Hey,
This is for you — the 157 people who cloned cbt-toolkit.
I don't know your names. GitHub doesn't tell me. But I know you're there, because the clone count keeps ticking up, and every time it does, I think: someone, somewhere, is running a thought record or a cognitive distortion detector that I built.
What I built
36 vanilla JavaScript mental health tools. No backend. No tracking. No framework. No npm install. Just open an HTML file and use it.
- Cognitive distortion detector
- Core belief detector
- Safety behavior detector
- CBT thought record
- Tools for anxiety, OCD, PTSD, procrastination, perfectionism, social anxiety, test anxiety, health anxiety, and 15 more
All free. All on GitHub. All running 100% in your browser.
What I'm figuring out
I've been doing this for 30 days. I have 2 stars, 157 cloners, 445 clones, and $0 in revenue.
That last number is the interesting one.
I built a $9.99 bundle — the same 36 tools, plus a 7-day email course, plus a Notion template, plus a consumer rights toolkit, all organized and cross-linked. And I put it on Gumroad.
Zero sales.
Not because the tools are bad (157 of you cloned them). Not because the price is too high ($9.99 for 36 tools + a course is $0.27 per tool). But because I haven't figured out how to ask the right question.
The question
So I'm asking you directly.
What would you pay for?
I started a discussion on GitHub — come tell me. Not "would you pay $9.99" (I'm not fishing for a yes). I mean: what version of this is actually worth money to you?
- A hosted version so you don't have to clone?
- A mobile app?
- A CLI tool that tracks your mood over time?
- A course that walks you through CBT with the tools?
- Nothing — the free tools are enough?
Any answer is a good answer. "Nothing" is a good answer. It tells me something.
Why I'm asking here
Dev.to is where I've been writing about this journey. The build-in-public story, the why I charge $9.99, the CLI tool.
But the people who actually use the tools aren't here. They're on GitHub. They cloned the repo. They're the warmest audience I have, and I've been writing articles for a different audience.
This is me fixing that.
What's next
I'll keep building. The tools stay free — that's not changing. But I'm trying to find the thing that's worth $9.99 to someone, and I can't find it without you.
The bundle is here — but honestly, go to the discussion first.
Thanks for cloning.
— Alex
If you found this useful, the Complete CBT Toolkit Bundle includes all 36 tools + a 7-day email course + a Notion template for $9.99. Or just star the repo — that helps too.
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