Inspiration
Hackathons rarely fail because builders lack ideas. They fail when an ambitious idea stays too broad for the time available and never becomes something credible to show.
What it does
CAT Hackathon OS turns a rough idea into one bounded first build. A builder enters a brief, selects a Build Mode and available hours, and receives a build wedge: one user journey, one visible result, an intentionally constrained scope, first files to inspect, acceptance checks, and a reproducible proof command.
The working demo is deliberately narrow. Instead of promising an entire platform, it produces a practical recommendation and a Copy Codex handoff a builder can take directly into implementation.
How we built it
GPT-5.6 helped pressure-test the product narrative and reduce a broad idea into the smallest credible build wedge. Codex built the working React app, the Codex-ready handoff, and the verification/proof tooling. Todd made the final product, scope, design, and publishing decisions.
Challenges we ran into
The hard part was resisting the urge to build a flashy but vague “all-in-one” hackathon platform. We chose a smaller, auditable decision loop with an output judges can inspect: a bounded plan with explicit acceptance checks and proof.
What we learned
Big ideas change the world one credible first move at a time. CAT makes that first move concrete; Codex turns the bounded plan into working software.
Judge testing path
Open the public demo in a modern desktop or mobile browser. No account, payment, or installation is required. Enter a brief, choose a Build Mode and hours, create the build wedge, inspect the Codex-ready output, and use the visible proof command in the repository.
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