Projects

Built instead of bought.

Tools I built to replace ones I paid for or couldn’t find. I use each of them myself. This is where I learn what it really takes to build, run and live with your own software.

  • OwnChats

    Open source

    An Instagram comment-to-DM bot that runs free on your own Cloudflare account.

    Instead of
    ManyChat.
    Why I built it
    I didn’t want to depend on a third-party tool for this. I also wanted it to plug into my content workflow and run on its own, which it does now.
    Running it
    Not much. It needs work only when a new case comes up. The last one was collecting an email when a guide is better read on a computer.
    OwnChats on GitHub

  • startup-skill

    Open source

    A free set of Claude skills that tests a business idea: a board of eight advisors, your real competitors, 100 simulated buyers, the numbers and a verdict.

    Instead of
    Doing the validation alone. It gives you a hypothesis to test and helps you think the idea through before you spend money on it.
    Why I built it
    I wish I’d had this when I started out as a founder.
    Running it
    Nothing to host. It runs inside Claude Code.
    startup-skill on GitHub

  • HQ

    Private

    My second brain: a folder of plain notes about my businesses, projects and decisions that both people and AI can read.

    Instead of
    Notes scattered across apps, and whatever an AI chat happens to remember.
    Why I built it
    Everything goes in there, and every tool below connects to it.
    Running it
    Plain text files. Nothing to host.

  • OwnPlate

    Private

    My food log, as an app on my phone. Quick logging, package scanning, and it keeps working offline.

    Instead of
    MacroFactor.
    Why I built it
    I couldn’t connect MacroFactor to my AI. To get my data out, I had to download spreadsheets and hand them over myself.
    Running it
    I use it every day. I describe a dish, it researches the recipe and builds a meal I can reuse. It’s connected to my health data, so it flags allergies and intolerances, notices when I’m cheating, and keeps me on my macro targets.

  • OwnFitness

    Private

    My weight training app: today’s session, set-by-set logging and history.

    Instead of
    TrainHeroic.
    Why I built it
    The same reason as OwnPlate: I couldn’t get my data out without doing it by hand. AI writes my workouts from my profile and targets, so I wanted training next to my nutrition, health and wearable data, where it can see how I train, eat and recover.
    Running it
    An app on my phone that I use every day.

  • Parrot

    Adapted from humanitas-labs/parrot

    Dictation on my Mac, straight into whatever I’m typing in, with cleanup.

    Instead of
    Wispr Flow.
    Why I built it
    I started from Parrot because I loved how simple it was: hold a key, speak, and the words appear at the cursor. I built on it for the times I want to dictate a whole draft. I can go hands-free, speak a numbered list, fix a misheard name in place and tell it to remember the spelling. If I need something I dictated earlier, I can find it in an optional local history.
    Running it
    It runs on my Mac, and the transcription happens on the device.

  • Quill

    Adapted from humanitas-labs/quill

    A meeting recorder on my Mac. It records both sides once everyone has agreed, and transcribes on the device.

    Instead of
    Otter.ai, Granola and others.
    Why I built it
    I built on Quill so I could go into a call knowing what I wanted answered, and come out knowing what we agreed and what was still open. If I’m unsure what someone said, I replay that part. When I’m ready to follow up, it drafts an email for me to edit, with my private notes kept separate.
    Running it
    It runs locally and the audio stays on my Mac. I use it every day.

  • Magpie

    Private

    A screenshot tool for my Mac. One shortcut, and a window, a region or a long scrolling page lands in the box I’m typing in.

    Instead of
    Pasting or dragging screenshots in by hand.
    Why I built it
    Mostly for when I’m working in Claude or ChatGPT and want to show it what I see. It takes the friction out of getting the image in.
    Running it
    A small menu-bar app. It pastes, and it never sends anything for me.

  • Bower

    Private

    It clears my Desktop once a day into dated folders in my backup, and any cleanup can be undone.

    Instead of
    Tidying up by hand.
    Why I built it
    I wanted my files organized and backed up neatly without thinking about it.
    Running it
    It runs on a schedule. Searching inside what it has archived is still early.

  • content-hub

    Private

    The record of every video I make and what each one did on every platform.

    Instead of
    Nothing. I had never used a social media management platform.
    Why I built it
    I wanted it connected to my content workflow and running on its own, which it does now.
    Running it
    A Cloudflare Worker on the free plan. It reads the numbers and never posts for me.

The other side

What I wouldn’t build.

The rails. I wouldn’t think of replacing networking, hosting, email delivery, developer tools, backup storage, servers or the AI models themselves.

Deciding what your team should build or buy?

It’s the same judgment with more people involved: who owns it, who checks it, and who keeps it running.

See how the first four weeks go Write a task brief →