What they did
After first using Codex to rename hundreds of scanned personal letters into date order, they asked ChatGPT to turn their app idea into a starting prompt for Codex. Codex built a local web app that tracks pantry items with expiry dates, garden produce, dietary rules, appliances and restaurants, and suggests meals based on the cook’s energy level.
How it went
The first version fell to feature creep and recurring bugs; Codex estimated that phase took 16 to 22 hours of their active work. They started over twice, and about 20 hours in, by their count, had an MVP they can use every day. Their caveats: Codex is overly accommodating, and when asked to list its own suggestions, it claimed at least 3 that were theirs.