Archive
Notes on AI-assisted development, infrastructure, and software engineering.
I finally discovered Renovate can update version strings in arbitrary files with its regex manager, and immediately used it for both my homelab and client infra.
automation / developer-tools / homelab / kubernetes / gitops
Five UUID-looking identifiers, one subtle bug, and a reminder that platform ids do not always mean what you think they mean.
aws / debugging / typescript / security / zod
A tcpdump capture led to a closer look at the Marstek B2500-D cloud endpoint: plain HTTP, AES-128-ECB, and a static key.
solar / battery / security / reverse engineering / homelab / smart-home
A small git fixup and autosquash workflow for moving temporary WIP changes back into the commits where they actually belong.
git / cli / developer-tools / productivity / workflow
Slotting a Marstek B2500-D between my panels and inverter, expecting a cleaner local API, and ending up building two open-source Go services around its undocumented MQTT interface.
solar / battery / prometheus / mqtt / homelab / smart-home
My blog post disappeared from the working tree. git fsck --lost-found and git cat-file got it back. I'd never heard of either command before.
git / ai-coding / cursor / developer-tools / productivity
You could already run AI in GitHub Actions. gh-aw's real novelty is the sandboxed execution environment around it, and one Renovate review showed why that matters.
github-actions / ai-coding / security / automation / developer-tools
Axios got compromised, but the bigger lesson is how to harden npm as a consumer and, if relevant to you, as a publisher too.
npm / security / publishing / developer-tools
A benchmark on abandonware reverse engineering: one AI model refused, another reconstructed an old CD-key check in about 20 minutes.
ai-coding / opencode / reverse engineering / ghidra / security
My homelab was already working fine, but I rebuilt it anyway to get easier rollbacks, simpler disaster recovery, and a faster way to ship changes with AI.
homelab / gitops / kubernetes / ai-coding / self-hosted / automation
Add OAuth to remote MCP servers with an nginx gateway and Authelia. No more API keys in mcp.json. Just a URL and a browser login.
mcp / oauth / security / homelab / ai-coding / sso
Four hard-won lessons from upgrading Aurora PostgreSQL 15 to 16 via blue/green deployment - from PostGIS compatibility to TypeORM hidden DDL statements.
aws / postgres / ai-coding / opencode / consulting
From babysitting commands to fire-and-forget confidence: how Agent Skills transformed my git workflow and why they matter for AI-assisted development.
cursor / ai-coding / automation / developer-tools / productivity / workflow
How I automated my RTX 3060 to mine Ethereum Classic only when my balcony solar panels export excess energy, with AI-assisted setup and Prometheus automation.
solar / crypto / mining / prometheus / homelab / gpu
When the MCP catalog doesn't have what you need, build it yourself. 40 minutes from idea to talking to Confluence.
mcp / confluence / ai-coding / claude-code / opencode / enterprise / sso
A mysterious production crash you can't reproduce locally. The culprit? Google Translate modifying the DOM behind React's back.
react / debugging / cursor / ai-coding / production
How I set up a balcony solar system, built a Prometheus exporter with Cursor, and redesigned my Grafana dashboard using Claude Code with MCP servers.
solar / prometheus / cursor / claude-code / mcp / smart-home
A retrospective on six months of AI-assisted coding with Cursor - how Planning Mode became a brainstorming partner, why code review is now the bottleneck, and what to expect in 2026.
cursor / ai-coding / developer-experience / code-review / retrospective
Six weeks running OpenCode and GitHub Copilot in parallel on production code. Real costs, actual bugs caught, and which approach wins when UX battles capability.
ai / code-review / github-copilot / opencode / cursor / aws-bedrock / automation / developer-tools
Cursor's new sandbox security model can expose credentials from your home directory. How the switch from allow-lists to filesystem access created new security risks.
