What they are
- AudioDock: one-click audio input/output presets. “Home” switches to external speakers; another click, AirPods. macOS makes this four clicks and a menu; it should be one.
- DesktopCloak: hides desktop icons when you’re sharing your screen. I couldn’t find an app that just did this, so I built it.
- MeetingRecorder: records meeting audio (with consent), and that’s it. No transcription, no AI summary, no account. Everyone builds the smart version; nobody builds the simple one. I wanted the audio.
- AmbientFocusMusic: plays my working ambient music. That’s the feature list.
Why they exist
Each one is a paper cut I felt more than twice. The old calculus said paper cuts aren’t worth an app: you’d spend a weekend on menu-bar plumbing alone. When AI writes the plumbing, the calculus flips: any recurring annoyance is now buildable in an evening. These four are what that flip looks like in practice.
What I learned
The interesting thing isn’t any single tool. It’s that “too small to build” is a dying category. Personal software is becoming like personal notes: you just make them.