tools

Last updated: October 18, 2025

I care a lot about the tools I use and frequently try out new ones or try to optimize my existing tools.

Development

VSCode: I used to use Claude Code from within Cursor, but I wasn’t really using Cursor Tab and I like having my AI terminal popped out as a separate window (Cursor’s is buggy when zooming).
Claude Code: I use the Tavily MCP for web search and have a web search subagent so my main context doesn’t get bloated with search results. I’ve experimented with more subagents but haven’t found it particularly beneficial for my use cases; I get more lift from session management.

ChatGPT Desktop: Works well enough, I haven’t seen anything compelling enough from the other players to make me switch. I like having a dedicated app, even though it’s sometimes slightly lacking in feature parity vs. the web client.
Superhuman: Email client and to-do list. At $30/month Superhuman is pricy and I don’t even use the AI features, but I like having a modern, snappy, dedicated email client with keyboard shortcuts. I send myself emails as to-do items because I’m too forgetful for two separate apps.
Monologue: Voice to text anywhere your cursor is. Even though I can type ~140wpm, it requires a lot more focus than speaking and is less fluid. I’m slowly starting to talk more and type less. Monologue is the first app for this that I found and it works well enough for me at $10/month, I haven’t tried others.

Notion: After a long journey with Obsidian, Dendron, and OneNote (back when I was using Windows), I’ve settled back on Notion. Markdown-like notes have become a must for me and I actually like the simplicity of just having a single database page for knowledge management. I also use it as a CMS for this site, which is nice.
Google Chrome: I’m not a stickler for security and Chrome is familiar. I don’t think I have a strong use case for an AI browser (yet).
Charmstone: App switcher / launcher. Having essentially one keyboard shortcut to access 8 different apps is convenient and heavily satisfying for my keyboard shortcut obsession.
Maccy: Clipboard history. Not having to go back and re-copy text comes in handy more often than you’d think.