Developer Tools
34 articles about developer tools.
The Danger of Plausible-Looking AI Code - How to Catch Subtle Bugs
AI-generated code compiles, passes linting, and looks correct. But the logic can be subtly wrong in ways human-written code never is. Code review habits need to change.
Automate macOS App Testing With Accessibility APIs Instead of Manual Clicking
Stop manually clicking through every screen after each code change. Use accessibility APIs to let an AI agent test your macOS apps automatically.
How AI Changes the Developer Career Path - Writing Specs Instead of Code
The developer career bet is shifting from writing code to writing specifications. Running 5 Claude agents in parallel means your job is CLAUDE.md files and diff reviews.
Claude $20 Plan Limits Are Genuinely Confusing - Session vs Weekly Explained
The Claude $20 plan limit error message says 'limit' without specifying session vs weekly. Here is how session limits, weekly caps, and parallel agents interact - and what to do about it.
Claude Code's Real Advantage Is the Harness, Not the Model
The harness is what makes Claude Code powerful. Running 5 agents in parallel on the same repo with CLAUDE.md as the orchestration layer changes everything.
Working Around Claude Code's Anti-Over-Engineering Bias
Claude Code constantly simplifies specific build instructions into something that does not compile. The workaround: prefix critical sections with explicit warnings in your CLAUDE.md.
Accessing Claude Code Previous Sessions via JSONL Transcripts
Where Claude Code stores previous session transcripts as JSONL files, how to find them in ~/.claude/projects/, and practical tips for parsing and reusing past conversations.
How CLAUDE.md Files and MCP Servers Work Together for Project Structure
CLAUDE.md maps out your project while MCP servers extend what the agent can do. Together they create a structured workspace the agent actually understands.
Context Engineering - Why CLAUDE.md Is the Most Important File in Your Project
The CLAUDE.md file is the most important file in any Claude Code project. Here is why context engineering matters more than prompt engineering.
Custom Skills vs Marketplace Skills in Claude Code - Why Building Your Own Wins
After trying dozens of marketplace skills, we ended up with mostly custom ones for specific recurring tasks. Here is why building your own skills works better for real workflows.
How Dev Task Automation Scripts Grow From 10 Lines to 200-Line Nightmares
Every automation script starts as 10 lines of shell. Six months later it's 200+ lines with retry logic, error handling, and its own config file. The maintenance nightmare of developer task automation.
The Minimal IDE Setup for Claude Code
Plain terminal for Claude Code, Cursor open separately for reading and reviewing files, and git worktrees when you need parallel agents.
How to Debug MCP Servers That Stop Working
MCP servers break silently. Check the initialize handshake, restart the server process, verify the transport layer, and inspect Claude Desktop logs.
Claude Code MEMORY.md Gets Truncated After 200 Lines - How to Fix It
The native Claude Code MEMORY.md index file gets truncated after about 200 lines, causing newer memories to be ignored. Here is how to work around it.
Why We Build AI Tools with SwiftUI Instead of Electron
Native macOS apps feel right - proper keyboard shortcuts, menu bar integration, system notifications. Electron apps are cross-platform but feel foreign on Mac. Here is why we chose SwiftUI for Fazm.
Building Throttling Systems for Parallel AI Agents
Running 5 AI agents in parallel cuts task time from hours to minutes, but requires a throttling system to prevent API rate limit hits and runaway costs.
$25 Per PR Review Is Wild - Run Claude Code on the Diff Yourself
AI-powered PR review services charge $25 per pull request, but you can run Claude Code on the diff yourself for a fraction of the cost using a custom review skill.
Receipts Outlive Memory - Why Git Blame Matters More Than Agent Memory
Agent memory fades, gets pruned, and can be wrong. Git blame is the ultimate receipt - every decision traced to an exact commit, an exact prompt, an exact moment in time.
Why Removing Unused MCP Servers Speeds Up Claude Code More Than Removing Skills
Trimming unused MCP servers made way more difference than removing skills. MCP servers are actual processes that all have to handshake on startup.
Screen Studio Alternatives with Auto-Zoom for Better macOS App Demos
Auto-zoom based on mouse activity is the killer feature for recording macOS app demos. Here is how Screen Studio and alternatives handle it, and why it matters.
Skills vs MCP vs Plugins - What's the Difference?
Skills inject instructions into conversations. MCP servers give agents new tools. Plugins are platform-specific integrations. Most people confuse all three - here is a clear breakdown.
Tmux and Terminal Review Tools for Parallel AI Agents
Using tmux integration and terminal review tools for instant feedback loops when running multiple AI agents in parallel on the same codebase.
Managing Parallel AI Agents with tmux and Git Worktrees
How to use tmux panes and git worktrees to manage multiple AI coding agents in parallel - separate panes, separate branches, zero conflicts.
Why Mandating AI Coding Tools Fails - Organic Adoption Wins
Forcing developers to use AI coding tools backfires. The developers who get the most from AI got there organically because it genuinely made them faster - not because someone mandated it.
Building Visual Wrappers for Claude Code - Why Some Developers Go Native
Claude Code's terminal interface works but debugging AI agent actions is easier with a visual UI. Some developers build native macOS wrappers with SwiftUI for better observability.
Codex vs Claude Code - A Practical Comparison for Real Development
OpenAI Codex and Claude Code take different approaches to AI-assisted development. Here is how they compare for agent-mode workflows, MCP integration, and desktop automation.
Building a macOS Desktop Agent with Claude - How AI Wrote Most of Its Own Code
How we used Claude to build Fazm, a native macOS AI agent. ScreenCaptureKit, accessibility APIs, and Whisper - with Claude writing most of the Swift code itself.
The HANDOFF.md Pattern - How to Keep Claude Code Productive Across Sessions
Context window management matters more than prompt quality once your project grows. How the HANDOFF.md pattern and post-edit hooks keep AI coding agents productive.
You Do Not Need an MCP Server for Every Mac App - Accessibility APIs as a Universal Interface
Instead of building a separate MCP server for each macOS app, use the accessibility API as a single universal interface. One integration controls every app on your Mac.
How to Keep Your .env Files Safe from AI Coding Agents
AI agents that can read and edit files will eventually stumble into your secrets. Here is how to use .claudeignore and macOS Keychain to keep API keys out of the context window.
How to Manage Multiple Claude Code Sessions with tmux
Running multiple AI coding agents at once gets chaotic fast. Here is how tmux keeps your Claude Code sessions organized with named sessions, branch isolation, and easy switching.
Using Claude as an Execution Layer - Markdown Specs, MCP Tools, No Traditional Code
What happens when your entire app is markdown specs that Claude executes, with MCP servers as the only real code. A year of building this way.
Writing CLAUDE.md Files That Actually Help (Not Hurt) Your AI Agents
The ETH Zurich paper says CLAUDE.md files hurt agent performance. Our experience with 5 parallel agents says the opposite. The difference is what you put in them.
I Installed 20 MCP Servers and Everything Got Worse - Why Fewer Is Better
More MCP servers means hundreds of tool definitions competing for attention. Stripping down to 3 servers made Claude pick the right tool on the first try.