04 / Weekend builds

Make Sunday a finish line.

A weekend project needs a smaller promise than a startup. Choose one person, one recurring problem, and one complete journey from input to a useful result.

Friday: write the receipt

Describe what a successful user can take away: a downloaded report, a cleaned list, or a checked configuration. Write the acceptance example before building. List any external service or credential the idea requires. If access is uncertain, reduce the first version to an offline workflow with a representative fixture.

Saturday: connect the whole path

Build the simplest end-to-end route before polishing individual screens. Ask the assistant for changes in small batches so that you can run and inspect each one. Keep empty input, invalid input, and loading states in the same task as the happy path. Record decisions that affect future maintenance.

Sunday: make it survivable

Try the tool from a clean start, without your development shortcuts or cached data. Check readable errors, keyboard navigation, and the output on a second realistic example. Write a short run command and a known-limitations note. Release only the scope you verified; the next idea can stay in the notebook until this one works reliably.

A brief to adapt
Break this idea into a weekend-sized vertical slice: a local Markdown link checker. Define acceptance examples, the smallest complete workflow, and a Sunday verification checklist. Flag network assumptions.