Focus AI Coach

An intentional AI coaching system built for the Better Creating community. Uses a 'System Builder' engine to help creators reach deep focus and manage creative energy through purposeful nudges.

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Inspiration

As a solopreneur attempting to build 12 startups in 12 months, I found that existing productivity tools were too generic. I was inspired by the Better Creating philosophy of intentionality and systems-thinking. I wanted to build a tool that could adapt to the user's specific life season—whether they are a creator in deep work, a person seeking spiritual growth, or someone battling a digital addiction.

What it does

Focus AI Coach is a digital accountability system that protects your focus. It uses an intentional onboarding survey to understand your specific pursuit, such as deep work or overcoming addiction. Using Gemini 1.5 Flash, the app dynamically generates three custom AI coaches (e.g., "The Digital Monk" or "The Habit Architect") tailored to your struggle and preferred coaching tone.

How we built it

The app follows a robust "Backend-First" architecture:

Frontend: React Native (Expo) for cross-platform performance.

Backend: Supabase handles secure Auth and stores persistent user personas in a jsonb profile system.

Revenue Integration: RevenueCat manages the "Pro" tier, utilizing a secure Deno-based Edge Function to sync entitlement status instantly with the database.

AI Logic: Gemini analyzes user input to provide purposeful, Socratic nudges during focus sessions.

Challenges we ran into

A significant technical challenge was resolving an "onboarding loop" where returning users were mistakenly routed back to the survey. I also had to debug a complex "anonymous logout" error by reordering the SDK teardown sequence to ensure RevenueCat and Supabase remained in sync during account management.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I am most proud of the Dynamic Persona Engine. By moving away from hardcoded themes, the app now uses AI to generate bespoke focus pillars that follow the user across devices. Seeing the "Pro" status sync seamlessly across the entire stack was a major technical milestone.

What we learned

I learned the importance of "Vibe Coding" with a stable backend. Building for the Better Creating community taught me that minimalist design requires complex engineering—especially when ensuring that AI-generated data is persistent, secure, and truly helpful.

What's next for Focus AI Coach

As part of my "12 Startups in 12 Months" challenge, I plan to integrate deeper Notion support for "intentionality logs" and explore shared "Focus Rooms" to build a stronger sense of community and accountability.

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