Recipes / Make money with AI agents
Made~$134/mo in subscriptions cancelledFrom his own post
WhoHunter Bohm (@TheHunterBohm)
SourceX ↗
Date6 Nov 2026

$134/mo of subscriptions cut with Claude Code rebuilds

Hunter Bohm, who teaches businesses to work with agents, cancelled 5 subscriptions in 2 weeks with Claude Code: Granola ($14) for his own meeting recorder that transcribes on his Mac, Willow Voice ($15) for Lip Service, a free open-source dictation app he built, Beehiiv ($109) for Marc Lou's open-source MailCheap on Amazon SES, ElevenLabs ($6) for free voice models on his own GPU, and a Microsoft mailbox ($10) for Cloudflare forwarding to Gmail. That's about $134 a month by his count. He's upfront about the cost: the recorder lost 2 real calls before he fixed it, and the newsletter app needed 3 security fixes before he moved 4,289 readers onto it. In a reply he adds that he runs 4 Claude Ultra plans for client work, so he isn't sure how much he's saving overall.

Setup timeHe says he cancelled the 5 subscriptions over 2 weeks
CostHis Claude plan, Amazon SES per email and his own GPU. He also runs 4 Claude Ultra plans for client work
RunsWhen you pay monthly for an app you could rebuild, self-host or swap for a free tool
NeedsClaude Code, A Mac (Lip Service needs Apple silicon, macOS 26+), MailCheap + Amazon SES, to move a newsletter, A local GPU for voice models (his: RTX 2080 Super, 8GB), Cloudflare email forwarding to Gmail
TypeSavings

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Made and published by Hunter Bohm. Start here; it is their original, not ours.

Repo · by Hunter BohmLip Service, his open-source dictation appMIT. Hold fn, talk, let go; speech becomes text on your Mac. Apple silicon and macOS 26+ only. His README includes a prompt that has Claude Code or Codex install it after checking the signing certificate.Open it ↗Repo · by Marc LouMailCheap (Marc Lou's open-source newsletter app)Not Hunter's: built by Marc Lou (@marclou). AGPL-3.0. Self-host it with your own Amazon SES account and pay per email sent. Its README says setup takes about an hour, mostly waiting for DNS and SES production access.Open ↗

Their prompt

From Hunter Bohm Their exact wording: the install prompt from his Lip Service README, to paste into Claude Code or Codex on your Mac. It covers the dictation swap only.. Source ↗

Install Lip Service on this Mac. It's a free, open source dictation app: https://github.com/hunterbohm/lip-service Run these steps in Terminal. Tell me what each one does, and stop if a check fails. 1. Check that this Mac has Apple silicon (`uname -m` prints arm64) and macOS 26 or later (`sw_vers -productVersion`). 2. Make a temporary folder. Find the .zip in the latest release with `curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/hunterbohm/lip-service/releases/latest`, download it with `curl -L`, and unzip it with `ditto -x -k`. 3. Check that the app is the real one. `codesign --verify --deep --strict "Lip Service.app"` must pass. Then run `codesign -d --extract-certificates=cert "Lip Service.app"` and `shasum -a 256 cert0`. The hash must be 760d91571175800b1e66274c20aad991ce484d1fac366eab7c14d58a8e9feb0b. 4. If Lip Service is running, quit it. Move the app into /Applications, replacing any older copy. If there is also a copy in ~/Applications, move that one to the Trash, so only one copy is left. 5. The app is signed by its author but not notarized by Apple, so macOS would block it. Clear the download flag with `xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Lip Service.app"`, open the app, and delete the temporary folder. 6. Tell me to finish the setup on the Home page of the Lip Service window: allow the microphone, turn on Lip Service under Accessibility, and set Keyboard > "Press fn key to" (or "Press 🌐 key to") to Do Nothing. Then tell me to wait while the bar downloads the speech model, about 460 MB, and how to use it: hold fn, talk, and let go.

