Tools I Use
I'm building and commercialising first-of-a-kind deep technologies across green steel, sustainable fashion, AI goal tracking, and premium spirits. To make that work as a solo founder, I need the right tools. This is the full stack that keeps everything running across 14 active projects.
AI and LLMs
12 toolsAnthropic Claude API
Claude model family (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku). Chat, vision, agents, and the Claude Agent SDK.
How I use it: Primary AI across VACSO Hub. Chat, multi-agent orchestration, equipment classification via Claude Vision, and autonomous coding via Claude Code CLI.
OpenAI API
GPT-4o, embeddings, vision, and the Realtime API for voice.
How I use it: Embeddings for semantic search, GPT-4o vision for PDF processing, and the Realtime API for voice standups in VACSO Hub.
Google Vertex AI / Gemini
Google's AI platform: Document AI, Gemini vision, and embeddings.
How I use it: Document AI for PDF processing, Gemini vision for photo QA auditing in Brand Studio, and Vertex embeddings.
Replicate
API for running open-source AI models: image generation, upscaling, and more.
How I use it: Generating product photos and brand imagery using Flux and SDXL models across VACSO Hub and Brand Studio.
FAL.ai
Fast inference API for image generation models.
How I use it: Alternative image generation pipeline using Flux models when I need faster inference than Replicate.
LangChain / LangGraph
LLM orchestration framework and agent graph framework.
How I use it: Building multi-step agent workflows in VACSO Hub: tool calling, memory, and complex reasoning chains.
Langfuse
Open-source LLM observability: traces, evaluations, prompt management.
How I use it: Self-hosted on vacsoserver. Traces every agent run, LLM call, and tool use across VACSO Hub for debugging and cost tracking.
Tavily
AI-optimised web search API built for LLM agents.
How I use it: Primary search tool for VACSO Hub agents. Returns clean, structured results optimised for LLM consumption.
Firecrawl
Web scraping API that returns LLM-ready markdown.
How I use it: Scraping web pages and converting to clean markdown for agents to process in VACSO Hub.
E2B
Sandboxed code execution in Firecracker microVMs.
How I use it: Running untrusted agent-generated code safely in isolated sandboxes within VACSO Hub.
Composio
500+ pre-built tool integrations for AI agents.
How I use it: Connecting VACSO Hub agents to external services like Slack, Notion, Linear, and GitHub without building each integration.
LiveKit
Open-source WebRTC platform for real-time voice and video.
How I use it: Powers the voice agent system in VACSO Hub with four AI personas (Workshop, Standup, Productivity, Board) for voice-based interactions. Self-hosted on vacsoserver.
Development
8 toolsClaude Code
Anthropic's agentic coding tool that runs from the terminal.
How I use it: My primary development tool. Multi-file refactors, implementation plans, code reviews, and full feature builds across all 14 projects.
GitHub
Source control, issues, PRs, CI/CD, and GitHub Actions.
How I use it: All repos under VACSO-ORG. Branching, PR reviews, and CI/CD automations across every project.
Vercel
Frontend hosting with preview deployments per branch.
How I use it: Hosting 5 Next.js sites (personal site, VACSO, WIYD, Thirsti, OzeWine). Auto-deploy on push to main with preview URLs on PRs.
Docker
Containerisation for reproducible environments and production deployments.
How I use it: Running VACSO Hub, telemetry service, and all infrastructure (PostgreSQL, Redis, Langfuse) as Docker Compose stacks on vacsoserver.
Portainer
Docker container management dashboard.
How I use it: Managing all Docker containers, volumes, and networks on vacsoserver through a web UI instead of CLI.
Renovate
Automated dependency update bot for GitHub repos.
How I use it: Runs across all VACSO repos via a shared config preset (vacso-config). Keeps dependencies up to date with auto-merge for minor/patch updates.
Postman
API testing and debugging tool.
How I use it: Testing endpoints, auth flows, and webhooks while building APIs for VACSO Hub and Brand Studio.
Railway
Cloud platform for deploying apps, databases, and services.
How I use it: Hosting Brand Studio in production with CI/CD from GitHub Actions. Handles the containerised deployment pipeline.
Design and Media
3 toolsFigma
UI design and lightweight design systems.
How I use it: Quick layout exploration, component consistency, and design iteration before building in code.
Canva
Design tool for social content, presentations, and brand assets.
How I use it: Social media graphics, pitch decks, and brand collateral when I don't need Figma-level control.
Cloudinary
Image and video CDN with on-the-fly transformations.
How I use it: Storing and serving all brand photos and AI-generated images across VACSO Hub and Brand Studio. Handles resizing and format conversion automatically.
Databases and Infrastructure
7 toolsNeon (PostgreSQL)
Serverless PostgreSQL with branching and autoscaling.
How I use it: Primary database for VACSO Hub and Brand Studio. Serverless means it scales to zero when idle and handles spikes without config.
Redis
In-memory data store for caching and job queues.
How I use it: Powers BullMQ job queues in VACSO Hub and Brand Studio for background AI processing, image generation, and scheduled tasks.
InfluxDB
Time-series database for high-frequency data.
How I use it: Storing sensor readings from the H2-DRI lab: temperature, CO, CO2 at sub-second intervals from Modbus devices.
Tailscale
Mesh VPN that connects devices securely without port forwarding.
