USES

The exact stack I use, updated when it changes.

Recruiters ask, candidates ask, friends ask. Easier to just write it down. No affiliate links, no aspirational tools — only the ones I actually open.

Last updated: 2026-05-14

AI & LLM stack

Where most of the daily tokens go. Model loyalty is a trap — I switch per task.

  • Claude CodeMax plan — primary coding assistant, Opus 4.7, 1M context
  • Heliconecost and latency tracking, real eval numbers per model
  • Bolt.newpremium since 2024 — browser-based prompt-to-app when I want zero setup
  • Direct APIsAnthropic, OpenAI, Google — for production paths

Coding with AI

Prompt-to-app and hosted prototyping — where ideas earn the right to become real projects.

  • ReplitPlatform Builder L3 — prototyping in a hosted environment
  • LovableAI app builder — vibe-coding speed when the goal is to ship a working surface fast
  • v0.devVercel's UI generator — fast React/Tailwind scaffolding from a prompt
  • Emergentagentic app builder — tried it on a few prototypes to feel where the ceiling sits

Inference & routing

Where the models actually run. Provider loyalty is the same trap as model loyalty.

  • OpenRoutergeneralist router — broad model coverage, easy switching
  • Requestyalternate router — different cost profile, worth keeping in the rotation
  • Fireworks AIOSS model hosting — Llama, DeepSeek, Qwen without GPU babysitting
  • Basetenproduction deploys — custom models when generic hosting won't cut it
  • Ollamalocal model serving in the homelab — for offline, private, or token-free iteration

Web & framework

The stack I ship to production.

  • Next.jsReact 19 + TypeScript — default for new builds
  • TanStackQuery for data-fetching, Router and Table when the project earns them
  • Tailwind CSSdesign system implementation
  • Payload CMSTypeScript-native, code-first — the forward-CMS choice when greenfield
  • HubSpot CMSHubL, HubDB — current daily driver, at the level a real HubSpot dev ships
  • WordPressGutenberg, ACF, WooCommerce, WPML — decade-deep when the project calls for it
  • Vercelhosting for Next.js work
  • Expo (expo.dev)React Native builds when the project needs to leave the browser — one app close to publish

Automation & integration

The glue between marketing, product, and the rest of engineering.

  • n8nprimary workflow tool, self-hosted
  • Power Automatewhen the client lives in Microsoft 365
  • Chrome extensionscustom-built for repetitive browser work
  • Zapier / Makewhen n8n isn't on the table

Data & infrastructure

Boring tech I trust to not page me.

  • Tursoedge SQLite — fast, durable, cheap
  • PostgreSQL + pgvectorwhen relational + embeddings sit better together
  • SupabasePostgres + auth + realtime + storage when I want batteries-included
  • Railwaycron and small services
  • Coolifyself-hosted PaaS for the apps I want full control over
  • AWSS3 for voice/media/durable blobs, Route 53 for DNS — the bits that fill in when self-hosting isn't the right call

Daily driver tools

Where I actually live in working hours.

  • Obsidiansingle source of notes — left Notion behind
  • Git + GitHubversion control, briefs-as-git for CIA
  • Figmadesign handoff, prefer it for delivery
  • VS Codestill the editor under Claude Code

Where & how

Starnberg home office, just outside Munich. Remote-first since 2017.

  • Windows · Ubuntu · Zorin OSdaily driver across the desktops, depending on the work
  • Self-hosted labthe boring rig that runs the agents and homelab services

LET'S TALK

Hiring? Or stuck mid-build?

Open to senior in-house roles with conversational AI / voice agent / AI-native DXP teams. Available for select Toptal engagements. I reply within 24 hours with something concrete — not a calendar link to a discovery deck.

→ Hiring conversations: tell me about the role and the stack

→ Project work: tell me the bottleneck, not the requirements doc

→ Either way, I'll come back with a take, not a pitch

LinkedIn DM

The fastest way to reach me. I'm already there every day — posts, comments, replies. Send a message and I'll come back within 24 hours.

/in/apsolut

GitHub

Pinned tools, side projects, the README that explains the vibe. CIA lands here when it's open-sourced.

/apsolut

Not ready to reach out?

Read what I've been writing about agents, model routing, and prompting. The fastest way to figure out if our wavelengths match.

Prefer email? Drop a line on LinkedIn first — I'll share the right address depending on whether the conversation is hiring, freelance, or something else.