Daily setup
What I use
Hardware, editor, terminal, stack, and services I reach for when shipping web, mobile, and AI products. Updated as the setup evolves.
Hardware
- Daily driver laptop
- Windows 11 + WSL2 for the Linux toolchain when needed.
- Display
- External monitor at 1440p for code + docs side by side.
- Keyboard
- Mechanical, tactile switches, US layout.
- Headphones
- Closed-back over-ear for deep focus blocks.
Editor
- VS Code
- Primary editor. GitHub Copilot, ESLint, Prettier, Tailwind IntelliSense.
- Claude Code
- Pair-programming with AI in the terminal for architecture and refactors.
- Font
- JetBrains Mono with ligatures for code; Inter for UI.
- Theme
- GitHub Dark variants. High contrast.
Terminal
- Shell
- zsh with sensible defaults, no heavy framework.
- Multiplexer
- tmux for long-running dev servers and SSH sessions.
- Node version manager
- fnm. Fast, written in Rust.
- Package manager
- npm for most projects, pnpm for monorepos.
Stack I reach for first
Default picks when scoping a new product. I switch when the problem calls for something else.
- Frontend
- TypeScript + Next.js (App Router) + Tailwind CSS.
- Mobile
- React Native with Expo for cross-platform; Swift for iOS-native work.
- Backend
- Node.js with Express or NestJS. PostgreSQL or MongoDB depending on shape of data.
- Auth
- Firebase Auth or Auth.js, depending on stack.
- AI
- Gemini, OpenAI, Stability AI. Puppeteer when I need browser automation.
- Infrastructure
- Vercel for the frontend, AWS or GCP for stateful backends, Cloudflare for DNS and edge.
Services and SaaS
- GitHub
- Source of truth, code review, Actions for CI.
- Vercel
- Default host for Next.js apps. Preview deployments per PR.
- Firebase
- Auth, Firestore, Storage. Quick to wire, generous free tier.
- Resend
- Transactional email with a clean DX.
- Linear
- Lightweight issue tracking for sprints.
- Notion
- Specs, client docs, retrospectives.
- Figma
- Design handoff and quick mocks.
Workflow
- Async-first
- Daily written updates over status meetings. Loom or Vimeo for short demos.
- Deep work blocks
- Two 90 minute blocks per day, no Slack, lemongrass tea.
- PR discipline
- Small PRs, descriptive titles, tests where they earn their keep.
- Backups
- GitHub mirrors, encrypted off-site backups for client deliverables.
Building something similar?
I help founders ship web, mobile, and AI products. Take a look at the projects or send a brief.