Why I built a local MyChart CLI while the portal kept changing
Patient-owned exports, a browser harness, and the boundary between useful automation and sensitive data.
ONLINE · BUILDING IN PUBLIC
Useful software,
with a trail.
I’m Lifan, a staff engineer who builds local-first products, agent systems, and the evaluation loops that make them trustworthy.
CHARACTER CARDLV. 34
LIFANAgent systems · local-first tools
HP100
STR 08WIS 16DEX 14CHA 12
Evidence → local control → human review → shipped artifact.
PARTY ROSTER / 003
Build with a
small party.
Every project brings a different companion: a stubborn problem, a useful constraint, and a clearer route home.
01 BUILDER02 FAMILIAR03 EVALUATOR
QUEST LOG / 001
Things I’ve shipped
and shaped.
MAIN QUEST · SUPERVISED AI
Flying Pig AI
Customer-service advocacy that pauses at structured decision checkpoints before consequential actions.
Inspect quest AGENT TOOLINGContext Harness
A tiny filesystem memory layer for coding agents: durable context, skills, and local scripts.
Inspect quest LOCAL-FIRST CLImychart-cli
Export patient-owned MyChart records through a local Chrome/Puppeteer harness.
Inspect quest OPEN SOURCEPerks Reminder
Track welcome bonuses, annual fees, recurring credits, certificates, and loyalty expirations.
Inspect quest DATA PRODUCTFreshPowder
Ski and snowboard deal aggregation across North American retailers, with current and historical context.
Inspect quest AUTOMATIONCastForge
A source-to-podcast framework with reusable stages, audio integrations, publishing, and validation.
Inspect questJOURNAL / FIELD NOTES
What I’m learning
on the way.
Building a free, open-source tracker for credit-card benefits
A case study in reminders, evidence, and keeping account data out of the product.
Show HN: mychart-cli
What changed after putting a privacy-first export tool in front of a technical audience.
PARTY NOTES / 002
A repeatable loop
beats a lucky demo.
Turn the goal into a check. Inspect failures and evidence. Improve the system. Run the check again before shipping. The point is software that leaves a useful trail for the next person.
source→build→evaluate→inspect→improve→ship