# How to Vibe Code Your Own Amazing Marvin (and Stop Paying for It) > The customizable task manager for ADHD - Site: https://amazingmarvin.com - Category: Productivity - Platforms: macOS app, Windows app, iOS app, Android app, Web app - Verdict: **Serious undertaking** (45/100 vibecodeable) - Estimated effort: 4-6 weeks of dedicated coding and state debugging ## Verdict Build a personal subset for learning, but paying $8/mo is vastly more rational given the massive surface area of 100+ modular strategy toggles. Amazing Marvin's core value is not a simple CRUD todo list—it's the combinatorial explosion of 100+ optional psychological strategies, custom funnels, capacity calculators, and ADHD-specific anti-overwhelm widgets. While an AI coding agent can scaffold the database schema and basic views quickly, managing state across 100 independent feature flags, recurring task engines, and native floating windows will require weeks of intense refactoring, state debugging, and edge-case handling. ### What you can't replicate - 9 years of UX refinement tuned specifically for executive dysfunction - The massive library of pre-integrated psychological strategies and community workflows - Organic word-of-mouth adoption among ADHD support spaces ## What it does An ultra-customizable personal productivity and task management app designed around behavioral psychology, executive dysfunction, and ADHD workflows with 100+ optional strategies. ### Core features - Feature strategy toggle system (turn 100+ optional features on/off dynamically) - Multi-step task funnel (Backburner, Master List, Planning Ahead, Orbit, Today, Spotlight, Focus Mode) - Daily planner with capacity estimator and time tracking - Task attributes (Urgency, Importance, Energy, Dread, Focus required, etc.) - Gamification (Kudos points, rewards, streaks, levels) - Habit tracking and routine scheduling with recurring rules - Always-on-top 'Top of Mind' floating mini widget - Built-in focus music (Nature, LoFi, Binaural beats) and Pomodoro timer ## The business ### Pricing - Marvin Pro (Monthly): $8/mo — Full access to all features billed monthly. - Marvin Pro (Annual): $96/yr — Full access billed annually (effectively $8/month). Founded 2017. Team size: 2-3. ## The hard parts - State management nightmare: cleanly decoupling and toggling over 100 optional strategies without state corruption - Complex recurring task engine with flexible recurrence and date-shifting rules - Native desktop always-on-top window integration and cross-platform sync consistency - Bi-directional calendar sync with external calendars (Google Calendar, Outlook) via webhooks and delta syncs ## How to vibe code Amazing Marvin ### Prerequisites - Node.js (free): Required for running the Next.js frontend framework and build tooling. - GitHub (free): Version control and repository hosting for your AI coding agent. ### Recommended AI tools - Claude Code: Best-in-class agentic coding tool for scaffolding complex multi-file application logic and handling iterative debugging loops in the terminal. - Cursor: AI-native code editor ideal for reviewing diffs and fine-tuning intricate React UI layouts and state management hooks. ### Stack - Frontend: Next.js (App Router) with Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui components - Backend: Next.js API Routes / Server Actions - Database: Turso (SQLite at the edge for lightning-fast local queries and per-user isolation) - Auth: better-auth (Self-hosted TypeScript auth with zero MAU fees) - Payments: None (Personal-use clone) - Other: Zustand for complex modular state management, Drizzle ORM for type-safe database migrations ### Hosting - Cloudflare (Full-stack deployment of the Next.js app and Turso database backend on the edge network.): $0-5/mo ### Build guide 1. **Project Scaffolding & Modular Feature Flag System** — Initialize the Next.js application with TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Drizzle ORM connected to Turso, and better-auth. Build a robust feature-flag state store using Zustand that allows enabling or disabling modular strategies (e.g., enableFunnel, enableCapacityBar, enableDreadAttribute). ``` Scialize a Next.js application with TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and shadcn/ui. Set up Drizzle ORM with Turso SQLite and configure better-auth for single-user authentication. Create a global Zustand store called useStrategyStore that holds a dictionary of 20+ feature flags (e.g., 'funnel', 'capacityEstimator', 'dreadAttribute', 'pomodoroTimer', 'topOfMind'). Ensure flags can be toggled on/off dynamically and persist user preferences in the database. Write clean, modular component structures with strict TypeScript types and comprehensive error boundaries. ``` 2. **Core Task CRUD & Multi-Level Funnel Architecture** — Implement the core database schema for tasks with attributes (urgency, importance, energy, dread, focus required) and build the 7-level task funnel views (Backburner, Master List, Planning Ahead, Orbit, Today, Spotlight, Focus Mode). ``` Implement a comprehensive task database schema using Drizzle ORM supporting hierarchical categories, projects, subtasks, and attributes: urgency (boolean/levels), importance, energyLevel (high/low/physical), dreadLevel (frog score), focusRequired, and timeEstimate. Build React views representing the Marvin task funnel: Backburner (someday/maybe), Master List, Orbit, Today planner, Spotlight session view, and Super Focus Mode (fullscreen single task view). Ensure tasks can be dragged or filtered between funnel stages based on active feature flags. ``` 3. **Day Planning, Capacity Estimator & Time Tracking** — Build the Day Planner view with morning/afternoon/evening sections, visual capacity indicators based on time estimates, daily progress bars, and automatic task rollover rules. ``` Build a Day Planner module in Next.js that groups tasks into customizable sections (Morning, Afternoon, Evening, Essential vs Bonus). Implement a real-time Capacity Estimator component that sums task time estimates and compares them against a user-defined daily capacity threshold (e.g., 8 hours), rendering a visual capacity fill bar with over-capacity warnings. Add a day progress bar with an expected-pace marker and an automated rollover toggle for unfinished tasks. ``` 4. **Gamification, Streaks & Procrastination Tools** — Add gamification mechanics including Kudos points, reward redemption lists, habit tracking streaks, and an interactive Procrastination Wizard step-by-step breakdown helper. ``` Create a gamification and motivation module for the productivity app. Implement 'Marvin Kudos' points that automatically accrue upon task completion, a reward redemption store where users spend points, daily habit tracking with streak counters, and an interactive 'Procrastination Wizard' multi-step modal that walks users through breaking down resistant tasks into micro-steps. Store all stats in Turso and render visual activity charts on a daily stats dashboard. ``` 5. **Floating 'Top of Mind' Widget & Focus Audio** — Develop a lightweight persistent mini-widget (Top of Mind) using browser Picture-in-Picture or secondary pop-out windows, alongside built-in ambient focus music generators. ``` Build a 'Top of Mind' floating mini-widget component that displays the current active focus task in a compact, always-on-top layout using Tauri/web-native window management or compact picture-in-picture frames. Additionally, build a built-in focus sound player using Web Audio API synthesis or embedded looping ambient tracks (Nature rain, LoFi beats, Binaural tones) with play/pause controls accessible globally from the bottom app bar. ``` ### Cost vs paying **Starting costs (one-time):** - AI Coding Assistant (Claude Pro / Cursor): $20 - Total: $20 one-time **Ongoing costs (monthly):** - Turso + Cloudflare Edge Hosting: $0 - Total: $0/mo - Paying for the SaaS instead: $8/mo - Build time: 35-50 hours - AI tool credits: $20 (Claude Pro / Cursor) - Break-even: Never (paying $8/mo is cheaper than 40 hours of engineering maintenance) ## Sources - [Amazing Marvin Official Website & Pricing](https://amazingmarvin.com) - [GetLatka SaaS Metrics Profile for Amazing Marvin](https://getlatka.com)