cursor / security / ai-coding / credentials / developer-tools / sandboxing
Planning Mode proves Cursor can iterate thoughtfully, while Cursor Hooks feels rushed. A detailed review of both features from six months of daily use.
cursor / ai-coding / developer-tools / ide / workflow
Add browser automation to your AI agent with Playwright MCP. See how visual inspection transforms UI debugging from 10+ iterations to 2-3.
mcp / playwright / ai / cursor / browser-automation / testing
Announcing aicommits 1.0.0, a milestone release bringing flexible AI provider support, AWS Bedrock integration, and lessons learned from building AI tools with AI.
aicommits / release / ai / git / open-source
A hands-on review of Cursor's new CLI tool, covering installation quirks, model flexibility, GitHub Actions potential, and how it compares to desktop coding assistants.
cursor / cli / ai-coding / developer-tools / github-actions
Testing GPT-5-Codex against Claude Sonnet 4 and finding that long thinking times and uncooperative behavior kill developer productivity.
ai-coding / openai / gpt-5-codex / claude
Bridge the gap between RooCode and Cursor by adding web search capabilities using the DuckDuckGo MCP server for current information during development.
mcp / roocode / cursor / web-search / ai-coding / duckduckgo
I spent a few evenings testing Cursor Agents to see if AI-powered development on isolated VMs could actually let you code on the go. Here's what I learned about the promises and limitations of autonomous coding agents.
cursor / ai / development / mobile / productivity / ai-agents
Don't let certificate chain issues or outdated TLS configs bite you in production. Here's a bash tool that catches SSL/TLS problems before they catch you.
ssl / tls / security / bash / testing / certificates
Testing Kiro's Agent Hooks feature - a fascinating take on reactive development where your IDE automatically responds to changes. But does the execution match the innovative concept?
kiro / amazon / ai-coding / automation / reactive development / developer-tools
Discover what pagers are, why git uses them, and explore modern alternatives to the default less pager for better command-line productivity.
git / cli / developer-tools / productivity / terminal
Amazon's Kiro has brilliant architectural ideas but dangerous security flaws. My honest review after 4+ hours of testing - including why unpredictable command execution makes it too risky for real work yet.
kiro / amazon / ai-coding / developer-tools / cursor / security
After months of testing Cursor against free VSCode extensions like RooCode and KiloCode, here's an honest breakdown of what actually matters in day-to-day AI-assisted development.
ai-coding / cursor / vscode / developer-tools / productivity
How I went from thinking RAG required custom search APIs to building a functional knowledge base chatbot in one evening, using AI-assisted development to demystify vector embeddings.
rag / ai-coding / embeddings / developer-tools / cursor / typescript / vector search
From weekend curiosity to client opportunity: How we built a working Postgres AI agent in 1.5 hours while chatting, and what it teaches us about the reality of AI-assisted development.
ai-agents / postgres / consulting / typescript / cursor / llm
How I used Cursor to build a serverless Slack bot in just 2 hours of actual work - and why the hardest part wasn't the code, it was the corporate AWS discussions.
ai-coding / cursor / serverless / slack bot / automation / typescript
Sometimes the best solution is to fork it yourself. Here's how I rebuilt aicommits from the ground up to handle real-world consulting requirements - and why it took just two weeks with AI assistance.
ai-tools / developer-experience / consulting / typescript / automation
A senior developer's honest review of Lovable.dev - exploring how AI-powered design tools are finally delivering on their promises and changing the development landscape.
ai / design / development / developer-tools / code-review / lovable.dev
Don't let sneaky module resolution issues ruin your users' day. Here's a CLI tool that catches TypeScript package problems before you publish.
typescript / npm / publishing / cli / developer-tools
Two months into AI-assisted development as a senior consultant - the key insights, best practices, and mindset shifts that transformed how I write code.
ai / ai-coding / development / claude / cursor / productivity
A brief introduction to my new blog where I'll share insights on modern web development, best practices, and the latest technologies I'm exploring.
web development / blog / introduction