of Service Last Updated: May 2026 Welcome to softDev23. By downloading, installing, or using our applications (including Habitual: The Grand Journey, Think Drink, and Mana) or browsing this website, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you disagree with any part of these terms, please do […]
- [Think Drink](https://softdev23.com/apps/think-drink/): Hydration, made delightfully simple. The Simplest Way To Stay Hydrated. Track your daily water intake, build healthy streaks, and unlock playful sea creatures — all in a calm, distraction-free experience designed just for iPhone. Available Now! Download on the App Store No account setup. No clutter. Just gentle reminders to drink more water. Stay on […]
- [Contact](https://softdev23.com/contact/): DIRECT LINE Let’s Connect Have a question about an app or one of the free tools, want to report a bug, or just want to chat about indie hacking? Drop me a line! FOUNDER & SOLO DEVELOPER SoftDeveloper23 SUPPORT EMAIL support@softdev23.com GITHUB PROFILE github.com/softdeveloper23
- [BIP Blog](https://softdev23.com/blog/): BIP (Build In Public) - Follow along in my journey
- [About](https://softdev23.com/about/): THE ORIGIN STORY The Story Behind softDev23 From a life-defining decision in 2023 to building 10 software products in public by 2026. What is the “23” in softDev23? A lot of tech agencies boast about decades of experience, boardrooms, and massive teams. I don’t. softDev23 is a highly focused, one-developer operation built on pure craftsmanship […]
- [Apps](https://softdev23.com/apps/): The Collection Small apps, crafted to feel premium Native iOS apps built in SwiftUI to solve real problems and feel good to use. Each one is shipped and improved in public, on the way to 10. Browse the apps → See the challenge 2 live on the App Store · 1 in beta · 10 […]
- [Privacy Policy](https://softdev23.com/privacy-policy/): Privacy Policy softDev23 Privacy Commitment Last Updated: May 2026 Hi, I’m SoftDeveloper23. As a solo independent developer building apps under the softDev23 brand, I believe you have an absolute right to privacy. I don’t build apps to collect or sell your data. I build products that solve real problems, which is why my products are […]

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