Let’s be honest: context switching is the silent killer of developer productivity.
I’ve spent too many hours in my career writing "throwaway" Python scripts or opening heavy IDEs just to do one simple thing: turn a messy CSV into a clean JSON object. If you work in technical support, QA, or backend dev, you know the drill. A client sends an Excel sheet, the API expects JSON, and you’re stuck in the middle with a manual conversion task that feels like it should take 2 seconds but takes 10 minutes.
The "One-Command" Build
Last week, while working on mtkits.com, I decided to stop complaining and just build the solution.
Using ChatGPT 5.2 and Codex, I didn’t just write the code—I "prompt-engineered" the entire feature set into existence. Instead of building one tool, testing it, and then starting the next, I used a single, complex agentic command to scaffold two browser-based converters simultaneously.
The Result: Two lightweight, zero-install, zero-tracking tools that run entirely in your browser.
Tool 1: The CSV → JSON Converter
This is for those moments when you have a raw export from a database or a client and you need to mock an API response or seed a database quickly.
How it works: You paste or upload your .csv.
The "Human" benefit: No more uploading sensitive data to random servers. Since it’s built with modern JS, the processing happens locally in your browser.
Check it out: CSV to JSON Converter
Tool 2: The Excel → JSON Converter
Excel is the universal language of non-technical teams. But for us? It’s a headache. This tool bridges that gap instantly.
Best for: Technical Support Engineers and Data Migration tasks.
The "Human" benefit: It preserves the structure of your sheets without you having to manually map headers in a script.
Check it out: Excel to JSON Converter
Why I Built These (And Why I Didn't Use "Existing" Tools)
You might ask, "Aren't there a million of these online?" Yes. But most of them are:
Bloated with ads that jump around while you're trying to work.
Privacy nightmares that send your data to a backend server.
Complex, requiring you to sign up just to download a file.
I wanted something minimalist. I wanted a "Swiss Army Knife" for my browser that just works when I'm in a rush.
The AI Takeaway
Building these tools with ChatGPT 5.2 + Codex wasn't just about saving time on the for loops. It was about the AI understanding the User Experience I wanted. It suggested the "Drag and Drop" zones and the "Instant Copy" buttons before I even asked for them.
If you’re not using AI as a "Product Manager" and "Architect" rather than just a "Coder," you’re missing out on the real power of these models.
What’s your "daily pain" tool?
I’m building mtkits.com to be a collection of these simple, high-utility tools. What’s one manual task that still annoys you every day? Drop it in the comments, and maybe I’ll build it next!
Happy coding! 🚀
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