Break Buddy: a private, offline "what should I do right now?" web app
My entry for the Hacktoberfest 2026 Weekend Challenge: Build for a Friend The problem My friends and I were talking about breaks. Someone takes a 10 minute break and it turns into an hour. Some of us end up scrolling mindlessly, some play games, some just sit there doing nothing. The break itself was never the problem. After studying, your brain is tired, and it tries to weigh every option it…
My friend Aryan developed a web app called "Break Buddy" for the Hacktoberfest 2026 Weekend Challenge. The problem it solves is that people often take longer breaks than initially intended, scrolling mindlessly or doing nothing. Break Buddy provides a suggestion tailored to the user's situation, such as time available, mood, location, and company.
The app runs locally on his own computer, ensuring privacy by keeping user data on his device without any online connection. The user interacts by inputting the time, mood, location, and company, and the app displays a suggestion and a 10-second first step. The code filters out impossible suggestions based on the input and picks one that best fits the user's current situation, considering factors like intensity, variety, and history.
The model generates two short sentences and a 10-second first step for the chosen activity. The app was initially flawed, suggesting activities that didn't fit the user's real situation. Aryan and the developer fixed this by having the Python code remove impossible activities before the model generates suggestions. The app is open-source, allowing users to see and control the behavior, and it can be easily swapped to different models.
The developer chose to host the app himself instead of using a cloud service to avoid sharing user data, making the app completely offline and privacy-focused. Aryan found the app's short, frictionless phrasing helpful for quickly engaging in quick tasks, especially when living with roommates.
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