AI Insanity for You · Merch Makers

AI Insanity for You

I have built a self-documenting AI system for my Etsy shops around external tools such as MyDesigns, Photoshop, ListingView, GPT-Image-2, and Midjourney. The system can be adapted to use different tools. If you are patient and explain what you are replacing, the AI can help rebuild that part of the workflow around your preferred tool.

MyDesigns is primarily for uploads of the XLSX outputs at the end of the process.

I use Photoshop because I have been working with it since version 0.9 and can automate it to do almost anything. I still handle the background knockouts, upscaling, and positioning manually because that gives me one final opportunity to inspect every piece of artwork. Most images take about 30 seconds, so I can process roughly 120 images per hour.

ListingView, along with its Etsy browser extension, is my canonical research source. I use GPT-Image-2 and Midjourney through APIFrame for image generation, choosing between them based on the needs of each design. The AI uses browser control to research and run Etsy searches.

The system can start with niches, sub-niches, lists of possible T-shirt designs, or even a conversation with the AI in voice mode. It turns those inputs into evidence-backed T-shirt designs packaged and ready for upload. I like to spend a few hours on Monday coming up with niche ideas, talking through them with the AI while the AI provides research backing to my questions.

My part of the process is to provide direction, approve the important decisions, complete the background dropouts in the upload directories, and upload the finished XLSX packages into an Etsy upload tool. That tool applies a few template additions to the Description field only. You could automate the background removal and uploads as well, but I prefer to review every design and upload myself.

This is not just a collection of scripts. It is a specific, gate-driven work process in which I approve the research, ideas, and outputs before the system moves to the next stage. I treat the AI like a very talented junior employee. During the design phase, for example, I can tell it to try a different direction, attach reference designs, provide unique phrases, or ask it to revise a concept before continuing.

You can take this document, create a directory on your machine, point your AI at that directory, and tell it to build the process locally.

I am sharing this as a starting point, not as something I plan to support or a tool you can use out of the box. If you are interested in automation, you can use it as a foundation and work with your own local AI tool to build something similar. I use an OpenAI API key for image generation and an APIFrame API key for Midjourney, but you may use completely different tools. Your AI partner can help adapt and automate them.

I currently run the system locally with OpenAI’s desktop Codex tool on the Pro plan, usually using GPT-5.6 Sol at Extra High reasoning. The same workflow has also been used with Claude Code and Hermes Agent, including setups with multiple AI systems connected.

The process has been used for both T-shirt shops and digital-product shops, so do not limit your thinking to apparel.

I have also given my local versions of the system much of the information and training I have collected from Merch Makers. You should give your own system your design philosophy and any information you have found useful. You can tell it to watch a YouTube video, read a PDF, or study a webpage. It can incorporate what it learns into the local rules while still allowing you to override those rules whenever necessary. Just give it the info and tell it to use it as guidance. Have it flag conflicting guidance so you can make decisions on direction, especially if you have it watching YouTube videos about Etsy...

This is not plug-and-play. If you try it, you will probably spend nights and weekends testing, correcting, and refining it when you should probably by uploading for Q4. But if you are beginning to think seriously about automating your Etsy workflow, this can give you a substantial head start.

Let me know if it is useful and if you come up with an adaptation to share please do it here if you are so inclined.

This systems writes this PDF every Friday for me so I will occasionally provide an updated copy if something novel gets added during the week.

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AI Insanity for You