Show HN: Cumbersome – iOS/macOS API client for OpenAI, Anthropic, Z.ai

2 points by bluepeter 2 months ago · 0 comments · 1 min read

It's called Cumbersome because you have to wrangle API keys (versus just using ChatGPT directly). So, I think of it like driving with a manual transmission, and all the benefits you get there, versus everything-on-auto. Not always easy, but often better (well, for some). This means you can bypass the monthly subscriptions for AI providers and just pay directly. This can work out to be a lot cheaper (or not!) depending on your use.

Actually I made this because I much prefer the API sandboxes/playgrounds of the AI providers, versus their consumer apps. You can edit context, delete bad context, rewrite AI messages. So you can do all that in Cumbersome, and a bunch of other things too.

I also threw in some features like Face/Off Mode where you can get 3 responses at once, and the AI picks the best. (Cursor recently added an ensemble feature like this.) This can be really spendy, but it's worth it for high-value AI sessions. (And it's probably never something that the all-you-can-eat consumer plans will offer as they are incentivized to cheap out.)

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