The latest articles on DEV Community by Nick D (@plus8bit). https://dev.to/plus8bit https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3617668%2F3304fea2-4160-4994-8491-86d881e2bc96.png https://dev.to/plus8bit en Nick D Tue, 18 Nov 2025 14:32:01 +0000 https://dev.to/plus8bit/i-built-a-telegram-bot-that-roasts-your-grocery-receipts-and-tells-you-calories-ke7 https://dev.to/plus8bit/i-built-a-telegram-bot-that-roasts-your-grocery-receipts-and-tells-you-calories-ke7 <h2> Why I Built It (and how it actually works) </h2> <p>Hey dev.to! 👋</p> <p>A couple of weeks ago I had a random shower thought:</p> <blockquote> <p>Everyone tracks workouts and steps… but almost nobody tracks what actually ends up in the fridge.</p> </blockquote> <p>We all use MyFitnessPal, Yazio, Cronometer they’re awesome.<br><br> But let’s be real: who actually scans every single item at the store?</p> <p>Meanwhile, your grocery receipt already knows exactly what you bought this week.</p> <p>So I built <strong>HelloCheck</strong> a Telegram bot that turns any receipt photo into calories, a health score, and surprisingly useful advice.</p> <p>→ Try it right now: @HelloCheckAppBot<br><br> → Landing: <a href="https://hellocheck.app" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://hellocheck.app</a></p> <h2> How it feels to use (it’s actually magic) </h2> <ol> <li>Send a photo of your receipt (any language, any country, even crumpled)</li> <li>Wait 10-15 seconds</li> <li>Get back: <ul> <li>Full item list with quantities</li> <li>Total estimated calories for the basket</li> <li>Health Score from F to A</li> <li>Breakdown: veggies, sweets, processed foods, etc.</li> <li>Personalized tips + a tiny challenge for next time</li> <li>Progress compared to your previous receipts</li> </ul> </li> </ol> <p>The bot supports English and Russian (you pick once at start) and auto-detects + translates anything on the receipt.</p> <h2> The tech (short and sweet) </h2> <ul> <li>Pure Python</li> <li>GPT-4o-mini for parsing receipts (cheap and insanely accurate even on terrible photos)</li> <li>My own prompt engineering + growing nutrition database</li> <li>Custom health scoring logic I wrote from scratch</li> </ul> <p><strong>Free tier</strong>: 5 free scans per month <br> <strong>Pro tier</strong>: 250 Telegram Stars (~$5 one-time) → 30 scans + upcoming Pro stats</p> <h2> Coming soon for Pro users </h2> <ul> <li>Total calories per month</li> <li>Average Health Score over time</li> <li>How many of your baskets were A/B/C/D/F</li> <li>Your personal “Top 3 most-bought items” (prepare to be judged 😂)</li> </ul> <h2> Why this feels different </h2> <p>It’s not yet another food-logging app that guilts you when you forget to log dinner.</p> <p>It’s a mirror. One photo → instant, honest feedback about your real eating habits.</p> <p>And somehow people love it when the bot gently roasts them for three packs of chocolate in one trip.</p> <h2> Try it and roast me back </h2> <p>Seriously, just send your latest receipt to @HelloCheckAppBot and drop your score in the comments. I want to see the wildest baskets out there.</p> <p>If you’re also building weird little tools that scratch your own itch, tell me about it below. I live for solo-dev stories.</p> <p>Thanks for reading, and may your next Health Score be an A 🥬</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fg4zj7xpjtgn99jlof38n.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Fg4zj7xpjtgn99jlof38n.png" alt=" " width="800" height="443"></a></p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Flxwyubcpoaiyty2u0qmv.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Flxwyubcpoaiyty2u0qmv.png" alt=" " width="800" height="1086"></a></p> <h1> python #ai #telegram #startup #indiedev #healthtech #machinelearning #sideproject </h1> ai python webdev programming