What does the hackathon skill do?

It reads your event's rules and scoring guide, marks what is required versus optional, agrees checkpoints with you, and turns every note or screenshot you drop into a prioritised ticket.

Do I need to install anything?

No. The tracker is a single HTML file that runs in your browser. Your notes save on that device, so keep the file.

Does it work for events other than hackathons?

Yes. Any judged event with a scoring guide and a deadline fits: game jams, datathons, pitch sprints.

Can I override the AI when it pushes back?

Always. It defends your points and shows the cost of a cut, but the decision stays yours.

What is the biggest mistake it prevents?

Spending the last hours on polish while a required deliverable is missing. It keeps the must-do list and the clock in front of you.

← How-to/run-a-hackathon-without-missing-what-wins-points

Run a hackathon without missing what wins points

I passed every test at a hackathon and still lost — I missed a required feature while polishing the UI.

▶ 4 min·Jun 2026·Project management · AI · NoCode Development·●●○ lvl 2·Free

By Jin Longyu·Published 14 Jun 2026·Updated 21 Oct 2026

TL;DR

I passed every test at a hackathon and still did not place because I never built a required feature. The fix is a skill you hand your AI agent with the rules, scoring guide and deadline: it separates must-dos from optionals, builds a one-page tracker with countdown, milestones, note inbox and ticket board, and argues back when you cut something that scores points.

open the live demo ↗

01 · Story

Story behind

Yesterday I was at a hackathon: build a "company brain" that answers questions about company data.

It went well — too well.
I passed every test and felt sure I'd make the top 15.
With time to spare, I polished the UI for hours.
I never built the one thing the judges required: a knowledge map.
My project aced every test — and still didn't place.

So next time, how do I put the required work first and spend my time where it counts — so this doesn't happen again?

I built a hackathon skill. Hand it your event and it runs the sprint with you:

it asks about your hackathon first — the rules, the scoring guide, the deadline
it builds you a dashboard from a template, set up for the day
you drop notes as you go, text or screenshots, and it turns each into a ticket, sorted by what matters
it tracks every must-do and milestone, so your time goes where the points are

Now the scoring guide runs the build — not gut feel.
It keeps what's required in front of you and the clock honest,
so your next hackathon is protected: the last hour goes to points, not a prettier screen.

02 · Why

Why this helps you

You build to the score, not your gut — the AI keeps the scoring guide in front of you, so the thing that wins points gets built even when it feels unnecessary.

Nothing required slips — a running list flags anything you must do and haven't, before the deadline, not after.

One page for the whole sprint — the clock, your tasks, your notes, and what's missing, instead of five tabs and a scramble at the end.

An AI that argues back — it's built to defend your points, not to please you, so a bad cut gets challenged before it costs you.

Works for any judged event — a hackathon, a game jam, a pitch sprint: if there's a scoring guide and a deadline, it fits.

03 · Steps

How to

Grab it from "Try it yourself" and hand it to your AI agent — it carries the whole method and the tracker page.

Give it the event — the rules, the scoring guide, the deadline, and your time zone. (Nothing to connect — a hackathon has no account to plug in.)
Tell it where to save — a folder for this event, so everything stays in one place.

Walk it through the event — it asks for anything missing: how points are given, how many practice runs you get, how you hand it in.
Let it sort — it marks what you must do versus what's optional, and agrees a few checkpoints with you.

Open the page it builds — a countdown, your checkpoints, an inbox for notes, and a task board, all in one file.
Drop notes as you go — type or paste anything, with screenshots; the AI turns each into a task and marks the must-dos.

Push an idea past it — try to cut something the judges score and it pushes back with the cost in points.
Decide on the record — keep it, or park it as "Won't do" with a reason. Nothing scored disappears quietly.

Run the before-you-submit check — anything required and unfinished is flagged while there's still time to fix it.
Hand it in — on time, with nothing the judges scored left on the table.

04 · Notes

Good to know

You still decide — the AI pushes back, but you can always override. It just makes you do it on purpose, with the cost in front of you.

Give it the real scoring guide — the method is only as good as what you feed it. No scoring guide, no edge.

The tracker lives in your browser — one file, nothing to install, but your notes save on that device. Keep the file.

Test your own score early — if the event lets you check, do it twice, not once at the end. The AI keeps reminding you.

Not for open-ended building — no score and no deadline means nothing to defend. This is for judged, timed events.

05 · Try it yourself

Copy the skill

Hackathon skill — the brain (SKILL.md)

Paste it to your agent as the first message.

Hackathon dashboard — the page (dashboard-template.html)

Paste it to your agent as the first message.

06 · FAQ

Questions, answered

What does the hackathon skill do?: It reads your event's rules and scoring guide, marks what is required versus optional, agrees checkpoints with you, and turns every note or screenshot you drop into a prioritised ticket.
Do I need to install anything?: No. The tracker is a single HTML file that runs in your browser. Your notes save on that device, so keep the file.
Does it work for events other than hackathons?: Yes. Any judged event with a scoring guide and a deadline fits: game jams, datathons, pitch sprints.
Can I override the AI when it pushes back?: Always. It defends your points and shows the cost of a cut, but the decision stays yours.
What is the biggest mistake it prevents?: Spending the last hours on polish while a required deliverable is missing. It keeps the must-do list and the clock in front of you.

07 · Keep going