Our adapted version

Ours Our version, based on what @TheHunterBohm described. He shared no prompt for the audit or the other rebuilds. Fill in the [BRACKETS].

Help me cut subscriptions the way Hunter Bohm did: rebuild, self-host or swap, one app at a time. Propose and build only. I switch and cancel. RULES - Never log in to my bank or any account, and never cancel anything for me. - Never move a subscriber list, recordings or other data without my yes for that move. - Sending, buying, posting, deleting, paying and cancelling always need my yes. 1. LIST - I'll paste my monthly subscriptions and prices. For each: what I actually use it for. - Sort into: rebuild (a small app on my own computer), self-host (an existing open-source app), simple swap (e.g. email forwarding instead of a paid mailbox), or keep. 2. ONE AT A TIME - Pick the cheapest-to-try item first. Build or set up the replacement. - For anything that records or sends (meetings, newsletters): run it next to the paid app first. Tell me how we'll know it didn't miss anything. - For a self-hosted newsletter: do a security review before any readers move, and list what you fixed. 3. SWITCH - When I say the replacement is good enough, give me an export-my-data checklist and the cancel steps. I do both. 4. TALLY - Keep a table: app, monthly price, replacement, what it now costs me (API, per-email, hardware), status. - Include what I pay for the AI plan itself, so the saving isn't overstated.

What they did

  • He cancelled 5 subscriptions in 2 weeks with Claude Code, about $134 a month by his count.
  • Granola ($14) → his own meeting recorder that transcribes on his Mac.
  • Willow Voice ($15) → Lip Service, his own dictation app, free and open source.
  • Beehiiv ($109) → Marc Lou's MailCheap, open source and self-hosted; Amazon charges per email sent.
  • ElevenLabs ($6 for 30 minutes a month) → free voice models on his own GPU, with no cap now.
  • Microsoft email ($10) → Cloudflare forwarding to Gmail.
  • What it cost him: the recorder lost 2 real calls before he fixed it, and the newsletter app needed 3 security fixes before he'd move 4,289 readers onto it.
  • In a reply: one RTX 2080 Super (8GB) on his laptop; Qwen3-TTS clones his voice from a 19-second clip and Kokoro handles stock voices.
  • Asked whether he had tested MailCheap's deliverability against Beehiiv, he replied "Yes very carefully". Asked which app he was most tempted to go back to: "None".
  • Also in a reply: he runs 4 Claude Ultra plans for client work, "so idk if i am saving that much but still fun".
  • Heads-up: he published Lip Service (MIT) but not the meeting recorder. MailCheap is Marc Lou's project, not his.
“my recorder lost 2 real calls before i fixed it”— Hunter Bohm (@TheHunterBohm), X

Summary written by Agent Cookbook. The amount is quoted as the creator stated it in their own public post or interview; we link it but can't see their accounts. See the original for full context. How we verify

Our notes

What it takes
Claude Code, a Mac (Apple silicon, macOS 26+ for Lip Service), and per swap: Marc Lou's MailCheap with Amazon SES, a local GPU for voice models (his is an 8GB RTX 2080 Super) and Cloudflare email forwarding. He published Lip Service; the recorder isn't public.
Where it breaks
Switching before the replacement is proven: his recorder lost 2 real calls, and MailCheap needed 3 security fixes before 4,289 readers moved. The $134 is cancelled prices, not net savings; he runs 4 Claude Ultra plans for client work.
Human checkpoint
Claude Code proposes and builds. You run each replacement next to the paid app, approve any list or data move, and export and cancel every subscription yourself.
Tools involved
Claude Code, A Mac (Lip Service needs Apple silicon, macOS 26+), MailCheap + Amazon SES, to move a newsletter, A local GPU for voice models (his: RTX 2080 Super, 8GB), Cloudflare email forwarding to Gmail

✓ Verified Source link checked and still live. Notes by Thomas, editor. How we verify

Approval rule

🛡
In our version Claude Code only lists, proposes and builds. You run each replacement next to the paid app before you switch, you approve moving any subscriber list or data, and you cancel every subscription yourself. Sending, buying, posting, deleting, paying and cancelling always need a human.

