Not a developer. Shipping anyway.
I've built a game, two apps, and a marketing system solo by running AI like a studio. These notes are what holds up when the tools change. Every one is extracted from a real project log, not theory.
New here? Start with note zero: what I am, what I'm not, and why the gap is the point.
The ledger
- Sep 03, 2026
Preflight checks for tasks, not just planes
A short fixed checklist I run before starting work, so I catch wrong-problem work and repeat mistakes before I write a line.
Source: RL7 task-preflights.md, in use since June 2026 - Aug 27, 2026
Predicting your own failure modes
A written list of how the project will probably break next, so I catch the predicted bug fast instead of rediscovering it slow.
Source: RL7 predictive-risks.md, maintained since early 2026 - Aug 20, 2026
The banned words list
AI writing has fingerprints. I keep a list of them and run it against every draft, including this one.
Source: Margin Harbor content scrubber + this site's voice guide, in use since 2026 - Aug 13, 2026
Two AIs, one project, zero collisions
Running two different AI assistants on the same codebase without them clobbering each other's work.
Source: RL7 dual-agent setup (Claude + Codex), in use since June 2026 - Aug 06, 2026
I can't read the code, so I test the behavior
What I verify instead of reading, what that catches, and, honestly, what it can't.
Source: RL7 playtest checklist + task preflights, in use since June 2026 - Jul 30, 2026
The file that lists what not to build
AI is relentlessly helpful. Without a written fence, that help walks your project somewhere you already decided not to go.
Source: RL7 drift-checks.md, in use since May 2026 - Jul 18, 2026
Your AI forgets everything. Build it a memory.
The file system that lets me run months-long projects with a collaborator that wakes up blank every session.
Source: RL7 project-memory system, in production since May 2026 - Jul 17, 2026
Verbs before varnish
The production rule that stopped me from polishing work I was about to throw away.
Source: RL7 production model, locked July 2026 - Jul 16, 2026
I don't know what I don't know
What I am, what I'm not, and the system that exists because of the difference.
Source: Site charter, July 2026