How to use Claude to build an onscreen piano
TylerE used Claude to build an onscreen piano, its website and Mac and Windows build actions, replacing the portion of a commercial app they personally needed.
news.ycombinator.com
Suggested prompt
Suggested prompt written by Agents In Use, not the source author. Replace bracketed inputs and review tool permissions first.
Help me build an onscreen piano for [specific use case]. Implement [required functions], create a supporting website, and set up build actions for [target platforms]. Work iteratively from my feedback and explain how I can check each result.
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See placements →Evidence at a glance
Sourced account- Source poster / publisher
- TylerE
- Original account
- Read the source ↗
- Published
- Source link checked
- Reported result
- The author reported building the project in about an hour and replacing the ten percent of an unreliable commercial app that mattered to their own use case.
- Human involvement
- The author judged that the result replaced their required functionality; the post does not describe formal review or testing steps.
A linked account supports attribution. It does not mean we independently reproduced its result.
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How the agent did it
- Bought a Claude plan to experiment with building software.
- Built an onscreen piano through about ten prompt cycles.
- Included a website and actions for Mac and Windows builds.
TylerE described buying a cheap Claude plan after previously being skeptical of AI. Their first project was an onscreen piano, which they said they built in about an hour with roughly ten prompt cycles. That effort included building the website and setting up actions for Mac and Windows builds.
The aim was specific: replace the portion of an increasingly unreliable commercial application that they actually used. The author estimated that this represented ten percent of the commercial app’s functionality. They reported that the new project replaced that functionality for their own use case and linked its GitHub repository.
The account also explains why iterative work mattered to them. Across their Claude use, they found that feedback could refine an app, including requests referring to screenshots of small interface details. Those observations describe their broader experience; the post does not provide the piano’s individual prompts or a detailed testing record.
Who it's for: Someone with a narrowly defined software need who wants to build a personal replacement through repeated feedback.
Prompt
Suggested prompt (written by Agents In Use, not the author's)
Source: Hacker News · TylerE
Frequently asked questions
How much work did the author report?
They reported about an hour and roughly ten prompt cycles, including the website and actions for Mac and Windows builds.
Did it replace the entire commercial application?
No. The author said it replaced the ten percent of functionality relevant to their specific use case.
More details
Remaining steps
- Shared the resulting project's GitHub repository.
About this account
Claude supported an iterative build directed through roughly ten prompt cycles; the author did not describe an unattended workflow.
Platform: Hacker News. Attribution: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48422978. Prompt: Suggested (written by Agents In Use, not the author's). Sourced by the Agents In Use pipeline.
Credit: TylerE on Hacker News
Source published
Added to Agents In Use
Source checked
Tools and topics
Claude · GitHub
Personal software · Music · Cross-platform builds
Editorial completeness: 100/100. Measures documented fields, not agent performance or verified outcomes.