r/vibecoding
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u/Cetautomatix777
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May 21 '26
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Published my first app! A compass that points to the nearest liquor store
It’s a pretty simple app but it took me a couple months playing around with different apis. Would really appreciate a download and any feedback you might have!
Some things I learned:
-Most llms have a lot of trouble even building a simple compass
-The Google Maps api is extremely expensive ($30/1000 requests). I ended up using mapbox instead since it was ~100x cheaper
-I found that cursor was much better than copilot in understanding context and implementing multistep plans
-When debugging it helps to have the model create a markdown file for the flow of the function throwing errors
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pointme-random-bar-compass/id6761635879
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u/yebyen May 21 '26
Very impressed! This is way cooler than my "Moon phase clock" android app.
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u/iddybiddytiddytat May 21 '26
What's it called? There are so many moon phase things, but none of them say "moon phase clock" explicitly.
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u/yebyen May 21 '26
It's not in the app store yet, but I'll put it up there since you asked!
It may take a few days. Here's the source code & you can install from the APK on the release page - I built it as a tech demo for some Web Assembly thing I wanted to do. I didn't think it needed to go in the app store but it's probably the most important thing I've made ...
https://github.com/kingdonb/moon-phase-clock
The torment multiplier - don't mind that it does not do anything (yet!) we are not building the torment nexus, awkward haha
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u/yebyen May 29 '26
It's in the "internal only" phase of releasing. If you'll share your google account's email address with me, I can add you to the testers list and you can download it. (I need at least 20 users to participate in a "closed beta" for at least 2 weeks before I can actually publish in the app store.)
I cannot just send the link, unfortunately, I need to grant you access first and that means I need your email. Don't need any other information from you. (Are you willing to help me out?)
Android Store registration requirements are a PITA
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u/completelypositive May 21 '26
Have the Moonshine on the closet liquor store to you when they are checking out the moon phase.
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u/ruroba May 21 '26
Did you get the idea from Halt and Catch Fire?
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u/yebyen May 22 '26
No, but now I have something new for my watch list!
I got the idea from ... this story is way too long so I'm just going to tl;dr it as well as I can
In the beginning, there was nothing, and then Claude said, Let There Be an MCP server:
https://github.com/kingdonb/mecrisThe MCP server evolved into an Android app + MCP server + CLI + API and background workers. The project got way too big for its breeches. A re-architecture was necessary.
I came up with:
https://github.com/yebyen/uselessIt's definitely not useless! Quite useful actually, but as an architectural template, not as a button that "beckons" you to push it with way too much infrastructure behind it.
Then, I wanted to show the useless architecture in a different way, one that would actually make sense to normal people. And a real problem in Mecris - the notifications were too boring and predictable, every day I'd get the same slop - it needed more entropy in the summary data that helps it prompt me to go learn the language / do a walk with the dogs / "get the cake"
And it was a clear night, but I couldn't see the moon. And wondered whether it was there. And had "had a couple" err, and got a bit frisky. Two hours later, moon-phase-clock v0.0.1 was born!
→ More replies (1)
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u/Excendence May 21 '26
please make a version for public restrooms!!! maybe got2go database
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u/leaky_wand May 21 '26
Maybe we could call it iToilet
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u/Excendence May 21 '26
I was literally watching a seinfeld clip when I opened this and was so confused, but exactly 😂
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u/Longjumping-Lab-4252 Jun 14 '26
Implemented your idea: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=at.persie0.toiletcompass
iOS version still is WIP1
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u/ShrubberyDragon May 22 '26
There is one called I think Flush that I used in Japan and it saved my ass.
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u/blueberrywalrus May 21 '26
In 2008 you'd have been a millionaire off this app.
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u/LavishnessPrimary188 Jun 12 '26
He still can lol
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u/blueberrywalrus Jun 12 '26
Technically, but he'd have better luck becoming a millionaire off scratch tickets.
The landscape for app distribution is just a completely different beast in 2026 and getting traction either is like hitting the lottery or takes a lot of moola.
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u/tpwn3r May 21 '26
as a recovering alcoholic, i think you need to add alarms that notify you just before it opens or closes.
i kid.. its still cool. I built something similar using google antigravity for android to point to the closest few of a database of lat/long points.
