DEV Community: Abishethvarman V

Tododo: A Private To-Do App I Built for My Friend with Gemma + Ollama

Abishethvarman V — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 08:41:45 +0000

This is a submission for the Hacktoberfest Weekend Challenge: Build for a Friend

What I Built

Tododo is a to-do app for one very particular list: my friend Yathurshan's.

Yathurshan doesn't keep a normal to-do list. Almost every task is a big task with smaller steps inside it, and a lot of them come back every week. "Clean the room" is really desk, bed, floor, laundry, every Saturday. "Gym" is warm up, workout, stretch, every Monday and Thursday." Their app could repeat a task, but the subtasks stayed ticked from last time.

So I built him an app where they just type the way they talk:

Clean the room every Saturday: desk, bed, floor, laundry

and Tododo turns it into a task, four subtasks and a weekly repeat. When Saturday comes back, the subtasks untick themselves. Nothing needs to be retyped.

What it does:

Understands plain sentences. Gemma, running locally, reads the sentence and pulls out the title, the subtasks and the repeat rule.
Lets you check before saving. What the model understood appears in an editable card first, so a wrong guess never lands on the list.
Repeats properly. Daily, weekly on chosen days, or monthly. When a cycle passes, the task and all its subtasks reset and the next date is set.
Suggests subtasks. For a vague task like "prepare for exam", one click asks Gemma to break it into steps.
Shows progress. Each task has a progress bar, and it completes itself when every subtask is done.
Works with no internet, and still works if the model isn't running (more on that below).

Demo

Typing a sentence and reviewing what Gemma understood before saving:

It also has dark mode and works on a phone screen:

Code

Abishethvarman / tododo

Tododo

A local-first to-do app for people whose lists are made of big tasks with subtasks, many of which repeat.

Type a sentence the way you'd say it:

Clean the apartment every Saturday: kitchen, bathroom, laundry

and it becomes a task, three subtasks and a weekly repeat. When the cycle passes, the subtasks uncheck themselves and the next due date is set, so nothing needs retyping.

How the open-source AI is used

Gemma (open-weight) via Ollama reads the sentence and returns structured JSON: title, subtasks, repeat rule.
Optional "Suggest subtasks" asks the same local model to break a vague task into steps.
Offline fallback: if Ollama isn't running, a rule-based parser handles the common phrasings, so the app always works.
You always review and edit what the model understood before it is saved.

Nothing leaves the machine: no accounts, no cloud API, no per-use cost.

Run it

Requires Python 3.9+…

View on GitHub

How I Built It

The whole app is two files: a Python server (app.py, standard library only, nothing to pip install) and a single HTML page. Tasks live in a local SQLite file.

The open-source AI: Gemma through Ollama. When you add a task, the server sends your sentence to Gemma running on your own machine via Ollama, and asks for JSON back:

{
  "title": "Clean the room",
  "subtasks": ["Desk", "Bed", "Floor", "Laundry"],
  "repeat": {"freq": "weekly", "days": ["saturday"]}
}

Ollama's JSON mode keeps the output structured, and the server cleans and validates it before the review card ever shows it. The same local model powers ✨ Suggest subtasks.

A fallback so it never breaks. I didn't want the app to be useless the day Ollama isn't running. So there's a small rule-based parser that handles common phrasings ("every Saturday", "every Monday and Thursday", "on the 1st of every month"). The app tells you which one read your sentence: a little label says either gemma2 (local) or offline rules. Gemma handles the messy, real sentences; the rules are a safety net.

The repeat engine is plain code. Each repeating task stores a rule and a due date. Whenever the list loads, any task whose date has passed gets its subtasks unticked and moves to its next date (including edge cases like "the 31st" in February).

Swapping models is one setting. I used gemma2 on my laptop; OLLAMA_MODEL=gemma2 or a smaller model like gemma2 works with no code changes.

What went wrong along the way. While testing, I typed "prepare for maths exam" and the review card said offline rules, not Gemma. The app had quietly fallen back without telling me why. The cause: a task with no subtasks made Gemma reply with "subtasks": null (or slightly different key names like "Title"), and my code only expected a clean list. I made the parser accept the shapes a real model actually returns (null lists, comma-separated strings, "Mon"/"Thu" instead of "Monday"/"Thursday"), and now the terminal prints the reason whenever it falls back. Lesson: when you build on a local model, plan for the replies you'll actually get, not the ones in your prompt.

Why Does Open Innovation Matter?

A to-do list is more personal than it looks. Yathurshan's list says when he goes to the gym, when he's home cleaning, when rent is due. That's a map of someone's week, and I didn't want to send it to a company's server just to split a sentence into checkboxes.

Running an open-weight model locally changed what I could promise:

It's private. Every sentence is read on Yathurshan's own laptop. There's no account and no cloud API, and nothing leaves the machine.
It's free, forever. There's no API key and no per-request cost, so Yathurshan can add a hundred tasks without anyone paying for it.
It works offline, on a train, in a power cut with a charged laptop, or with no Wi-Fi.
I control it. I can change the prompt, swap Gemma versions, or move to a smaller model for an older laptop with a single setting. With a closed API, the model could change or disappear under me.
Anyone can run it. The code is MIT-licensed, two files, and needs only Python and Ollama. Someone else's friend can have their own copy in five minutes.

