Calorie tracker that lives in iMessage

No app to download. Text a photo of lunch. An iMessage agent texts back the macros. The phone is the interface.

For People who abandoned MyFitnessPal after week two

Inspired by @nickvasiles on X — free startup idea, Aug 2026

The problem, sharper

People who abandoned MyFitnessPal after week two already tried the generic version and bounced. No app to download. Text a photo of lunch. An iMessage agent texts back the macros. The phone is the interface. The wedge is the constraint, not another feature list.

Features that make the pitch true

01Capture the job in one screen: No app to download. Text a photo of lunch. An iMessage agent texts back the macros. The…
02Audience-aware defaults for people who abandoned myfitnesspal after week two.
03Shareable artifact you can send to a teammate in one tap.
04Honest empty states. No fake social proof, no infinite onboarding.
05Export: the user can leave with their data on day one.

This weekend

Friday: landing page, one happy path, seed data.
Saturday: the core loop that makes the pitch true.
Sunday: share link, ugly-but-working export, tell ten people.

Stack

— Next.js + TypeScript
— Local-first persistence, server later
— privacy-first local store
— exportable CSV
— no dark-pattern streaks
— deep link into iMessage / WhatsApp

User stories

As people who abandoned MyFitnessPal after week two, I can describe the job in one sentence and get a usable first result.
As a skeptic, I can try it without creating an account.
As someone who might build this, I can copy a spec and start this weekend.

Paste into Cursor, Claude Code, or Codex

Build a working product called CinderDesk.

Tagline: Calorie tracker that lives in iMessage — without the usual product theater.

One-liner: No app to download. Text a photo of lunch. An iMessage agent texts back the macros. The phone is the interface.

Who it is for: People who abandoned MyFitnessPal after week two

Non-goals: do not build a generic health app. Do not add auth until the core loop works. Do not invent extra personas.

Must-have features:
1. Capture the job in one screen: No app to download. Text a photo of lunch. An iMessage agent texts back the macros. The…
2. Audience-aware defaults for people who abandoned myfitnesspal after week two.
3. Shareable artifact you can send to a teammate in one tap.
4. Honest empty states. No fake social proof, no infinite onboarding.
5. Export: the user can leave with their data on day one.

Suggested stack:
- Next.js + TypeScript
- Local-first persistence, server later
- privacy-first local store
- exportable CSV
- no dark-pattern streaks
- deep link into iMessage / WhatsApp

UX:
- Distinctive, editorial, not purple-gradient SaaS
- Works on a phone
- Empty states teach the product
- One primary action per screen

Ship this weekend:
1. A landing page that states the job in one breath
2. The core loop end to end with sample data
3. A shareable output
4. A README that explains what was intentionally left out

Constraints: TypeScript. Keep the first version local-first if a database would slow you down. Name the product CinderDesk unless you have a clearly better one.