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The Loadout

My loadout.

The tools, stack, and rig I actually run — and what I use each one for. No logo wall. If it earns a spot in the kit, it earns a sentence.

nate@n8builds: ~

$ whoami

Nathan — an AI-first software developer in LA, shipping in public.

all in on AI and agentic coding, building everything I can.

follow the journey, watch the process, ship with me.

$

~/loadout/ai

AI & Agents

The part of the kit that does the heavy lifting now — hover a tile for what I use it for.

Claude Code
My pair-programmer — I build most things here now.
Cursor
Inline, context-aware edits when my hands are on the keys.
OpenAI
Generation pipelines and structured outputs.
Gemini
Long-context summarization in my extensions.
Perplexity
Fast research with sources.
Claude Code
My pair-programmer — I build most things here now.
Cursor
Inline, context-aware edits when my hands are on the keys.
OpenAI
Generation pipelines and structured outputs.
Gemini
Long-context summarization in my extensions.
Perplexity
Fast research with sources.
Claude Code
My pair-programmer — I build most things here now.
Cursor
Inline, context-aware edits when my hands are on the keys.
OpenAI
Generation pipelines and structured outputs.
Gemini
Long-context summarization in my extensions.
Perplexity
Fast research with sources.
Claude Code
My pair-programmer — I build most things here now.
Cursor
Inline, context-aware edits when my hands are on the keys.
OpenAI
Generation pipelines and structured outputs.
Gemini
Long-context summarization in my extensions.
Perplexity
Fast research with sources.
Ollama
Runs local models on my own machine.
whisper.cpp
Local speech-to-text (powers Scribe).
Piper
Local text-to-speech, no cloud.
Hugging Face
Models and datasets to pull from.
LangChain
Glue for the occasional agent pipeline.
Ollama
Runs local models on my own machine.
whisper.cpp
Local speech-to-text (powers Scribe).
Piper
Local text-to-speech, no cloud.
Hugging Face
Models and datasets to pull from.
LangChain
Glue for the occasional agent pipeline.
Ollama
Runs local models on my own machine.
whisper.cpp
Local speech-to-text (powers Scribe).
Piper
Local text-to-speech, no cloud.
Hugging Face
Models and datasets to pull from.
LangChain
Glue for the occasional agent pipeline.
Ollama
Runs local models on my own machine.
whisper.cpp
Local speech-to-text (powers Scribe).
Piper
Local text-to-speech, no cloud.
Hugging Face
Models and datasets to pull from.
LangChain
Glue for the occasional agent pipeline.
~/loadout/stacks

Stacks I build with

Not a flat tool list — the combos that go together for each kind of project.

The Turso Stack

My default for new web apps

Next.js+TypeScript+Turso+Drizzle+Cloudflare R2+Vercel

//SQLite at the edge, fully type-safe, cheap to run. What I reach for first.

The Firebase Stack

When I want batteries included

Next.js+Firebase Auth+Firestore+Vercel

//Auth + realtime without the setup. I prefer Firebase here — I avoid Supabase.

The Local-First Stack

Native desktop apps

Tauri+Rust+SQLite+whisper.cpp

//Tiny binaries, native speed, nothing leaves the machine (this is how Scribe is built).

The Extension Stack

Chrome extensions

WXT+React+TypeScript+esbuild

//MV3 that feels like building a normal app instead of fighting the manifest.

The loadout

My tech stack

What I build with. Hover any tile for what it's for — or see the full loadout, rig, and AI kit.

