I challenged myself to build a Mac app with AI. It became SimplyShot

SimplyShot started with a question: how far could I get building a real Mac app with AI?

I wanted a challenge, but I also wanted to build something I’d actually use. A screenshot app was the first idea that came to mind. I had tools like Shottr in mind: quick captures, useful annotations, and a simple interface. It felt like a reasonable place to start.

Of course, the scope didn’t stay small for long.

I’d get one feature working and immediately think of something else to add. Scrolling capture, text recognition, redaction, backgrounds, capture history… There was always another idea worth trying.

Eventually, I wanted to record my screen too. And once I could record it, I wanted to edit the result.

That’s how SimplyShot ended up with a Studio editor. What started as a screenshot experiment grew into screen recording with audio and a camera overlay, followed by editing tools for zooms, cuts, backgrounds, and captions.

As it grew, I found myself spending more time thinking about how everything should fit together. Where should a feature live? How many steps should it take? Could someone open the app and figure it out without an explanation?

I still enjoy adding features, but making them feel simple has become a big part of the challenge.

At some point, I decided to turn it into a product and share it. There wasn’t one big moment—it just kept becoming more useful, and I wanted to see what other people would make of it.

There’s still plenty to improve. I started this to experiment with AI-assisted development, and now I’m working on an app that brings scrolling screenshots, annotation, screen recording, and video editing together on Mac.

If you use tools like these, I’d love to hear what you wish they did better. What slows you down when taking a screenshot or putting together a screen recording?

You can try it at SimplyShot.app.