Uses

What I use.

The tools I build with, make things with and am learning right now. No sponsorships. If something's on here, I actually use it.

Last updated 26 September 2026

Links marked referral might get me credits or a small reward if you sign up. It doesn't change what I'd recommend.

Building

Where the apps come from.

Base44 (opens in a new tab)
The platform I build most things on: data, logins, backend functions and hosting in one place.
Why: My first real app went live the week I signed up. I've been a Base44 Partner for about a year now.
Claude
Anthropic's AI, for thinking things through, writing and my own Claude skills.
Why: My open-source Base44 prompt engineer is a Claude skill, so we go back a bit.
Claude Code
An AI coding agent that works in my terminal and edits real code.
Why: For a while I used nothing else. Then Codex happened.
Codex
OpenAI's coding agent.
Why: I decided it was better than Claude Code. Now I pay for both, which settles nothing.
Cursor
An AI code editor.
Why: I learned it properly. There's a certificate to prove it, which is very grown-up of me.
GPT
OpenAI's models.
Why: Step one of my opinion changelog: "mostly hype". Step three: Codex. So, yeah.

Pictures, videos and everything that isn't code.

Higgsfield (referral link, opens in a new tab)Referral
AI image and video generation. I use it through its MCP for banners and content.
Why: It makes the banners. It never makes pictures of me.
Cap (referral link, opens in a new tab)Referral
Screen recording for walkthroughs and quick videos.
Why: Faster than typing out 'click the thing, no, the other thing'.

The bits that take payments, send email and go live.

Stripe
Payments and subscriptions.
Why: Running in production on client apps. Webhooks verified, always.
Resend
Email from your own domain.
Why: Because "the email went to spam" is not a feature.
GitHub (opens in a new tab)
Version control, open-source skills and two-way sync with Base44.
Why: Where my skills live, and where this site syncs to Base44.
Deno
The runtime Base44 backend functions run on.
Why: You mostly forget it's there, which is the nicest thing you can say about a runtime.
React
The frontend for my Base44 apps, this site included.
Why: Components all the way down.
Tailwind CSS
Styling, straight in the markup.
Why: I stopped naming CSS classes and got my evenings back.
Vite
The dev server and build tool under this site.
Why: Save, reload, done. Before I've finished blinking.

What I'm getting better at right now.

Rust
A fast, strict systems language.
Why: The compiler tells me off a lot. It's usually right.
Tauri (opens in a new tab)
Desktop apps with a web frontend and a Rust backend.
Why: Overcap runs on it, and I've got a proposed fix open on one of its plugins.
Windows app development
How desktop software really works on Windows.
Why: The stuff underneath the web is where it gets interesting.
Neural networks
How the models I use every day actually work inside.
Why: I use AI all day. It felt rude not to learn how it thinks.

Picked up one at a time, starting during COVID.

Python
Scripts and data.
Why: My PDF to Markdown tool is Python.
JavaScript
Nearly everything on the web.
Why: Most of my day, honestly.
HTML
The structure of every page.
Why: Semantic HTML is free accessibility.
CSS
How it all looks.
Why: Mostly through Tailwind now, but I know what it's doing.
R
Statistics and data.
Why: For when the numbers need a proper look.
C#
A general-purpose language.
Why: Another one picked up along the way.

Not software, still essential.

Black Sharpie S-Gel
My favourite pen.
Why: Hattle started as a sketch on paper. Pen first, code second.
Mice, phones and other gadgets
Consumer tech in general: mice, phones and hardware.
Why: I have opinions about mice. Many opinions.

Changelog

Opinions change. I kept the history.

Every step on here was true at the time. That's the point of a changelog.

git log --oneline opinions/ai-tools

Stripe and Resend are running on client apps right now. Your app could be next.