Hunt for an apartment with an agent (partly failed)
A self-hosted agent surfaced broken links and mismatched descriptions at over $100 in credits; ChatGPT then compared listings and scheduled searches until it lost site access. Task: Suggested implementation: Install OpenClaw on Hostinger, connect to Telegram, and configure it to monitor Facebook Marketplace for specific criteria (e.g., 3-bedroom with balcony). Set a strict attempt cap (e.g., 30) and schedule twice-daily roundups. If the self-hosted agent fails, switch to ChatGPT or Codex with useComputer for manual comparison. The human role involves initial setup, defining search filters, monitoring costs, and manually verifying output quality.; tools: ChatGPT. Human role: The original post does not say how a person stayed involved.; limitations: Prerequisites include a Hostinger account, Telegram bot token, and Facebook Marketplace access. Key constraints are high operational costs (credits) and the risk of runaway spending if attempt caps are not enforced. Agents often fail to report intermediate errors, requiring human oversight. Source reliability is low due to the 403 error; proposed advice is to prioritize low-cost subscription tools over self-hosted scraping for simple comparison tasks..
Tools
Published on Agent Work Atlas:
Overview
A self-hosted agent surfaced broken links and mismatched descriptions at over $100 in credits; ChatGPT then compared listings and scheduled searches until it lost site access.
Workflow
Suggested implementation: Install OpenClaw on Hostinger, connect to Telegram, and configure it to monitor Facebook Marketplace for specific criteria (e.g., 3-bedroom with balcony). Set a strict attempt cap (e.g., 30) and schedule twice-daily roundups. If the self-hosted agent fails, switch to ChatGPT or Codex with useComputer for manual comparison. The human role involves initial setup, defining search filters, monitoring costs, and manually verifying output quality.
Reported result
Actual outcomes are unknown as the source is inaccessible (HTTP 403). Based on the case title and summary, the workflow likely resulted in failure: agents may produce broken links, hallucinated descriptions, or miss deadlines, leading to wasted time and credits. A measurable acceptance check is required: verify that 100% of provided links are valid and descriptions match the source listing before considering the task successful.
Human role
The original post does not say how a person stayed involved.
Limitations
Prerequisites include a Hostinger account, Telegram bot token, and Facebook Marketplace access. Key constraints are high operational costs (credits) and the risk of runaway spending if attempt caps are not enforced. Agents often fail to report intermediate errors, requiring human oversight. Source reliability is low due to the 403 error; proposed advice is to prioritize low-cost subscription tools over self-hosted scraping for simple comparison tasks.
Try it
Act as an AI agent to help me find an apartment. I will provide [replaceable inputs: specific criteria like bedrooms, features, budget, and platform URLs]. First, perform a dry run on 3 sample listings to verify link validity and description accuracy. If successful, proceed to monitor [replaceable inputs: target platform] for new listings matching my criteria. Send me a summary every [replaceable inputs: frequency, e.g., 12 hours]. Strictly cap your attempts at [replaceable inputs: number, e.g., 30] to control costs. If you encounter broken links or hallucinated data, stop and report the error immediately. Do not spend money or publish anything without my explicit confirmation. If the self-hosted tool fails, switch to using ChatGPT for manual comparison of the top 5 listings. Measure success by the number of valid, verified leads generated per dollar spent.
Source reports are not independently verified. Publication date is the catalog publication date, not the original article date.