The stack

What’s actually open on the machine

Each one has a line on why it is here — not what the vendor claims it does.

Filter
01Automation
  1. N8NSelf-hosted, so the workflows that run the business are not renting their existence from a vendor.
  2. MakeFor the quick connective work that does not justify standing up an N8N flow.
02CRM
  1. Zoho CRMRebuilt it three times for three companies. The rebuild is the value, not the tool.
03No-Code
  1. CodaWhere an operating system gets prototyped before anyone argues about whether to build it.
  2. GlideAppsShips a working mobile app in a weekend, which is the only honest way to test an app idea.
  3. AirtableWhen the thing is really a database and pretending otherwise costs time.
04Dev
  1. Next.jsThis site runs on it. Server components keep the content pipeline on the server where it belongs.
  2. TypeScriptCatches the mistakes I make at 1am, before they reach a build.
  3. TailwindRemoves the naming argument entirely. There is no CSS file to bikeshed.
  4. Framer MotionMotion that respects prefers-reduced-motion without extra work.
  5. SupabasePostgres with auth attached, so a prototype does not need a backend hire.
  6. VercelPush to main, it is live. Preview URLs make review a link instead of a meeting.
  7. GitHubVersion control for code, and increasingly for writing too.
05Productivity
  1. NotionClient-facing docs and shared wikis. Everyone already knows how to read it.
  2. ObsidianPlain markdown on disk. The notes outlive whatever app I use next.
  3. Zoho BooksInvoices and receivables. Unglamorous and load-bearing.
06Marketing
  1. Apollo.ioICP filtering. Most of the work is deciding who not to contact.
  2. LinkedIn Sales NavigatorWhere B2B intent is actually visible, if you read it instead of blasting it.
07Design
  1. FigmaDesign systems and the handoff. Also the fastest way to end a layout argument.
  2. CanvaFor the collateral that needs to exist today and does not need to be precious.
  3. RemotionVideo as React components — so a change is a diff, not a re-render in an editor.
08AI
  1. ClaudeLong-context reasoning over real documents. MCP connects it to the tools above.
  2. ChatGPTSecond opinion. Different failure modes are useful when the stakes are real.