How We BuildSystems · Methodology · Architecture

Systems that build software

Not just writing code—building the infrastructure, toolchains, and automated quality gates that make every project faster, safer, and more repeatable than the last.

verify-chain.js
orval.config.ts

// Every tool's output feeds the next

const chain = [

"openapi-contract",// Source of truth

"orval-codegen",// Types + MSW mocks

"storybook",// Component dev

"vitest",// Unit + component

"biome",// Lint + format

"chromatic",// Visual regression

];

verify(chain); // Pre-commit hook

How We Work

AI-augmented development

Every project starts with structure, not a blank canvas. AI isn't a shortcut—it's an integrated part of the development workflow, from code generation to knowledge retrieval to automated review.

Structured AI Collaboration

Claude Code with custom MCP servers, Qdrant knowledge bases, and project-specific CLAUDE.md files that define scope, phase gates, and domain terminology. AI operates within defined boundaries—not as an unstructured chatbot.

Automated Quality Gates

Every commit passes through Biome (lint + format), Semgrep (security scanning), and CodeRabbit (AI code review) before it merges. Pre-commit hooks verify the entire toolchain is intact. Nothing ships without automated validation.

Contract-First APIs

OpenAPI contracts are the single source of truth. Orval generates type-safe fetch functions and MSW mock handlers automatically. Frontend and backend teams work in parallel against the same contract, with generated mocks bridging the gap.

The Chain

Every tool's output feeds the next

Not a collection of tools—a connected pipeline where each stage produces the inputs for the next. Break one link and the pre-commit hook catches it before code ships.

01

OpenAPI Contract

The single source of truth. Every endpoint, schema, and response type defined in YAML before a line of application code is written.

02

Orval Code Generation

Generates type-safe TypeScript fetch functions and MSW mock handlers directly from the contract. No manual API layer.

03

MSW Mock Handlers

Generated mocks run in the browser, enabling Storybook stories and tests to work against realistic API responses without a backend.

04

Storybook Development

Components built and documented in isolation with generated types and mocks. Stories become living documentation and the foundation for visual testing.

05

Vitest + Playwright

Unit tests in Node, component tests in real browsers via Storybook. Two test projects, one config. Stories double as test fixtures.

06

Chromatic + CodeRabbit

Visual regression testing catches unintended UI changes. AI-powered code review surfaces logic issues. Both run automatically on every PR.

The Stack

Modular layers, deliberate choices

Frontend

Next.js + React + Tailwind

Next.js 16 with App Router for server components and streaming. Tailwind CSS v4 with design tokens from the branding system. shadcn/ui and Radix primitives for accessible, composable UI. XState for complex state machines that are testable and visualizable.

Next.js 16React 19Tailwind v4shadcn/uiRadixXStateFramer MotionGSAP

Backend

FastAPI + PostgreSQL

Python FastAPI for async, type-safe APIs with automatic OpenAPI generation. PostgreSQL with SQLAlchemy 2.0 for the data layer. PostGIS when geospatial matters. ARQ + Redis for background job queuing. Pydantic for validation at every boundary.

FastAPIPostgreSQLSQLAlchemy 2.0PostGISARQRedisPydantic

AI Layer

LLM + Vector Search

OpenRouter for LLM routing. Qdrant for vector search and semantic retrieval. Custom MCP servers for domain-specific AI tooling. Claude Code as the development co-pilot.

OpenRouterQdrantMCP ServersClaude

Infrastructure

Deploy + Secrets + Auth

Sevalla for hosting with Git-push deploys. Doppler for secrets management across environments. Auth0 for authentication. Sentry for error tracking.

SevallaDopplerAuth0SentryGitHub Actions

Dev Tooling

Lint + Test + Review

Biome for blazing-fast linting and formatting. Vitest + Playwright for testing. Storybook for component development. CodeRabbit and Semgrep in CI. Husky pre-commit hooks.

BiomeVitestPlaywrightStorybookCodeRabbitSemgrep

Capability Domains

Where the system gets applied

The methodology and stack aren't theoretical—they're battle-tested across diverse problem domains, each with its own constraints and complexity.

AI & LLM Engineering

Custom message loops, vector search with Qdrant, model fine-tuning, and retrieval-augmented generation. Production AI systems with structured prompts, knowledge bases, and semantic memory—not wrappers around API calls.

Conversational AI & Telephony

AI voice agents with Twilio, ElevenLabs, and Pipecat for real-time voice pipelines. Inbound call screening, intelligent bridging, SMS/MMS routing to Microsoft Teams. Voice as a first-class interface, not an afterthought.

Compliance & Regulatory Platforms

Complex multi-step regulatory workflows with XState state machines, PostGIS geospatial queries, and domain-specific data models. Environmental compliance, stormwater management, inspection tracking—where getting it wrong has real consequences.

Mobile Applications

React Native with Expo for cross-platform mobile. Camera, geolocation, push notifications, offline-first patterns. Capacitor for hybrid web-to-native bridges. Shared component libraries between web and mobile surfaces.

Design Systems & Branding

Design token pipelines that flow from brand guidelines into Storybook components into production apps. Accessibility-first with a11y testing built into the component development workflow. Consistent visual language across every surface.

Integration Engineering

Stripe for payments, DocuSign for contracts, Auth0 for identity, Azure for enterprise services. Webhook pipelines that bridge business tools into unified workflows. Each integration tested against real APIs, not mocked assumptions.

The Philosophy

Modular foundations, compounding returns

Every engagement builds on shared systems rather than starting from scratch. The Project Template, the design token pipeline, the MCP server infrastructure—these aren't one-off creations. They're foundations that get stronger with each project that uses them.

A new client engagement doesn't begin with "npm init." It begins with a proven template that includes testing, linting, API contract generation, component development environments, and CI/CD—all pre-wired. The first commit already has more infrastructure than most projects ship with.

This isn't about moving fast by cutting corners. It's about moving fast because the hard problems—toolchain integration, testing strategy, deployment pipelines—are already solved. Development time goes to the domain, not the plumbing.

Reusable project template with full toolchain
1 Template
Custom MCP servers for AI-powered development
7 MCP Servers
Automated checks before code merges
6 Quality Gates
Links in the connected toolchain
0 Manual Steps

Let's build together

This is the system. The methodology, the stack, the infrastructure—all of it designed to compound over time. Imagine what we could build with it.