Tody

Schedule household chores by flexible frequency and show a neutral shared history

YES · focused build
price $4.99/mosubscription / year $59.88estimated build time one sittingreplaced by 0 people

The core loop is small enough for a capable coding agent to produce a useful local version in one sitting. For Tody, schedule household chores by flexible frequency and show a neutral shared history. The hard boundary is mobile polish, household sync, reminders, and motivating interaction design, plus sync, integrations, and household adoption.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • mobile polish, household sync, reminders, and motivating interaction design
  • frictionless family sync
  • retailer and smart-home integrations
  • large recipe or product database
  • mobile polish

Why people still pay

People still pay for Tody because household apps survive when every family member actually uses them and the data stays current across devices. The recurring cost buys multi-user conflicts, reminders, notifications, imports, barcode data, smart-home APIs, backups, and long-term maintenance, not just the visible interface.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • A supported Node release, a writable local data directory and a separate backup location. Bind to localhost; remote use requires authentication and HTTPS first.
  • Implementation components: Node.js, TypeScript and Express with server-rendered HTML and small browser modules. SQLite through better-sqlite3 with migrations, prepared statements and a single background worker.
  • Scope boundary: mobile polish, household sync, reminders, and motivating interaction design; frictionless family sync
01
Node.js, TypeScript and Express with server-rendered HTML and small browser modules.
02
SQLite through better-sqlite3 with migrations, prepared statements and a single background worker.
03
Domain model: household areas, chores, interval preferences, assignments, completions and due-date calculations
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1

Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: List chores by room, choose flexible recurrence intervals and mark completions in a mobile-friendly household view. Show a neutral upcoming queue and printable plan without punitive rankings. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: mobile polish, household sync, reminders, and motivating interaction design; frictionless family sync

2

Phase 2

Durable model. Model household areas, chores, interval preferences, assignments, completions and due-date calculations Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: Completion history is append-only with corrections; overdue status is a scheduling cue, not a judgment about a household member.

3

Phase 3

Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Use short SQLite transactions and persist job state before starting work. Give retries stable operation IDs; report incomplete or unknown results instead of silently repeating them.

4

Phase 4

Permissions and integration failure. Reject unexpected origins and unbounded request bodies even on localhost. Keep credentials outside the database export and redact sensitive text from logs. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results.

5

Phase 5

Portable handoff. Use a consistent SQLite backup and an attachment manifest. Export portable JSON/CSV, then restore to a new directory without overwriting the original data. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README.

6

Phase 6

Acceptance scenarios. Complete a chore twice with the same operation ID and record one completion; changing its interval recalculates the next due date without rewriting history. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder.

the pro prompt
download AGENTS.md
WORKING SLICE
List chores by room, choose flexible recurrence intervals and mark completions in a mobile-friendly household view. Show a neutral upcoming queue and printable plan without punitive rankings.

Build this scoped Tody-inspired workflow with a documented data model and visible failure states.

Architecture
- Node.js, TypeScript and Express with server-rendered HTML and small browser modules.
- SQLite through better-sqlite3 with migrations, prepared statements and a single background worker.

Prerequisites and limits
A supported Node release, a writable local data directory and a separate backup location. Bind to localhost; remote use requires authentication and HTTPS first.
Outside this release: mobile polish, household sync, reminders, and motivating interaction design; frictionless family sync

Data model and correctness
household areas, chores, interval preferences, assignments, completions and due-date calculations
Invariant: Completion history is append-only with corrections; overdue status is a scheduling cue, not a judgment about a household member.
Use short SQLite transactions and persist job state before starting work. Give retries stable operation IDs; report incomplete or unknown results instead of silently repeating them.

Security and privacy
Reject unexpected origins and unbounded request bodies even on localhost. Keep credentials outside the database export and redact sensitive text from logs.

Recovery and export
Use a consistent SQLite backup and an attachment manifest. Export portable JSON/CSV, then restore to a new directory without overwriting the original data.

