xword-pipeline
github.com/ekorbia/xword-pipeline →A crossword generator that actually looks like it belongs in the NYT
WHAT IT SOLVES
Plenty of open-source crossword generators exist, but most spit out sparse, ugly grids or kindergarten-level word puzzles. Hitting that dense, symmetrical, newspaper-quality standard with clever clues? Almost nobody bothers
WHY IT'S INTERESTING
Crosswords have quality gates too
The fill engine has a dedicated gate that rejects root-duplicate answers — not just filling every square and calling it done, but making sure the same word root doesn't cluster nearby. That kind of rigor is what separates a toy from something a newspaper would actually print
Rust for grid-filling, Claude for clue-writing
The pipeline splits the hard parts cleanly: Rust handles the compute-heavy grid filling, then Claude writes the clues for the completed grid. The latest commit even moved clue-writing from Opus down to Sonnet — meaning the author is actively tuning cost vs. quality, not just shipping and forgetting
21 commits and still feeding it better wordlists
The commit history shows ongoing wordlist updates and fill-engine tweaks. Crossword quality lives and dies by the dictionary — grids won't fill when the wordlist is too thin or constraints too loose. This steady tuning suggests the author is actually benchmarking against real NYT output
「The author links directly to a WordFuzz test page showing generated puzzles — instead of claiming 'our algorithm is great', they let you judge for yourself」
TECH GUESS
Rust fill engine + Claude Sonnet for clue generation, likely orchestrated with Python or shell scripts
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