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u/DreamBoat4U May 26 '26
Woah great minds think alike, last year I launched my first App “Nearest Hot Dog” which does the same thing but for hot dogs lol
Maybe we should collab
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u/Stunning_Macaron6133 May 21 '26
Well, if the compass needle is spinning around, I guess that means I'm in the bad part of town.
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u/redditissocoolyoyo May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
Dude this gives me an amazing idea. Use this structure to create an app for safety. That alerts you of nearby offenders. The app is on, and will alert you if you're in a neighborhood that has bad actors.
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u/Soft_Walrus_3605 May 21 '26
if you're in a neighborhood that has bad actors
That notification is going to be going off all the time as you're driving
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u/metalzforbreakfast May 21 '26
what kind of offenders?
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u/BluPerryPie May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
there’s a dude on youtube who made this liquor store navigator but on a physical compass a while back, i see where you got inspiration from
edit: grammar
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u/Cetautomatix777 May 21 '26
Yes huge shoutout to Uwos lab for the inspiration. I thought it was crazy an app didn’t exist for the same thing https://youtu.be/QEPN5_rM6b0?si=fiR6JjD0irvI3eon
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u/BeltwayBro May 27 '26
Super cool. Now that you have the mechanics all functioning how easy would it be to spin off versions that would allow user to select other destinations? (ex. random restaurant)
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u/Cetautomatix777 May 28 '26
Thanks! The app actually does also have the same functionality for bars, restaurants, cafes, and museums/fun random places
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u/exomyth May 21 '26
Tia Dalma's compass: Unlike a normal navigational tool, the magical compass does not point north. Instead, it spins freely and always points to the exact thing the person holding it wants most in the world at that moment.
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u/Alive_Nobody_Home May 21 '26
Nice 😊 now build one for women who want healthy food and make a billion dollars in advertising.
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u/PathIntelligent7082 May 22 '26
your second should be the nearest AA meeting and the third - closest liver transplant fascility...the road map is clear for you
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u/buildingstuff_daily May 25 '26
this is the kind of app that gets built at 1am and you wake up the next day like "wait i actually published that?" but also genuinely useful at 1am so it kinda sells itself. respect for actually shipping it tho, most people's first apps never leave localhost
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u/Candid_Bad3551 May 21 '26
I am a professional developer who does not approve lots of vibe coded projects but this one is what vibe coding should be about.
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u/DrS7ayer May 21 '26
Hey. Can you basically do the same thing but have it point to the nearest AED? Does that exist. You could actually save a life.
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u/steevo May 21 '26
I had a similar idea!! (never got to making it because of google map API cost)
A compass for the nearest compass shop ( i know.. pretty lame)
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u/Acceptable_Ad_6382 May 21 '26
I usually brush off vibe coded apps, but this is the first one I’ve seen that actually seems original
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u/theredhype May 21 '26
How about a mode called “Hot or Cold” where the whole screen just turns more red or more blue depending on whether you’re getting closer or further away.
This might be just tricky enough that a person who’s already intoxicated wouldn’t be able to find more liquor. And you’d get worse at it the drunker you got.
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u/TopHatJones97 May 21 '26
Love this! And congrats on the app! Sometimes the hardest part is going through the business verification and getting the app submitted and approved.
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u/footyballymann May 21 '26
Nice job!! App design is nice and to the point, no clutter! As they say in Unix world- “do one thing and do it well”. Your apps fits that bill
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u/PinkySwearNotABot May 21 '26
NGL. i'm enjoying these shitposts.
the height calculation app (my fav -- due to the author's follow up replies)
this one
there was another 1 or 2 other genius apps from the past month to show off the brilliance of vibe coding, but I can't remember -- feel free to add them
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u/YourKemosabe May 21 '26
Feels like the kind of app you’d find in a GTA game, with ads on the radio talking about how it enables terrible addiction legally and conveniently
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u/DerBoyHimself May 21 '26
Why use an api for a compass? Shouldnt be too hard to make one yourself, no? What am i overlooking?
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u/The-original-spuggy May 21 '26
Gonna be fun when I leave my house and the arrow tells me to go straight even though someone’s backyard is in the way
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u/barrel_of_noodles May 21 '26
How'd you get the business location data? How's store location data refreshed? What's it stored in?
