System Interrupt

Inspiration

We've all been there — twenty tasks on the list, no idea where to start, and somehow forty minutes have passed on Instagram. For neurodivergent people, this kind of task paralysis isn't just procrastination. It's a nervous system response, and it's incredibly hard to break out of from the inside.

System Interrupt was built from that lived experience. I wanted something that required almost zero activation energy to use — because when you're stuck, even opening an app feels like too much. The idea of a single shake as the trigger came from that: meet people exactly where they are.

What it does

System Interrupt is a mobile app that breaks the paralysis cycle in three steps:

1. Trigger — shake your phone or tap one button to activate
2. Ground — a guided breathing animation activates your parasympathetic nervous system and brings you back into your body
3. Coach — an AI powered by Claude looks at your task list and gives you one small, concrete next action to take right now
4. Haptic feedback — gentle vibrations that accompany the breathing guide

Just one next step towards breaking out of task paralysis.

How I built it

Built with React Native and Expo for cross-platform mobile support. Navigation is handled by React Navigation, and shake detection uses expo-sensors — listening to accelerometer data and triggering the interrupt when the force threshold is crossed.

The AI coaching screen calls the Anthropic Claude API, sending the user's task dump and a carefully designed prompt that asks Claude to respond with a single gentle, encouraging next step. The prompt is tuned specifically to avoid overwhelming language and to meet the user with warmth.

Challenges I ran into

• Getting the shake detection threshold right — too sensitive and it triggers by accident, too high and it never fires
• Wiring ShakeWatcher inside the NavigationContainer so it had access to the navigation context
• Tunnel connectivity with Expo Go during the hackathon
• Keeping the Claude API prompt short enough to get a fast response while still getting warm, useful output

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

• The full three-screen flow works end to end — shake to breathe to AI coach
• The Claude integration actually gives genuinely helpful, non-overwhelming responses
• The app is usable in the exact moment it's designed for: low friction, fast, calm

What I learned

• How to use expo-sensors for gesture-based triggers beyond touch
• How to prompt an LLM for emotional tone, not just information
• That the hardest UX problems aren't technical — they're about reducing friction at exactly the right moment

What's next for System Interrupt

• Calming generative visuals and optional ambient sound on the breathing screen
• Gentle yoga or movement prompts as an optional step between breathing and coaching
• Persistent task list so users don't have to re-enter tasks each session
• Customizable shake sensitivity
• Offline mode so it works without a connection

Built With

• claude-api-(anthropic)
• expo.io
• javascript
• react-native
• react-navigation
• sensors