React.js
JavaScript library for building interactive user interfaces efficiently.
Next.js
React framework for production-grade applications with server-side rendering.
Prisma
Next-generation ORM for Node.js and TypeScript.
TypeScript
Typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript.
Firebase
Platform for building web and mobile applications.
HTML5
Markup language for structuring web content.
CSS3
Style sheet language for designing web page layouts.
Tailwind
Utility-first CSS framework for rapid UI development.
ES6+
Modern version of JavaScript with enhanced features.
Jest
JavaScript testing framework with a focus on simplicity.
Git
Distributed version control system for tracking code changes.
AWS Amplify
Set of tools for building scalable mobile and web apps.
Recoil
State management library for React applications.
Material-UI
React UI framework with pre-built components.
ShadCN
Customizable UI components for modern web applications.
Zod
TypeScript-first schema declaration and validation library.
React.js
JavaScript library for building interactive user interfaces efficiently.
Next.js
React framework for production-grade applications with server-side rendering.
Prisma
Next-generation ORM for Node.js and TypeScript.
TypeScript
Typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript.
Firebase
Platform for building web and mobile applications.
HTML5
Markup language for structuring web content.
CSS3
Style sheet language for designing web page layouts.
Tailwind
Utility-first CSS framework for rapid UI development.
ES6+
Modern version of JavaScript with enhanced features.
Jest
JavaScript testing framework with a focus on simplicity.
Git
Distributed version control system for tracking code changes.
AWS Amplify
Set of tools for building scalable mobile and web apps.
Recoil
State management library for React applications.
Material-UI
React UI framework with pre-built components.
ShadCN
Customizable UI components for modern web applications.
Zod
TypeScript-first schema declaration and validation library.
React.js
JavaScript library for building interactive user interfaces efficiently.
Next.js
React framework for production-grade applications with server-side rendering.
Prisma
Next-generation ORM for Node.js and TypeScript.
TypeScript
Typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript.
Firebase
Platform for building web and mobile applications.
HTML5
Markup language for structuring web content.
CSS3
Style sheet language for designing web page layouts.
Tailwind
Utility-first CSS framework for rapid UI development.
ES6+
Modern version of JavaScript with enhanced features.
Jest
JavaScript testing framework with a focus on simplicity.
Git
Distributed version control system for tracking code changes.
AWS Amplify
Set of tools for building scalable mobile and web apps.
Recoil
State management library for React applications.
Material-UI
React UI framework with pre-built components.
ShadCN
Customizable UI components for modern web applications.
Zod
TypeScript-first schema declaration and validation library.
React.js
JavaScript library for building interactive user interfaces efficiently.
Next.js
React framework for production-grade applications with server-side rendering.
Prisma
Next-generation ORM for Node.js and TypeScript.
TypeScript
Typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript.
Firebase
Platform for building web and mobile applications.
HTML5
Markup language for structuring web content.
CSS3
Style sheet language for designing web page layouts.
Tailwind
Utility-first CSS framework for rapid UI development.
ES6+
Modern version of JavaScript with enhanced features.
Jest
JavaScript testing framework with a focus on simplicity.
Git
Distributed version control system for tracking code changes.
AWS Amplify
Set of tools for building scalable mobile and web apps.
Recoil
State management library for React applications.
Material-UI
React UI framework with pre-built components.
ShadCN
Customizable UI components for modern web applications.
Zod
TypeScript-first schema declaration and validation library.
GraphQL
Query language for APIs and runtime for executing queries.
MySQL
Open-source relational database management system.
Google Cloud
Suite of cloud computing services by Google.
Sentry
Application monitoring and error tracking software.
Google Analytics
Web analytics service for tracking website traffic.
ESLint
Static code analysis tool for identifying problematic JavaScript patterns.
Prettier
Opinionated code formatter for consistent code style.
Figma
Cloud-based design and prototyping tool.
Stripe API
Payment processing platform for online businesses.
React-Icons
Icon library for React applications.
Paypal API
Online payment system supporting money transfers.
Context API
React's built-in state management for component trees.
Vite
Next-generation frontend tooling for faster development.
Postman
API development and testing tool.
PostgreSQL
Powerful, open-source object-relational database system.
Clerk Auth
User authentication and management solution.
Next Auth
Authentication system for Next.js applications.
REST APIs
Architectural style for designing networked applications.
GraphQL
Query language for APIs and runtime for executing queries.
MySQL
Open-source relational database management system.
Google Cloud
Suite of cloud computing services by Google.
Sentry
Application monitoring and error tracking software.
Google Analytics
Web analytics service for tracking website traffic.
ESLint
Static code analysis tool for identifying problematic JavaScript patterns.
Prettier
Opinionated code formatter for consistent code style.
Figma
Cloud-based design and prototyping tool.
Stripe API
Payment processing platform for online businesses.
React-Icons
Icon library for React applications.
Paypal API
Online payment system supporting money transfers.
Context API
React's built-in state management for component trees.
Vite
Next-generation frontend tooling for faster development.
Postman
API development and testing tool.
PostgreSQL
Powerful, open-source object-relational database system.
Clerk Auth
User authentication and management solution.
Next Auth
Authentication system for Next.js applications.
REST APIs
Architectural style for designing networked applications.
GraphQL
Query language for APIs and runtime for executing queries.
MySQL
Open-source relational database management system.
Google Cloud
Suite of cloud computing services by Google.
Sentry
Application monitoring and error tracking software.
Google Analytics
Web analytics service for tracking website traffic.
ESLint
Static code analysis tool for identifying problematic JavaScript patterns.
Prettier
Opinionated code formatter for consistent code style.
Figma
Cloud-based design and prototyping tool.
Stripe API
Payment processing platform for online businesses.
React-Icons
Icon library for React applications.
Paypal API
Online payment system supporting money transfers.
Context API
React's built-in state management for component trees.
Vite
Next-generation frontend tooling for faster development.
Postman
API development and testing tool.
PostgreSQL
Powerful, open-source object-relational database system.
Clerk Auth
User authentication and management solution.
Next Auth
Authentication system for Next.js applications.
REST APIs
Architectural style for designing networked applications.
GraphQL
Query language for APIs and runtime for executing queries.
MySQL
Open-source relational database management system.
Google Cloud
Suite of cloud computing services by Google.
Sentry
Application monitoring and error tracking software.
Google Analytics
Web analytics service for tracking website traffic.
ESLint
Static code analysis tool for identifying problematic JavaScript patterns.
Prettier
Opinionated code formatter for consistent code style.
Figma
Cloud-based design and prototyping tool.
Stripe API
Payment processing platform for online businesses.
React-Icons
Icon library for React applications.
Paypal API
Online payment system supporting money transfers.
Context API
React's built-in state management for component trees.
Vite
Next-generation frontend tooling for faster development.
Postman
API development and testing tool.
PostgreSQL
Powerful, open-source object-relational database system.
Clerk Auth
User authentication and management solution.
Next Auth
Authentication system for Next.js applications.
REST APIs
Architectural style for designing networked applications.
~/loadout/stream