Implementation order
1. Phase 1 — Scope and fixtures. Implement this bounded workflow: List chores by room, choose flexible recurrence intervals and mark completions in a mobile-friendly household view. Show a neutral upcoming queue and printable plan without punitive rankings. Record prerequisites, select representative user-owned fixtures and document the unsupported features: mobile polish, household sync, reminders, and motivating interaction design; frictionless family sync
2. Phase 2 — Durable model. Model household areas, chores, interval preferences, assignments, completions and due-date calculations Add migrations or a versioned document format, explicit validation, stable IDs and a visible import-error report. Preserve this rule: Completion history is append-only with corrections; overdue status is a scheduling cue, not a judgment about a household member.
3. Phase 3 — Complete the first useful path. Implement the workflow's input, review and output interface, with clear controls and explicit empty/error states. Use short SQLite transactions and persist job state before starting work. Give retries stable operation IDs; report incomplete or unknown results instead of silently repeating them.
4. Phase 4 — Permissions and integration failure. Reject unexpected origins and unbounded request bodies even on localhost. Keep credentials outside the database export and redact sensitive text from logs. Request integration credentials and permissions only for the enabled feature; show a disconnected state instead of mock results.
5. Phase 5 — Portable handoff. Use a consistent SQLite backup and an attachment manifest. Export portable JSON/CSV, then restore to a new directory without overwriting the original data. Include setup, operating limits, fixture walkthrough and shutdown/restart instructions in the README.
6. Phase 6 — Acceptance scenarios. Complete a chore twice with the same operation ID and record one completion; changing its interval recalculates the next due date without rewriting history. Repeat the workflow after restart and with a denied permission or unavailable dependency; show recoverable failure rather than a success placeholder.

Acceptance
Complete a chore twice with the same operation ID and record one completion; changing its interval recalculates the next due date without rewriting history.
Use real source data or clearly labeled fixtures. Explain unsupported input and provider failures; do not fabricate analytics, delivery receipts, accuracy claims or security guarantees.

Optional agent guidance
Optional external skill: [web-design-guidelines](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/web-design-guidelines/SKILL.md) — Review web interfaces for accessibility, keyboard focus, forms, navigation and interaction quality. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Optional external skill: [sharp-edges](https://github.com/trailofbits/skills/blob/main/plugins/sharp-edges/skills/sharp-edges/SKILL.md) — Review security-sensitive APIs and configuration for dangerous defaults and easy-to-misuse interfaces. Review its instructions and compatibility before use; it does not grant deployment, data-access or publication permission.
Project rule — data model: household areas, chores, interval preferences, assignments, completions and due-date calculations
Project rule — preserve this invariant: Completion history is append-only with corrections; overdue status is a scheduling cue, not a judgment about a household member.
Project rule — acceptance evidence: Complete a chore twice with the same operation ID and record one completion; changing its interval recalculates the next due date without rewriting history.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan

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Alternatives to building your own

GrocyRecurring chores with due dates and history, bundled inside a tiny home ERP.9.4kjul 2026open source↗DonetickTody with shared assignments, flexible recurrence, and a history nobody can quietly rewrite.2.4kaug 2026open source↗

no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real

Questions about Tody

Can you build your own Tody with AI?

The verdict is yes for the scoped workflow. The core loop is small enough for a capable coding agent to produce a useful local version in one sitting. For Tody, schedule household chores by flexible frequency and show a neutral shared history. The hard boundary is mobile polish, household sync, reminders, and motivating interaction design, plus sync, integrations, and household adoption.

What does the Tody build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: List chores by room, choose flexible recurrence intervals and mark completions in a mobile-friendly household view. Show a neutral upcoming queue and printable plan without punitive rankings. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: mobile polish, household sync, reminders, and motivating interaction design; frictionless family sync; retailer and smart-home integrations. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the Tody prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this Tody project take?

The catalogue estimate is one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing Tody?

mobile polish, household sync, reminders, and motivating interaction design; frictionless family sync; retailer and smart-home integrations; large recipe or product database; mobile polish. People still pay for Tody because household apps survive when every family member actually uses them and the data stays current across devices. The recurring cost buys multi-user conflicts, reminders, notifications, imports, barcode data, smart-home APIs, backups, and long-term maintenance, not just the visible interface.

What price is this guide comparing against?

The recorded Premium plan is $4.99/mo (monthly household), checked 2026-07-31. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.

What can I use instead of building Tody?

Grocy: Recurring chores with due dates and history, bundled inside a tiny home ERP. Donetick: Tody with shared assignments, flexible recurrence, and a history nobody can quietly rewrite. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.

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