Replace Motion?

KINDA · weekend project
catalog price reference $34/mocategory 🗓️ tasks & calendarreported replacement votes 0

You can build an auto-scheduler for your own tasks, but robust calendar conflict handling, integrations, and productized rescheduling take real engineering.

the prompt
Build me a personal task auto-scheduler to replace Motion. Requirements:

- Node + better-sqlite3 + googleapis. Tasks in SQLite: title, duration estimate,
  deadline, priority, done. A small Express page on localhost:4920 to add and edit
  tasks, plus a `plan` CLI command.
- Read my Google Calendar free/busy for the next 14 days (OAuth token cached
  locally); respect working hours 09:00-18:00 and a lunch block, both set in
  config.json.
- The planner is greedy, not clever: earliest deadline first, weighted by priority,
  packing tasks into free slots in 30-minute increments and splitting anything over
  90 minutes into chunks.
- Write the plan back as calendar events with a [plan] prefix. Replanning deletes
  only [plan] events and relays them, never touching real meetings.
- Overdue or unschedulable tasks show in red on the web page instead of being
  silently dropped.
- A 07:30 node-cron run replans the day and emails me the schedule (SMTP in .env).
- Single user, local only, no accounts, no telemetry beyond the Google API calls.
- Out of scope: team scheduling, mobile apps, and meeting-invite handling. It plans
  my solo work around a calendar it treats as read-only truth.
- README: the Google Cloud console OAuth setup. Budget an hour for that alone.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter) or copy it raw · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR

why people still pay

They pay because the calendar stays organized without manual drag-and-drop.

what you lose

xmulti-calendar sync

xrecurring work rules

xmobile apps

xteam scheduling

xpolished rescheduling

xsupport

prior art to inspect before buildingNo maintained direct clone foundThere are scheduling libraries, but no obvious maintained open-source Motion-equivalent co
reported replacements · 0share on X ↗"Motion replacement research and build prompt"
questions
What does the Motion verdict mean?

The core job looks buildable, with meaningful gaps: multi-calendar sync, recurring work rules. Read the full tradeoff list before committing. This research record is not a hosted IVCIFY tool.

What price does this directory record show for Motion?

The directory records $34/month for Individual, checked 2026-07-30. Verify the source before making a purchase decision. This reference stays outside retail Stack Math unless current matched evidence supports the comparison.

What do I lose by replacing Motion?

Honestly: multi-calendar sync; recurring work rules; mobile apps; team scheduling; polished rescheduling; support. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to Motion?

The listed prior art includes No maintained direct clone found (There are scheduling libraries, but no obvious maintained open-source Motion-equivalent co). Inspect those projects before starting from a blank prompt.