A Working Tools Log

A living reference for making, building, and finding the next useful idea.

By：Shelby KleinPublished：September 10, 2026

A short log of tools I use and projects I learn from. Organized by what they do, so I can find them again—and you can too.

Code, experiments, and references

My GitHub brings together public code and projects that inform my own work. This log is a brief companion: what each tool does, and why I return to it.

My GitHubPublic code, prototypes, and projects.Starred repositoriesA growing collection of ideas and references.

AI and coding

Ideas, research, and code each call for a different kind of assistance. These are the tools I return to.

ChatGPTIdeas, copy, research, and getting a project moving.CodexBuilding, maintaining, and shipping work in a real codebase.

Claude CodeNative coding for longer-term development work.

Creative production

The output still needs to work in the medium it was made for: a printed page, a video, a vector file, or a sprite.

Adobe IllustratorVector drawing, marks, and scalable graphics.Adobe InDesignEditorial layouts, print-ready documents, and page structure.Adobe PhotoshopImage editing, compositing, and fast visual iteration.Adobe PremiereVideo editing, motion, and finishing.

CanvaSocial graphics, working templates, and collaborative materials.AsepritePixel art, animation, and sprites.

Design research

I look at real interfaces to understand how other people solve the same interaction problems.

MobbinReal-world app and web patterns, screens, and flows for design reference.

Websites and publishing

Publishing and maintaining the work matter just as much as making it.

WordPressContent-rich sites with an approachable publishing workflow.

GitHubPublic code, prototypes, and projects I can share.

Tools I build

Alongside those tools, I build interfaces around the work I return to.

Chatterbox — A native Mac workspace for project conversations with Claude and Codex, including progress and steering while an agent works.
Spoolside — The workshop dashboard behind PlayCase, connecting orders, printer status, files, and production checks.
Peppy — My native InDesign plug-in for letting agents work in open documents, with named undo steps and explicit saves.

Updated October 2026. The original publication date is retained.

Ideas I’m watching

These projects are references and inspiration for my own work, rather than a list of products I use every day.

doopPeople and AI agents designing together in real time.

OpenBotAI coworkers with their own browser, files, tools, and action record.

pixel-agent-deskAn inspiration for agent-centered desktop thinking.

claude-osAn inspiration for an organized AI operating environment.

GraftContext-aware acceleration for coding agents working in a real codebase.

CDAFA sidecar format that helps AI agents reuse video understanding instead of re-analyzing footage.

I add to this log when a tool earns a durable place in my work. Some serve a one-shot artifact; others support a long-running project or one of the many tasks in a creative practice.