Compare prices for 60–70 garden plants across 5 sites with OpenAI Operator
- Posted
- by andy (@b1rdmania)
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Evidence: Screenshots or logsThe source shows screenshots, a transcript or the agent's output.
Outcome
Overnight, Operator cross-referenced a list of 60–70 plants across 5 sites into a price comparison table; the poster called it buggy but fun.
Agent
Prompt Recreated prompt
The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.
Here's a task I'd like your help with. Read it all the way through before you start. Goal: Compare prices for my plant list across a few garden websites and put them in one table. Check with me first: Which websites should you check? What I'll give you: - My plant list - The websites I want compared Rules: - Look up each plant on each site and record the price, or note if it's not available. - Match plants carefully by name. Ask me when a match is unclear. - Don't buy anything. Output: One table with each plant and its price on each site, plus the cheapest option. You'll know it worked when: I can see where each plant is cheapest at a glance. Works best when: I can leave it running and check back later.
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Optional stronger version
Our rewrite with extra checks. The poster didn't test it.
Here's a task I'd like your help with. Read it all the way through before you start. Goal: Compare prices for my 60–70 plant list across the garden sites I name, in one table. Quick check first: tell me if anything below is missing or unclear. Inputs (fill in or confirm): - Plant list with botanical names and pot sizes - Websites to compare - Delivery postcode - Whether delivery cost should be included Rules: - Match plants by botanical name and pot size, not just common name; mark close-but-different matches. - Record price, size, stock status and link for each plant on each site. - Write 'not available' rather than leaving blanks. - Add delivery cost per site and a basket total per site. - Highlight the cheapest site per plant and the cheapest whole-basket option. If you get stuck: If a site blocks automated browsing, stop using it and tell me; continue with the others. If a login, CAPTCHA or two-step code appears, stop and ask me to handle it; never guess or store passwords. Verify before you finish: Spot-check 10 prices by reopening the product pages. Output: Spreadsheet: plant × site prices, availability, links, totals. Done when: I can see the cheapest source for each plant and for the whole order.
Source
https://x.com/b1rdmania/status/1931618971968544834
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