Custom Software Tools & Utilities

Small apps and utilities built for one job. A converter that fits your exact workflow, a tracker that keeps your data in files you own, a phone app that does one thing well.

The code is written with AI (mostly Claude Code). What I bring is the rest: working out what the tool should actually do, designing how it works, and testing it against real use until it holds up. The same way I’d approach a jig or a fixture in the shop.

What a project looks like

Define - what the tool needs to do, who uses it, and where the data lives. Most tools do one job.
Build - a web app, a native iPhone or Mac app, or a script, whichever fits the job.
Test - against your real files and real use, not sample data.
Data - plain files (markdown, CSV, your own folders) wherever possible, not a database locked inside someone else’s service.
Handoff - the code and data are yours, documented well enough for you, someone else, or an AI to keep going.

Examples

DXF to SVG - a browser-based converter that takes Fusion 360 sketches into Figma as editable vectors. Files never leave your computer.
Illustrated Thumbnails - turns CAD data (a DXF drawing plus an STL model) into isometric line art with a real cast shadow, for product pages.
FoodBase - a plain-text food database (recipes, groceries, pantry, nutrition) with an iPhone app for meal planning and a second app that just scans receipts. The template is public.
A time tracker for iPhone and Mac that saves billable hours as plain markdown in an Obsidian vault.
An operations vault for a small product business: products, SKUs, pricing, supplies, and clients, kept in sync with this site’s shop.

Good fit for

Individuals and small businesses with a repetitive task, a spreadsheet that’s outgrown itself, or a workflow stuck between two apps that don’t talk to each other. If you need something bigger, let’s discuss.

What it costs

Cost depends on how much the tool needs to do and where it runs. A web app or script usually costs nothing to host. A native iPhone app needs an Apple Developer account ($99/year). PLACEHOLDER: project price range. Get in touch and let’s make something useful.