Stream Kit

How the "in public" part actually happens.

OBS Studio

Capturing and streaming the builds. Scenes for code, cam, and overlays.

//

Free, infinitely tweakable, runs everything. The backbone of streaming.

VibeLoge

built it myself

My own build-telemetry overlay — git activity, Claude tokens, session stats live on stream.

//

I built the thing I wanted: a HUD that turns a coding session into a watchable story.

Scribe (LocalDictate)

built it myself

Hold a hotkey, talk, it types — local Whisper transcription at the cursor.

//

Also mine. Faster than typing for notes, prompts, and commit messages.

~/loadout/rig

The Rig

The battlestation. A build is just a loadout you can touch.

AMD Ryzen 7 9700X

8 Zen 5 cores / 16 threads for compiling, local models, and three dev servers at once.

//

Zen 5 runs cool and fast — efficient enough that the fans stay quiet under a full build.

Radeon RX 7800 XT (16GB)

Local inference, encoding the stream without dropping frames, and the occasional game.

//

16GB of VRAM is the sweet spot — room for decent local models and still stream clean.

32GB DDR5-6000 (CL32)

Chrome, Docker, a local LLM, and OBS all wanting to be friends at the same time.

//

G.Skill DDR5 — RAM is cheap, closing tabs is expensive. Easy call.

Samsung 990 PRO 2TB

OS, every project, and a graveyard of node_modules folders. Gen4 NVMe.

//

Fast storage you forget exists, which is exactly the point.

Gigabyte B650 Gaming X AX V2

The board it all bolts to — AM5, PCIe Gen4, Wi-Fi 6E for when ethernet isn't handy.

//

B650 is the value-sane AM5 pick: everything I need, nothing I'm paying to never use.

~/loadout/desk

The Desk

The stuff my hands actually touch.

Acer XV272U V3 — 27" 1440p 180Hz

The main code and stream surface. High-refresh 1440p IPS, with a second screen off to the side for reference.

//

A fast, sharp panel is the one screen upgrade I feel every single day — 180Hz spoils you.

Leopold mechanical

daily driver

All day every day — code, prompts, commit messages.

//

Thick PBT caps and a rock-solid case. The one piece of gear I'm genuinely picky about.

Razer Cobra

Pointer duty — light enough that long sessions don't wear on the wrist.

//

Light, simple, accurate. I don't want my mouse to have opinions.

Fifine USB mic

Stream and recording audio that doesn't make people leave.

//

Good audio is the cheapest upgrade to sounding like you know what you're doing — no interface needed.

// the kit changes constantly — check back, it's always being re-rolled.