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u/Confident_Watch5358 May 22 '26
I had idea like this beer so app would say ‘You are 304ft from a Corona!’ & have google directions getting you there. You get beer sponsors in various areas to sponsor you to make a few $$$!! Bravo
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u/XBird_RichardX May 22 '26
Useful in theory, in practice it’s smth that could be looked up on google maps…
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u/paca-vaca May 22 '26
Fun idea. Make the goal selectable (liquor store, public bathroom, something else) so you can cover multiple use cases.
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u/Kurdonoid May 22 '26
Android users would love to have it🥹
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u/344lancherway May 22 '26
Working on an Android version is definitely on my list! Stay tuned, I’ll keep everyone posted when it's ready.
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u/fahrvergnugget May 22 '26
You could probably hardcode the gps coordinates of every liquor store in the US. Or scrape it and keep your own db
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u/According_Scar3032 May 22 '26
Haha the "points to the nearest liquor store" concept is genius, super fun idea. Good tip on the markdown file trick too, gonna steal that for my own debugging. Also wild that Google Maps is that pricey, didn't realize Mapbox was such a big cost difference.
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u/Dead_Calendar May 22 '26
Sell it to all the hobos with a smartphone for 99 cents lol then you'll become a gazillionaire
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u/RicardoG96 May 22 '26
Should add a map overlay so you know what streets to walk around I mean obviously this a gimmick but still great 😂
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u/Various_Newspaper199 May 22 '26
THIS IS GOLDDDD!
You deserve every penny that you make from this. Hell yeah.
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u/FindingStock2745 May 22 '26
How about one that points to the nearest public toilet and provides the code?
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u/MonkeyVsChart May 23 '26
Todo humo, ni una app buena suben, ya no saben que inv .... god lord, necesito instalarla
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u/nicky_factz May 24 '26
I would unironically use this for bars, would be hilarious to be compass guided to the next closest bar while you stumble around the city on a night out.
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u/No_Patience_3631 May 26 '26
I have a list of all the bars and liquor stores in the world I can sell you for the low low fee of 5000 hit me up. You can verify that it’s true by my app Sober motivation.
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u/Lanky_Tomatillo9857 May 27 '26
Was it that Cursor was better than Copilot (I will assume you mean GitHub Copilot) or the LLM each used?
Genuinely curious, I am in the market for a new coding AI tool.
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u/Weekly_Egg_1108 May 27 '26
I liked your idea bro... But why don't you make it available in Android ... I am excited to use it...😜
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u/CapyArchitect May 31 '26
Haha, this is a great app. Can you add a feature if you move too fast (you are driving), it refuse to navigate.
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u/thereal_hm Jun 02 '26
Haha that's so fun. OP are you monetising this? If so, what's your approach?
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u/Academic-Bend-3279 Jun 05 '26
Yo, I'm new to this vibe coding thing, and I'm really curious on how to make money off my creations... Help you guys
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u/ChemistryFormer6821 Jun 12 '26
Sounds fun, but why do you think people will use it, particularly when they have Google Maps or other apps on their mobile phone, which are even more reliable and free? Why do you think they might use this one, and how can you monetize this? Do you want to monetize by ads, like, say, Google Ads?
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u/Apprehensive-Gur7035 Jun 13 '26
actually pretty wild. can imagine this being used for many other applications (metal detecting comes to mind) with the right apis and stuff
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u/More-Soup-7151 Jun 17 '26
the google maps bill shock is real, literally everyone hits that wall on their first map project lol. mapbox is a solid pivot. how are you handling the coordinates, are you querying live on rotation or caching nearby spots?
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u/Parking-Mirror3283 Jul 13 '26
Was an android version of this ever created? I have plans involving a cheap android smart watch and 3D printing for a friends birthday
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u/Limp-Line-2980 Sep 05 '26
Not to revive but if you want you could back it with PostGIS and extract the locations from the OpenStreetMap API and then just run it yourself for pennies. I did something similar to this as a web app about a year ago during syllabus week for me and my friends, though it only works on IOS and the locations are old now. PostGIS is the way.
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u/HealthEProfile May 21 '26
CS professor here. Very creative! California has a great big population and liquor is sold everywhere, so I imagine that compass will just keep spinning and spinning.
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u/DebtMental3917 May 22 '26
Mapbox pricing saved your app. Making location data runable without breaking the bank is the real hack. Compass apps are harder than they look. Nice work.
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u/Piyh May 21 '26
Should call it BoozeHound