How it works

One loop, five steps

The same five steps whether you're making an app, a song, a game or a plan. No account needed: your work is kept in this browser, under Your work.

What you get

The plain version, before you start.

Your goal: One idea you want to turn into a real first version: an app, a song, a game, a plan, a page.
Steps included: Say it, shape it, make it, try it, go again. Tools and Engines help with single steps.
What you leave with: A written plan: what version one does, what it leaves out, what “done” looks like, the tools it needs, the next step, and a brief you can copy.
Time: The plan appears as soon as you describe the idea. How long building version one takes depends on the idea and is up to you.
Limits: It plans and guides; it does not build the thing for you. Work is kept in this browser only, so clearing site data clears it. Kids should build with a parent.
Live or beta: The planner and tools work today. Some Engines are still in beta: see What’s built for the current list. What’s built →
Account: None needed. Your work stays in this browser.

Say it

In your own words. No form to fill in — messy is fine.

Open the idea box →

Shape it

See what it really is before any plan shows up. You only get asked something if it would actually change what gets built.

First version cutter →

Make it

Turn it into something real — open an Engine if a focused tool helps, or take the brief to whatever tool or person you already work with.

Plan a five-hour session →

Try it

Use the real thing yourself. If it doesn't work for you, it isn't done.

Try-it script →

Go again

Pick it up again from Your work, keep what helped, or start the next one.

Launch checklist →

Where each step happens

The same five places, in the same order as the menu.

Create

Where ideas begin. Say what you want to make.

Tools

Small tools that each do one job, like cutting an idea down or checking it before you share.

Engines

Focused tools for when one part of the work needs real help.

Your work

Everything you started, kept in this browser. Come back and continue.

Owner’s Builds

The showroom: real sites and games made this way, to open and borrow ideas from.

For people building software

The five steps above work for anything. If what you're making is software and you want to run the whole build-and-ship workflow yourself, here is the exact method, step by step.

Read the technical workflow (7 steps)

1 · Prepare the machine — once

A low-cost build machine is a checklist, not a purchase. Commands vary by system — treat these as templates and use each tool's official install page.

An OS you're comfortable in (an old laptop with Linux works fine).
A code editor (VS Code) and a terminal you're not afraid of.
Git, plus a GitHub account for backup and deploys.
Node (or the runtime your builds need) — template: install from the official site, then `node --version`.
A coding tool you choose, signed in.
A browser for testing, and a deploy platform (Vercel's free tier is enough).
Secrets live in local files that never enter git — never in code, never in prompts.
One folder where every repository lives, so nothing gets lost.

2 · Start with one creation

Say the idea in the planner, choose an engine in the Engine Room, or continue one that started on iDontCry. One creation at a time.

The idea goes in however it comes out — the system reads it back before anything is planned.
A creation that starts anywhere carries its record everywhere: no retyping between engines.

3 · Interpret before building

The step most projects skip. Before any prompt exists, you can read what's being made, who it serves, the smallest outcome, whether software is even needed, and what's deliberately excluded.

Correct anything wrong — the plan re-reads, it doesn't re-interview.
The software-necessity call is honest: some ideas should be tested on paper first, and the plan says so.

4 · Generate the Build Pack

Every creation exports the same portable pack.

creation-brief.md — idea, interpretation, specification, acceptance test, and the builder prompt, human-readable.
creation.json — the validated record, re-importable later.
The builder prompt alone copies to the clipboard when that's all you need.

5 · Run the builder prompt

Open the right repository (or an empty folder for a standalone build), start a fresh session in your coding tool, paste the prompt, and let it work.

The prompt carries the working method: inspect first, smallest stack, mobile-first, test for real, stop only at safety gates.
Your Builder Defaults decide how far it goes: prototype, commit, or commit-and-push.

6 · Verify independently

The builder's report is a claim, not a verdict. Check it yourself.

Use the real product — phone width and desktop, mouse and keyboard.
Read the git diff; confirm only the intended repository changed.
The acceptance test from the Build Pack is the checklist.

7 · Save and repeat

Export the finished creation, keep the prompt and acceptance tests with it, and start the next idea. The loop is the product.

Builder Defaults persist, so the next prompt starts right.
When an engine's output was weak, that's a bug in the engine — improve it before the next run.

Made through the Ring

Pushed live from inside an Engine, not a mockup.

Circuit

One lap, one tap — catch the green light as the dot laps the ring. Yellow pays less, red ends the run; moving gates and asteroids join the climb.

MineDoku

Mine the numbers that don't belong — every row and column adds to its target. Surface Dig to The Core, plus Lantern memory digs and Cave-In.

SurfDoku

The beach remix — kiddie pool to double red flag, plus Riptide. Same brain, different weather.

Every push, newest first → What works today →

Start something

Part of Open Mirror LLC. Kids should build with a parent or trusted adult.