Developer Builds Self-Healing ASMR Video Pipeline on macOS After Job Loss

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A developer built a fully automated ASMR video production pipeline using ComfyUI, FFmpeg, and the Freesound API after being laid off, with the system running daily via macOS launchd at no monthly cost. The pipeline previously failed two to three mornings a week due to cold-start issues, which were resolved by extending ComfyUI's startup wait from 180 to 600 seconds and the Freesound download timeout from 90 to 240 seconds. An idempotent design ensures the script skips re-generation if a video for that day already exists, preventing duplicate output even if the scheduler fires multiple times. All processing runs locally, eliminating dependency on paid cloud services or SaaS tools that could change pricing. The developer describes the system as a practical response to the reality that scaling content output requires building automated infrastructure rather than increasing manual effort.

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