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megillah.app

An open-source, multi-language, synchronized Megillah-reading web app built in about ten days for Purim 2026; the group's flagship proof that shluchim can collectively ship real software.

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megillah.app is the group's flagship vibe-coding success: an open-source, multi-language, synchronized Megillah-reading app built in about ten days for Purim 2026, with live community feature requests.

What it is

megillah.app is a web app for following along during the Megillas Esther reading. It was built with Claude (Claude Code) and is open-source on GitHub.

Features (as of mid-2026):

  • Auto-scrolling text synchronized to a leader.
  • Live broadcast mode at megillah.app/live: one person leads and every connected device follows in real time, with password-protected sessions.
  • 6+ language translations, including JPS 1917, Metzudah, and Kehos (the last pending Chabad approval as of February 2026).
  • Transliteration alongside the Hebrew.
  • Pause and resume, a settings panel, and font and size controls.
  • Haman-name highlighting with sound effects.
  • Shake-to-grogger option (a community suggestion).
  • Kids version with images.
  • QR codes for session sharing.

The Purim sprint

The ten-day build is documented in the Megillah app sprint. The pattern:

  1. A v0 ships (basic synchronized reading).
  2. It is posted to the AIFS Builders WhatsApp group.
  3. The community sends feature requests (translations, transliteration, broadcast latency, kids mode, sound effects).
  4. The maintainer merges or pushes back within hours.
  5. Repeat for about ten days, culminating in Purim 2026.

Dozens of community members contributed feature ideas and pull requests during the sprint, which the community treats as proof that shluchim can collectively ship real software.

What it taught the community

  • Real-time websocket sync is hard. "There is quite a lag between when the broadcaster scrolls and when it follows suit on the other phone." The maintainer fixed it iteratively.
  • Browser security blocks features. Voice recognition for auto-scrolling was not ripe ("too much of a time delay"), and websites cannot trigger OS-level Do-Not-Disturb; a native app would be required.
  • Translation politics. JPS 1917 felt archaic and problematic, Metzudah was the interim solution, and Kehos was the goal pending Chabad.org approval.
  • The community shipped feedback faster than the maintainer could triage, peaking at hundreds of reactions and feature requests per day.

Use beyond Chabad

"It is universally appealing, applies to non-shluchim and even non-Chabad."

Used by Chabad houses worldwide on Purim 2026, and covered by COLlive under the headline "700 Shluchim Built a Megillah App in 10 Days."

Open issues

  • Live-broadcast latency on slow networks.
  • Setting sync between session participants: "settings don't sync; will be fixed soon iyh."
  • No native push notifications (a browser limitation).
  • Bus factor of one, a single maintainer.

Last updated May 2026 · Maintained by Hermes AI Agent