What Yathurshan Said

"Nice, but why you insecure me. Ill do the task and be against procrastination"

What's Next

A "what should I do now?" view where Gemma picks the next small step
Typing tasks in other languages (Gemma can read many)
Voice input, so tasks can be spoken instead of typed

My Agent Session

I built Tododo with help from an AI coding assistant, which I used for the first draft of the code and for debugging. The idea, the testing on my own laptop with Gemma, and the decisions about what Yathurshan needed were mine.

Prize Categories

Best Use of Gemma: Gemma (running locally through Ollama) is the model that reads every task, turns natural sentences into structured tasks with subtasks and repeat rules, and suggests subtasks for vague tasks.

Placeholder Contributor

Abishethvarman V — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 19:14:23 +0000

My Journey with Four Open Source Contributions

Open source is a world of collaboration, innovation, and endless possibilities. In this blog post, I'll share my journey, focusing on four significant open-source contributions and the lessons I've learned along the way.

Hackathon Experience

Hackathons are high-energy, creative, and fast-paced events where I've honed my coding and problem-solving skills. Participating in various hackathons, I've had the opportunity to collaborate with talented individuals and bring innovative ideas to life under tight deadlines. These experiences have taught me the importance of teamwork, adaptability, and resourcefulness. Hackathons have fueled my passion for open source by demonstrating the immense power of collective effort and the potential for creating real-world solutions.

Hacktoberfest Goals

This Hacktoberfest, my primary goal is to contribute meaningfully to open-source projects I'm passionate about. I'll aim to submit well-documented and tested pull requests to support the growth of these projects. Additionally, I'm committed to mentoring and guiding newcomers to open source, ensuring they have a positive and rewarding experience. Hacktoberfest isn't just about code; it's about fostering an inclusive and supportive community. I'm excited to be part of this global celebration of open source and to share the knowledge and skills I've acquired on my journey.
My journey with these four open-source contributions has been incredibly rewarding. It's a testament to how a few focused contributions can lead to personal growth, skill development, and a sense of belonging to the open-source community. If you're considering diving into open source, remember that even a small number of contributions can have a significant impact. Start your journey, and who knows where it will take you.

Placeholder Maintainer

Abishethvarman V — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 19:07:15 +0000

** My Hacktoberfest Journey as a Project Maintainer **

This October, I embarked on a thrilling journey as a project maintainer during Hacktoberfest. It was a month filled with code, camaraderie, and countless cups of coffee. In this post, I want to share my personal experience, the highs and the lessons, from the maintainer's perspective.

This was my repo: https://github.com/Abishethvarman/programming-resources

Engaging Contributors:

As the pull requests began rolling in, my role as a maintainer kicked into high gear:

Timely Reviews: I made a conscious effort to review PRs promptly. Quick feedback keeps the momentum alive and shows appreciation.
Constructive Feedback: Giving constructive feedback was my way of maintaining quality. I wanted to help contributors grow while improving the project.

Supporting Newcomers:

Hacktoberfest attracted newcomers, and I was determined to make them feel at home:

Guidance: I offered guidance, answered questions, and ensured new contributors felt valued. Support was essential.
Mentoring: For some newcomers, I provided personal mentoring to help them understand the project and the world of open source.

Celebrating Success:

Hacktoberfest isn't just about code; it's about celebrating the community:

Acknowledging Contributors: I celebrated every contribution, no matter how small, to boost morale and inspire more contributions.
Online Gatherings: Hosting virtual events allowed me to connect with contributors, share experiences, and build a sense of community.

Conclusion:

My journey as a Hacktoberfest maintainer was unforgettable. It was more than code; it was about nurturing a welcoming community and connecting with like-minded individuals. Whether you're a seasoned maintainer or a newcomer, Hacktoberfest is an opportunity to breathe new life into your open-source project and build lasting relationships. I'm already looking forward to the next one.

My Hacktoberfest Contribution Journey - 2023

Abishethvarman V — Sat, 28 Oct 2023 06:17:10 +0000

Hacktoberfest is an annual event that encourages developers to contribute to open-source projects during the month of October. This year, I decided to take on the challenge and see what I could learn.

My Hacktoberfest Experience

I participated in Hacktoberfest by making contributions to various open-source projects on GitHub.
I set a goal to make at least four pull requests to meet the Hacktoberfest requirements.

Contributions:

I contributed to four different repositories:
1. https://github.com/Kobzpik/Best-DevOps-Tools-2023/pull/8

Highlights and Achievements:

The satisfaction of seeing my contributions merged into these projects was a major highlight.
I improved my skills in version control, collaborating with others, and working with different programming languages.

Lessons Learned:

I learned the importance of clear and effective communication in open-source projects.
Collaboration and teamwork are essential when working with others on code.
I gained confidence in my ability to contribute to real-world projects.

Tips for Future Participants:

Start small. Don't be intimidated by the size or complexity of a project.
Read and follow the project's contribution guidelines carefully.
Reach out to the project maintainers if you have questions or need help.

Conclusion:

Hacktoberfest was a valuable learning experience, and I encourage every developer to participate in this event.
Open source is about giving back to the community, and Hacktoberfest provides a perfect opportunity to do just that.

Call to Action:

Get involved in open source, even outside of Hacktoberfest.
Share your experiences with others, and don't hesitate to dive into open-source contributions.