Vibecode HEY
track this build5 steps, step by step0%NOT REALLY · don't bother
price $8.25/moyou'd save $99/yrbuild time not realistically solocategory 📬 emailreplaced by 0 people
You can build an email client, but replacing HEY means running a trustworthy email service: deliverability, spam filtering, abuse handling, storage, mobile apps, and reputation.
the project pack4 files · fastest path to a working personal build
You are building a lean indie version of HEY. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # HEY indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core HEY workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Build a personal mail client on top of IMAP/SMTP or a hosted mailbox; do not try to replace the global email service layer casually. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - email deliverability - spam/abuse systems - storage reliability - mobile apps - identity/reputation - support If those capabilities are essential, use Mail-in-a-Box instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build me an email client with HEY's screening and bundling ideas, running on top of a mailbox I already pay for (Fastmail, Gmail, anything with IMAP). Requirements: - A local web app: Node + Express + better-sqlite3, binds to localhost; imapflow for reading, nodemailer for sending, creds in .env. - The screener: mail from first-time senders lands in a screening view where I approve or block; decisions persist in SQLite and apply to all future mail. - Bundles: approved senders get a category; newsletters render in a batched feed view, receipts in a paper-trail list; only approved humans hit the inbox. - Reply-later: mark a thread and it sits in a persistent to-answer stack until cleared. - Write decisions back as IMAP folders and labels so my phone's mail app roughly mirrors the sorting. - Strip remote images in the reading pane by default. - No accounts of its own, no telemetry; mail stays at my provider. - Out of scope: running an SMTP server, custom domains, and mobile apps. Do not replace the mail service itself; deliverability and spam reputation are the product and cannot be rebuilt solo. - README: per-provider app-password setup, and a warning that Gmail OAuth is a project of its own, use an app password or Fastmail to keep this a weekend. ## Required capabilities - existing email provider or mailbox - IMAP/SMTP APIs - spam filtering if hosting - domain/DNS if custom email ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a lean indie version of HEY. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # HEY indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core HEY workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Build a personal mail client on top of IMAP/SMTP or a hosted mailbox; do not try to replace the global email service layer casually. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - email deliverability - spam/abuse systems - storage reliability - mobile apps - identity/reputation - support If those capabilities are essential, use Mail-in-a-Box instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build me an email client with HEY's screening and bundling ideas, running on top of a mailbox I already pay for (Fastmail, Gmail, anything with IMAP). Requirements: - A local web app: Node + Express + better-sqlite3, binds to localhost; imapflow for reading, nodemailer for sending, creds in .env. - The screener: mail from first-time senders lands in a screening view where I approve or block; decisions persist in SQLite and apply to all future mail. - Bundles: approved senders get a category; newsletters render in a batched feed view, receipts in a paper-trail list; only approved humans hit the inbox. - Reply-later: mark a thread and it sits in a persistent to-answer stack until cleared. - Write decisions back as IMAP folders and labels so my phone's mail app roughly mirrors the sorting. - Strip remote images in the reading pane by default. - No accounts of its own, no telemetry; mail stays at my provider. - Out of scope: running an SMTP server, custom domains, and mobile apps. Do not replace the mail service itself; deliverability and spam reputation are the product and cannot be rebuilt solo. - README: per-provider app-password setup, and a warning that Gmail OAuth is a project of its own, use an app password or Fastmail to keep this a weekend. ## Required capabilities - existing email provider or mailbox - IMAP/SMTP APIs - spam filtering if hosting - domain/DNS if custom email ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a production product version of HEY. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== PRODUCT.md ===== # HEY product brief ## Problem You can build an email client, but replacing HEY means running a trustworthy email service: deliverability, spam filtering, abuse handling, storage, mobile apps, and reputation. ## Product outcome Build a personal mail client on top of IMAP/SMTP or a hosted mailbox; do not try to replace the global email service layer casually. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - existing email provider or mailbox - IMAP/SMTP APIs - spam filtering if hosting - domain/DNS if custom email ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - email deliverability - spam/abuse systems - storage reliability - mobile apps - identity/reputation - support ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees. ===== ARCHITECTURE.md ===== # Architecture ## Starting brief Build me an email client with HEY's screening and bundling ideas, running on top of a mailbox I already pay for (Fastmail, Gmail, anything with IMAP). Requirements: - A local web app: Node + Express + better-sqlite3, binds to localhost; imapflow for reading, nodemailer for sending, creds in .env. - The screener: mail from first-time senders lands in a screening view where I approve or block; decisions persist in SQLite and apply to all future mail. - Bundles: approved senders get a category; newsletters render in a batched feed view, receipts in a paper-trail list; only approved humans hit the inbox. - Reply-later: mark a thread and it sits in a persistent to-answer stack until cleared. - Write decisions back as IMAP folders and labels so my phone's mail app roughly mirrors the sorting. - Strip remote images in the reading pane by default. - No accounts of its own, no telemetry; mail stays at my provider. - Out of scope: running an SMTP server, custom domains, and mobile apps. Do not replace the mail service itself; deliverability and spam reputation are the product and cannot be rebuilt solo. - README: per-provider app-password setup, and a warning that Gmail OAuth is a project of its own, use an app password or Fastmail to keep this a weekend. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks, and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone. ===== MILESTONES.md ===== # Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations. ===== OPERATIONS.md ===== # Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted HEY capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
README.md
# HEY indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core HEY workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope Build a personal mail client on top of IMAP/SMTP or a hosted mailbox; do not try to replace the global email service layer casually. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - email deliverability - spam/abuse systems - storage reliability - mobile apps - identity/reputation - support If those capabilities are essential, use Mail-in-a-Box instead of pretending the gap is solved.