Set it up

  1. List your subscriptions and what you really use each one for.
  2. Sort them into rebuild, self-host, simple swap or keep, like his five.
  3. Start with one. For dictation, paste his Lip Service install prompt into Claude Code or Codex.
  4. Run anything that records or sends next to the paid app first. His recorder lost 2 real calls before he fixed it.
  5. Before moving a newsletter list, review the self-hosted app's security and test deliverability against your old provider. MailCheap needed 3 fixes before he moved 4,289 readers.
  6. Export your data, then cancel each subscription yourself.
  7. Track what the replacements cost, including your AI plan, so the monthly saving is honest.

Common failures

⚠
  • Switching before the replacement is proven. His recorder lost 2 real calls first.
  • Moving a mailing list onto self-hosted software before a security pass. MailCheap needed 3 fixes for his setup.
  • Counting the cancelled prices as profit. He runs 4 Claude Ultra plans for client work and says he isn't sure how much he's saving.
  • Forgetting per-use costs: Amazon SES charges per email, and local voice models need a capable GPU.
  • Asking the agent to cancel for you. Cancel and export yourself.

Variations

  • Dictation only: install Lip Service with his prompt and cancel a paid dictation app.
  • Newsletter only: move from Beehiiv to self-hosted MailCheap on Amazon SES after a security review.
  • Voice only: Qwen3-TTS for your cloned voice and Kokoro for stock voices on a local GPU.
  • Email only: Cloudflare forwarding to Gmail instead of a paid mailbox.

Common questions

Where does this setup come from?

Hunter Bohm (@TheHunterBohm) shared it on X (2026-11-06). Read the original post.

What do I need to set it up?

Claude Code, A Mac (Lip Service needs Apple silicon, macOS 26+), MailCheap + Amazon SES, to move a newsletter, A local GPU for voice models (his: RTX 2080 Super, 8GB), Cloudflare email forwarding to Gmail. Setup time: He says he cancelled the 5 subscriptions over 2 weeks. Cost: His Claude plan, Amazon SES per email and his own GPU. He also runs 4 Claude Ultra plans for client work.

What does the agent need my approval for?

In our version Claude Code only lists, proposes and builds. You run each replacement next to the paid app before you switch, you approve moving any subscriber list or data, and you cancel every subscription yourself. Sending, buying, posting, deleting, paying and cancelling always need a human.

What is this setup for?

Cutting monthly app subscriptions by having Claude Code rebuild the few features you use, or by moving to a free open-source tool you host yourself. Hunter Bohm did it for a meeting recorder, dictation, a newsletter, AI voices and a paid mailbox.

Which tools replaced which subscriptions?

Granola became his own Mac meeting recorder (not published), Willow Voice became Lip Service, his open-source dictation app, Beehiiv became Marc Lou's MailCheap on Amazon SES, ElevenLabs became Qwen3-TTS and Kokoro on his own GPU, and a Microsoft mailbox became Cloudflare forwarding to Gmail.

How much can you save?

We can't tell you. Hunter puts his at about $134 a month: $14, $15, $109, $6 and $10 in cancelled prices. Amazon SES still charges per email, and in a reply he says he runs 4 Claude Ultra plans for client work, so he isn't sure how much he saves overall. We haven't verified the figure.

How do I give Claude Code access?

It works on your own computer. Type in your subscription list instead of handing over bank logins, read each command before you approve it (his Lip Service install prompt says the same), and set up Amazon SES or Cloudflare credentials yourself. Export your data and cancel each subscription yourself.

Related setups: Claude Code SaaS audit: a $600/mo zombie sub cut → · $5.5K/yr SaaS cut via Claude Code migrations → · $34K/mo of infra bills cut with Claude Code → · Replace a $399/mo SaaS tool with a Grok Bot team → · Claude Code built him a video editor overnight →

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