Hi HN, I'm Pradyumn, a CS student.
To clarify the title right out of the gate: this is an "execution engine" for human habits, not a backend WASM runtime or task scheduler.
I built Criene to solve my own problem with the "Execution Gap." Standard to-do apps don't work for me because there are zero consequences for ignoring them. So, I built a strict, active system that uses loss-aversion psychology to force discipline.
How the core loop works:
The Brain (Not a wrapper): You give the app a goal. It hits the Gemini API once to generate a structured JSON daily roadmap.
The Stakes: You set custom "Iron Rules" and get exactly 3 "Lives" for the month.
The Engine: The app tracks daily execution on a GitHub-style heatmap. If you break your rules, the backend deducts a life. If you skip a day completely, your visual streak is killed.
The $70 Stack:
I wanted to build a zero-latency production app with virtually no budget.
The $70 breakdown: Google Play Console Lifetime Fee ($25) + Domain/assets (~$45).
Compute: Cloudflare Workers (running on the 100k/day free tier).
Database: Neon Serverless Postgres.
Frontend: React Native (Expo).
I would love some brutal, honest feedback from this community on the database architecture, the gamification loop, or how I can better optimize this stack as traffic grows. Happy to answer technical questions!
Hi HN, I'm Pradyumn, a CS student. To clarify the title right out of the gate: this is an "execution engine" for human habits, not a backend WASM runtime or task scheduler. I built Criene to solve my own problem with the "Execution Gap." Standard to-do apps don't work for me because there are zero consequences for ignoring them. So, I built a strict, active system that uses loss-aversion psychology to force discipline.
How the core loop works: The Brain (Not a wrapper): You give the app a goal. It hits the Gemini API once to generate a structured JSON daily roadmap. The Stakes: You set custom "Iron Rules" and get exactly 3 "Lives" for the month. The Engine: The app tracks daily execution on a GitHub-style heatmap. If you break your rules, the backend deducts a life. If you skip a day completely, your visual streak is killed. The $70 Stack: I wanted to build a zero-latency production app with virtually no budget. The $70 breakdown: Google Play Console Lifetime Fee ($25) + Domain/assets (~$45). Compute: Cloudflare Workers (running on the 100k/day free tier). Database: Neon Serverless Postgres. Frontend: React Native (Expo). I would love some brutal, honest feedback from this community on the database architecture, the gamification loop, or how I can better optimize this stack as traffic grows. Happy to answer technical questions!