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narkoz/hacker-scripts

★ 49,502JavaScriptAudience · vibe coderComplexity · 2/5DormantLicenseSetup · moderate

TLDR

A humorous collection of real automation scripts that handle everyday annoyances, from notifying your spouse you're working late to auto-brewing coffee at the right time.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Auto-texts excuses
      Fixes database issues
      Sends work emails
      Brews coffee remotely
    How it works
      Shell scripts
      Cron scheduling
      API integrations
      Environment variables
    Use cases
      Learn automation basics
      Automate repetitive tasks
      Study scheduling patterns
      Creative scripting ideas
    Tech stack
      Shell
      Ruby
      JavaScript
      Twilio SMS

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Learn how to schedule scripts with cron jobs to run tasks automatically at specific times.

USE CASE 2

Study examples of integrating APIs like Twilio to send SMS messages from automated scripts.

USE CASE 3

Build your own personal automation scripts to handle repetitive work tasks or daily routines.

USE CASE 4

Understand how to use SSH and Telnet to remotely control servers and devices from shell scripts.

Tech stack

ShellRubyJavaScriptTwilioSSHTelnetCron

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Twilio API key required for SMS notifications; some scripts need SSH/Telnet access to specific hardware.

Use freely for any purpose with no restrictions, the WTFPL license imposes no conditions whatsoever.

In plain English

Hacker Scripts is a small humorous collection of real automation scripts reportedly discovered after a developer left their job. The README recounts a story shared online about a build engineer who had automated nearly every repetitive task in their life using scripts and cron jobs, which are scheduled tasks that run automatically on a computer at set times. The scripts themselves are simple but cleverly targeted at real-world annoyances. One script detects when the developer is still logged into the work server after 9 PM on a weekday, picks a random excuse from a list, and sends an automated text message to their wife via the Twilio SMS service. Another monitors email for messages from a known troublesome database administrator, detects distress keywords, automatically SSH-es into the affected server, rolls back the staging database to the latest backup, and sends a polite reply. A third sends automated work-from-home emails on mornings when the developer is apparently not at their desk by 8:45 AM. The most celebrated one connects to a networked coffee machine via a Telnet protocol and starts brewing a latte timed precisely to match the walk from the developer's desk to the machine. You would explore this repository if you want a lighthearted example of creative automation, or if you want to study how simple shell scripts, cron scheduling, and API calls can automate surprisingly personal tasks. The scripts use Shell, Ruby, and JavaScript, and rely on environment variables for credentials. The collection welcomes reimplementations in other languages via pull requests. It carries the WTFPL license, which imposes no restrictions.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to set up a cron job that runs a shell script every weekday morning at 8:45 AM.
Prompt 2
How would I modify the Twilio script to send a Slack message instead of an SMS text?
Prompt 3
Walk me through the logic of the database rollback script, how does it detect the DBA's email and trigger the fix?
Prompt 4
Help me create a similar script that detects when I'm away from my desk and sends an auto-reply email.
Prompt 5
How do I connect to a networked device via Telnet from a shell script and send commands to it?
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Generated 2026-05-18 · Model: sonnet-4-6 · Verify against the repo before relying on details.