How I use it: Connecting vacsoserver, Raspberry Pi, laptop, desktop, and mobile devices into one private network. Access any machine from anywhere.
1Password
Password manager and secrets vault.
How I use it: Managing API keys, credentials, and secrets across all VACSO projects from a single vault. 5 vaults organised by project.
Google Cloud Platform
Cloud Storage, Pub/Sub, Document AI, and Drive API.
How I use it: GCS for document storage, Pub/Sub for event messaging, Document AI for PDF processing, and Drive API for file sync in VACSO Hub.
Stripe
Payment processing and billing.
How I use it: Processing payments on the VACSO landing page and handling subscription billing.
Monitoring and Analytics
5 toolsSentry
Error monitoring and performance tracking for web apps.
How I use it: Catching production errors with stack traces across 8 projects. Fix bugs before users report them.
PostHog
Product analytics, feature flags, session replays, and A/B testing.
How I use it: Product analytics across 7 projects. Feature flags, funnels, and session replays to understand how people actually use the products.
Uptime Kuma
Self-hosted uptime monitoring with alerts.
How I use it: Self-hosted on vacsoserver. Monitors all production endpoints and services with instant alerts when anything goes down.
Google Analytics 4
Traffic and ecommerce event tracking.
How I use it: Understanding acquisition channels, funnels, and ecommerce events on the by2050 storefront.
Microsoft Clarity
Session replays and heatmaps (free).
How I use it: Watching where people get stuck, then fixing UX friction across the portfolio sites.
Shopify and Ecommerce
5 toolsShopify
E-commerce platform with Storefront API and Hydrogen framework.
How I use it: Running by2050 (sustainable fashion) and Thirsti (premium spirits). Storefront API + Hydrogen for the custom by2050 headless frontend.
Shopify Flow
Automation inside Shopify: order tagging, fraud checks, fulfilment rules.
How I use it: Automating repetitive admin tasks so the stores run with less manual work.
Klaviyo
Email and lifecycle marketing with deep Shopify data.
How I use it: Welcome flows, abandoned cart, post-purchase sequences, and segmentation for by2050 and Thirsti.
Xero + A2X
Automates Shopify payouts and posting into Xero.
How I use it: Keeping bookkeeping clean without manual reconciliation pain.
Australia Post MyPost Business
Direct integration for shipping labels and rates.
How I use it: Creating labels from Shopify fulfilment and making shipping smoother for Australian orders.
Email and Notifications
3 toolsBrevo
Email marketing, transactional email, and CRM.
How I use it: Contact form emails, newsletter signups, waitlists, and CRM across 7 projects including all landing pages.
Resend
Developer-first transactional email API.
How I use it: Transactional emails (confirmations, receipts, notifications) for WIYD, Thirsti, and OzeWine.
Novu
Multi-channel notification infrastructure for email, push, SMS, and in-app.
How I use it: Orchestrating notifications across channels in VACSO Hub. Sends the right message via the right channel.
Research and Hardware
3 toolsEthereum Attestation Service (EAS)
On-chain attestations for verifiable claims and evidence.
How I use it: Attesting H2-DRI experiment evidence on-chain via Base Sepolia. Creating tamper-proof records of sensor data and lab results.
Raspberry Pi
Single-board computer for IoT and edge computing.
How I use it: Running the sensor data collection service in the H2-DRI lab. Reads CO, CO2, and temperature sensors via Modbus and streams to the telemetry service.
Modbus
Industrial communication protocol for sensors and PLCs.
How I use it: Communicating with industrial gas analysers and temperature sensors in the H2-DRI lab via serial RTU and TCP.
Fitness
1 toolsTools I No Longer Use
10 retiredCursor
AI-native code editor built on VS Code with inline chat and autocomplete.
Why I stopped: Replaced by Claude Code. Terminal-first agentic coding fits my workflow better than an IDE-based approach.
v0
AI UI generation by Vercel. Describe a component, get production-ready code.
Why I stopped: Claude Code handles UI generation directly in my codebase now, so the separate tool became redundant.
UptimeRobot
Uptime monitoring with alerts when services go down.
Why I stopped: Replaced by self-hosted Uptime Kuma on vacsoserver. More control, better dashboards, no monthly cost.
Hotjar
Heatmaps, recordings, and feedback tools.
Why I stopped: PostHog and Microsoft Clarity now cover session replays, heatmaps, and analytics in one stack.
Upsell.com (ReConvert)
Post-purchase upsells and cross-sells on Shopify.
Why I stopped: Removed to simplify the checkout experience. Didn't move the needle enough to justify the complexity.
SendGrid
Transactional and marketing email API.
Why I stopped: Consolidated email across Brevo and Resend. Didn't need three email providers.
Gorgias
Helpdesk built for Shopify with automation and order context.
Why I stopped: Support volume didn't justify the cost. Handling support directly for now.
Judge.me
Reviews app for collecting and displaying product reviews.
Why I stopped: Removed as part of simplifying the Shopify app stack.
Printful
Print-on-demand fulfilment with no inventory needed.
Why I stopped: by2050 moved away from print-on-demand to a different fulfilment model.
Grafana
Open-source dashboards and data visualisation.
Why I stopped: Was part of the early R&D platform. Sensor dashboards now built directly into the telemetry service frontend.
I update this list as my tools and processes evolve. Some links may be affiliate links. If you sign up through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.