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Sample Kit #2: pocketty

Unsolicited sample, not an endorsement. Ship Plainly made this as a portfolio example from public information only. The maker hasn't seen, asked for, or approved it, and isn't affiliated with us. Facts are from the sources below as read Oct 17, 2026 (~11:30 AM CDT).

Sources (public)

What the public pages say:

What the HN thread raised (paraphrased):

1. Teardown

Working:

What we'd change:

  1. Answer "$99 for what?" in one line above the fold. The value is spread across eight sections. Lead with the outcome: "Leave your desk. Your agents still reach you, and nobody else can read the alert."
  2. Lead with the paternity-leave story on launch day. It's in the HN post but not on the site. People remember a story longer than a feature list.
  3. Make the herdr dependency clear before people install. The first bug report was a herdr detection issue. A "Works with herdr X.Y+ / without herdr you get plain SSH" line plus a troubleshooting link would head that off.
  4. Have a short, kind answer ready for "free alternative exists." Differentiate on sealed notifications and the native Pane view. Don't knock the free project.
  5. The price change is a deadline. Use it calmly. "Launch price $99 until [date], then $129" (only with a real date).

2. Positioning brief

3. Product Hunt set

Taglines (≤60):

  1. Your coding agents, in your pocket (34)
  2. Get pinged when your AI agent is blocked, then answer it (56)
  3. An iPhone terminal that tells you when agents need you (54)

Description (≤500):

pocketty is an SSH terminal for iPhone and iPad, made for herdr. When a coding agent is blocked or done, your computer seals the alert so only your phone can read it. Tap it, Face ID, and you're in that exact pane with real keys, per-turn diffs, files, and localhost previews. No account, no analytics. It also works as a plain SSH client. 14-day free trial, then a one-time purchase.

(384 chars)

Maker first comment: outline (rewrite in your own words):

Likely questions + answer points: Free alternatives? → sealed alerts + native Pane view; respect the alternative. Android? → not yet (site FAQ). iCloud key sync? → Secure Enclave trade-off. Thinking vs. blocked? → herdr's state model.

4. X launch thread

  1. I spent the second half of paternity leave building an iPhone terminal that pings me when my coding agent is stuck. It's out today. 🧵 [screen recording: notification → Face ID → pane]
  2. The problem: agents block on a "yes" while you're away. You come back, and nothing happened for an hour.
  3. pocketty watches herdr. When an agent needs you, your computer seals the alert with your phone's key. Our relay can't read it and keeps nothing.
  4. Tap → Face ID → you're in that exact pane over plain SSH. Real Esc/Ctrl/arrows. Swipe for the diff of that agent's last turn.
  5. No account. No analytics. Works with Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Gemini CLI and more (via herdr).
  6. 14 days free with everything. Then one payment, no subscription. → pocketty.app
  7. Built for my nap traps. What would you approve from your phone?

5. Reddit (2 posts)

A) r/ClaudeCode weekly showcase thread (not a standalone post). Per a mod post, simple project shares go in the weekly showcase thread and detailed write-ups use the "Built with Claude Code" flair (https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1vdcl09/small_rclaudecode_cleanup_new_flairs_rules_filters/). We don't know whether pocketty was built with Claude Code, so don't claim it.

B) r/SideProject (self-promo welcome per third-party summary; lead with the story: https://oneup.today/tools/reddit-self-promotion-checker/sideproject)

6. Show HN (teardown of the actual post)

7. Hero rewrite

8. Launch-day checklist