Developer builds macOS banking app with Claude Code in 6 weeks
What was built
A developer built simplebanking, a free, open-source macOS menu bar application for German banking. The developer describes themselves as "a product & strategy person, not an engineer" and created the app almost entirely with Claude Code in about 6 weeks. The app currently has approximately 1,000 daily active users.
App features
- Lives in the Mac menu bar and shows live balance across multiple German bank accounts
- Read-only functionality with no payment capabilities
- Instant transaction search
- Automatic subscription detection with cancel links
- Financial health score
- MoneyMood heatmap for spending patterns
- All data stays locally on the Mac: no server, no tracking, no ads
- Built on Open Banking via YAXI
Development approach with Claude Code
The developer shared specific techniques that worked well when building with Claude Code:
- Treat Claude like a colleague to learn about architecture
- Use Plan mode to let Claude think in steps before touching any code
- Use branches extensively - described as "non-negotiable"
- Provide pixel-perfect descriptions of what should go where on screen
- Tell Claude to change exactly one thing at a time and explicitly not touch the rest to avoid merge conflicts
- Structure prompts with constraints and clear definitions of "done"
- Use Gstack to keep everything organized across prompts, flows, and overall architecture
Project outcomes
After development, experienced engineers conducted a full code review to catch issues and, by their own admission, to "steal a few ideas for their own projects." The developer noted unexpected criticism in some circles for using AI, despite the app's success and user satisfaction.
The app is available at www.simplebanking.de and the source code is on GitHub.
📖 Read the full source: r/ClaudeAI
👀 See Also
OpenClaw Has Outgrown Chat — A Dashboard UI Is the Missing Default
A Reddit user describes how running OpenClaw through Telegram breaks down as workflows multiply, and why a web dashboard (like their self-built one) should be a standard pluggable UI for agentic tools.
Developer builds 6 iOS apps in 3 months using Claude Code, generates revenue
A developer used Claude Code to build and publish 6 iOS utility apps in 3 months, focusing on solving small real problems rather than perfection. The apps are now generating daily usage and revenue.
Building a Reddit Social Listening Workflow with OpenClaw
A developer built an automated Reddit monitoring system using OpenClaw that scrapes data, analyzes posts for intent and sentiment, ranks them by relevance, and logs results to Google Sheets with a cron job.
Exploring the Benefits and Drawbacks: Cloud LLM vs. Local AI Agents
The debate between cloud-based AI models and local AI processing continues to capture interest, with each offering distinct advantages and challenges. Dive into our analysis to understand the key takeaways.