AGENTS.md
# Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs".
BUILD_PLAN.md
# Build plan ## Original build brief Build me an email client with HEY's screening and bundling ideas, running on top of a mailbox I already pay for (Fastmail, Gmail, anything with IMAP). Requirements: - A local web app: Node + Express + better-sqlite3, binds to localhost; imapflow for reading, nodemailer for sending, creds in .env. - The screener: mail from first-time senders lands in a screening view where I approve or block; decisions persist in SQLite and apply to all future mail. - Bundles: approved senders get a category; newsletters render in a batched feed view, receipts in a paper-trail list; only approved humans hit the inbox. - Reply-later: mark a thread and it sits in a persistent to-answer stack until cleared. - Write decisions back as IMAP folders and labels so my phone's mail app roughly mirrors the sorting. - Strip remote images in the reading pane by default. - No accounts of its own, no telemetry; mail stays at my provider. - Out of scope: running an SMTP server, custom domains, and mobile apps. Do not replace the mail service itself; deliverability and spam reputation are the product and cannot be rebuilt solo. - README: per-provider app-password setup, and a warning that Gmail OAuth is a project of its own, use an app password or Fastmail to keep this a weekend. ## Required capabilities - existing email provider or mailbox - IMAP/SMTP APIs - spam filtering if hosting - domain/DNS if custom email ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden.
.env.example
# Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
PRODUCT.md
# HEY product brief ## Problem You can build an email client, but replacing HEY means running a trustworthy email service: deliverability, spam filtering, abuse handling, storage, mobile apps, and reputation. ## Product outcome Build a personal mail client on top of IMAP/SMTP or a hosted mailbox; do not try to replace the global email service layer casually. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - existing email provider or mailbox - IMAP/SMTP APIs - spam filtering if hosting - domain/DNS if custom email ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - email deliverability - spam/abuse systems - storage reliability - mobile apps - identity/reputation - support ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees.
ARCHITECTURE.md
# Architecture ## Starting brief Build me an email client with HEY's screening and bundling ideas, running on top of a mailbox I already pay for (Fastmail, Gmail, anything with IMAP). Requirements: - A local web app: Node + Express + better-sqlite3, binds to localhost; imapflow for reading, nodemailer for sending, creds in .env. - The screener: mail from first-time senders lands in a screening view where I approve or block; decisions persist in SQLite and apply to all future mail. - Bundles: approved senders get a category; newsletters render in a batched feed view, receipts in a paper-trail list; only approved humans hit the inbox. - Reply-later: mark a thread and it sits in a persistent to-answer stack until cleared. - Write decisions back as IMAP folders and labels so my phone's mail app roughly mirrors the sorting. - Strip remote images in the reading pane by default. - No accounts of its own, no telemetry; mail stays at my provider. - Out of scope: running an SMTP server, custom domains, and mobile apps. Do not replace the mail service itself; deliverability and spam reputation are the product and cannot be rebuilt solo. - README: per-provider app-password setup, and a warning that Gmail OAuth is a project of its own, use an app password or Fastmail to keep this a weekend. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it.
AGENTS.md
# Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks, and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone.
MILESTONES.md
# Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations.
OPERATIONS.md
# Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted HEY capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
$ choose a build depth, inspect the files, then open the complete pack in your agent · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR
They pay because email is infrastructure; deliverability and trust are the product.
xemail deliverability
xspam/abuse systems
xstorage reliability
xmobile apps
xidentity/reputation
xsupport
share on X ↗"I just replaced HEY ($8.25/mo) with one prompt"
HEY pricing
| plan | monthly | annual (per mo) | what you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| hey for you | — | $8.25/user | 1 person; 1 @hey.com address; 100 GB storage. |
| hey for families | — | $14.92 | Up to 5 people total (account holder + 4 additional people), each with a separate @hey.com address and account. |
| hey for domains | $12/user | — | Custom-domain email with central billing; first user is $10/month and each additional user is $12/month. |
free tierno free tier; HEY for You and Families have a 30-day trial, while HEY for Domains has no free trial
billingHEY for You and Families are annual only; HEY for Domains is monthly only; prices are USD and taxes may be added
hidden costsUltra-short @hey.com addresses cost extra each year: $999/year for 2 characters and $349/year for 3 characters; 4+ characters are included with the normal personal plan.
verified 2026-08-12 · source ↗
Vibecode HEY
Not really. HEY's value is not the code: . See the honest breakdown above.
How much does HEY cost?
HEY costs about $8.25/month (Personal address, checked 2026-07-30), which is $99 per year.
What do I lose by replacing HEY?
Honestly: email deliverability; spam/abuse systems; storage reliability; mobile apps; identity/reputation; support. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to HEY?
Yes: Mail-in-a-Box (Open-source personal mail server stack; useful prior art but deliverability remains the mo). Using prior art is also vibecoding; the prompt is for when you want it exactly your way.