r/software • u/AutoModerator • 3d ago
Discussion Weekly Discovery Thread - October 09, 2026
Share what’s new, useful, or just interesting
Welcome to the Weekly Discovery Thread, where you can share software-related finds that caught your attention this week - especially the stuff that’s cool, helpful, or thought-provoking but might not be thread-worthy on its own.
This thread is your space for:
- Neat tools, libraries, or packages
- Articles, blog posts, or talks worth reading
- Experiments or side projects you’re working on
- Tips, workflows, or obscure features you discovered
- Questions or ideas you're chewing on
If it relates to software and sparked your curiosity, drop it in.
A few quick guidelines
- Keep it civil and constructive - this is for learning and discovery.
- Self-promotion? Totally fine if it’s relevant and adds value. Just be transparent.
- No link spam or AI-generated content dumps. We’ll remove low-effort submissions.
- Upvote what’s useful so others see it!
This thread will be posted weekly and stickied. If you want to suggest a change or addition to this format, feel free to comment or message the mods.
Now, what did you find this week?
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u/Pickletickle_ 3d ago
I've been working on something called ClingNote, a Windows notes app with a different approach to keeping notes organized.
Instead of digging through folders to find the right note, you can attach notes directly to files and applications. ClingNote automatically recognizes what you're working on and switches your notes as you move between files.
It's got a familiar rich-text editor, Markdown, tables, images, search, and floating notes. Everything is stored locally, too.
It's officially launched, with a free version available. Would love to hear what people think of the concept!
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u/bulutarkan 3d ago
A little open-source tool I've been using daily is one I built: Mac MCP. It bridges regular AI conversations and actual local Mac tasks. I can ask my ChatGPT conversation to inspect files, work with a Safari tab in the background, or hand a coding task to a delegated agent without turning the conversation into another terminal session.
What made it genuinely useful for me wasn't the number of tools. It was keeping my current browser tab and keyboard focus alone while the agent works elsewhere, plus giving me a clear approval boundary before riskier operations. It runs on my Mac and is MIT-licensed; you'll still need your own AI client.
Repo: https://github.com/bulutarkan/mac-mcp
If you try desktop automation, what's the first frustrating bit you'd want it to solve? Mine was agents stealing browser focus.
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u/Little-Elk-8805 3d ago
I make TRACE Boardviewer, a free MIT-licensed tool for electronics repair. It keeps board layouts, schematics and PDF datasheets together: search parts/nets, cross-probe and save repair notes.
1.3.1 adds expanded readers, offline OCR and optional in-app bug reports. Windows x64 is the main build; Mac/Linux remain experimental, with native QA issues under investigation. Formats and illustrated demo: https://trace-boardviewer.github.io/
Thank you for testing and sharing feedback! Special thanks to everyone using TRACE and optionally supporting its development.
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u/BandicootHot3180 2d ago
What if you could drag a Win+Shift+S screenshot straight into an upload box? 👀
Win+Shift+S only puts screenshots on the clipboard, so you can't drag them anywhere. I made Perch (my own project, free, MIT) to fix that. Every screenshot shows up as a small card at the edge of your screen, and you drag it into any upload box as a real PNG. Cards disappear after 15 minutes.
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u/locnguyen305 2d ago
https://reddit.com/link/pf69hh2/video/aniw9eki9ruh1/player
I built Rockxy because I kept running into bugs that browser DevTools couldn't show me: requests from Mac apps and CLI tools, an iPhone hitting the wrong endpoint, or a WebSocket that connected successfully but then stopped delivering the messages I expected.
Rockxy is a native macOS HTTP/HTTPS debugging proxy. You can capture the traffic, filter by app or protocol, inspect live WebSocket and streaming responses, then edit and replay a request to check a fix. The latest release also adds Traffic Insights to spot slow or failing requests, local Projects to keep an investigation together, and redacted exports when you need to share evidence.
I've also been building for newer debugging workflows: Rockxy recognizes supported AI model calls and Web3 JSON-RPC traffic, and its local MCP server is 100% free, with no Rockxy account, Pro license, or Rockxy usage quota required. The app has a free mode, and the Community source is public.
I'm Stephen, the developer. Let's connect!
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u/intensityflow 1d ago
stackboard - free chrome extension that turns your new tab into a board of your bookmarks. every space and stack is just a normal bookmark folder underneath, so it syncs w/ your google account and there's no account or server
latest update added dark mode plus catppuccin, gruvbox and nord themes. there's also a stash button that saves all your open tabs as a stack and closes them
source (MIT): https://github.com/swole/stackboard
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u/Equivalent_Word4642 22h ago
I built Awayra, a free, open-source Windows app for long workdays. Eye rests and movement breaks run on separate timers, so snoozing one leaves the other alone. It works offline, with optional sounds, work hours and idle reset. I'm curious whether that separation is useful in practice. Screenshots and guide: https://awayra.pages.dev/ — source and downloads: https://github.com/AWAYRA/AWAYRA-WPF
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u/smilaise Steve the Killer 3d ago edited 3d ago
I just wanted to share that I’ve made major updates to all five of my Killer apps recently. They’re all free, open source, and portable for Windows. On top of a visual update, 2 new primary theme accent colors, and 19 interface languages for all my apps, here's an overview:
KillerPDF is my PDF editor with OCR, annotations, and form filling. I added detachable tabs that keep your edits intact when moving documents between windows, and reduced memory usage with large PDFs. https://killerpdf.net
KillerScan is my network scanner. I added customizable topology maps, configurable scan-history retention, and snapshot exports so you can keep track of devices and network changes. https://killerscan.net
KillerNotes is my local note-taking app. I replaced its old Internet Explorer-based preview with native Markdown and HTML rendering, added outgoing note links, and improved code highlighting and search responsiveness. https://killernotes.net
KillerShell combines a file browser, terminal, and text editor. I added terminal profiles and better WSL integration, including Linux-folder browsing and Bash prompts that show your distro and Git status. https://killershell.net
The Killendar is my local calendar app. You can now open .ics files directly to import events, and I fixed category selection so changing the primary category doesn’t wipe out your other selections. https://killendar.net
I’m also working on KillerBench, a Windows diagnostics and repair workbench that brings Windows Update, system-file, networking, printing, storage, and other maintenance tools into one interface, with live output and saved logs. That one is still in development.