Breadcrumbs

The Problem

I have a bad habit: I find interesting articles, bookmark them, and never go back. Links pile up in my bookmarks folder, and the knowledge they contain gets lost. I wanted to build a tool that would help me actually engage with the content I save, not just hoard it.

What I Built

Breadcrumbs is a personal knowledge-tracking app built to solve this exact problem. The core loop is: save a resource, mark it as explored, attach timestamped learning notes, and export as Markdown ready for a blog post. It turns passive bookmarking into active learning.

Technical Implementation

Why Convex?

I chose Convex as the backend deliberately - I wanted to learn it while building something real. Convex provides a reactive database with real-time subscriptions, meaning any updates to collections or notes reflect instantly across all connected clients. No polling, no refresh buttons, just immediate updates.

Markdown Export

The export feature was the most satisfying to build. Taking structured note data - timestamps, categories, highlights - and converting it into clean, blog-ready Markdown required careful template design. The output includes proper headings, code blocks, and links, so I can go from captured notes to published post with minimal editing.

Tech Stack

• Framework: Next.js 15
• Backend: Convex (real-time database)
• Styling: TailwindCSS, shadcn/ui

The Meta Moment

I also wrote a blog post about building Breadcrumbs, using Breadcrumbs itself to capture the learning notes. It was a meta moment - using my own tool to document its creation - but it proved the concept works.

Key Takeaway

The best personal tools are the ones you actually use. By focusing on the core loop (save -> explore -> note -> export) and making it frictionless, Breadcrumbs became part of my workflow instead of another abandoned side project.