Nicholas C. Zakas
@humanwhocodes.com
Creator of @eslint.org and @bredbox.app. Author. Speaker. Advisor. Coach. GitHub Star.
Mastodon: https://fosstodon.org/@nzakas
Blog: https://humanwhocodes.com
Coaching: https://humanwhocodes.com/coaching
Mastodon: https://fosstodon.org/@nzakas
Blog: https://humanwhocodes.com
Coaching: https://humanwhocodes.com/coaching
It's disappointing to see otherwise intelligent people arguing that because AI hasn't done anything truly terrible yet that it never will. This is the same faulty logic used by climate change deniers ever since the 1980s.
September 16, 2026 at 2:15 PM
It's disappointing to see otherwise intelligent people arguing that because AI hasn't done anything truly terrible yet that it never will. This is the same faulty logic used by climate change deniers ever since the 1980s.
Getting WatermelonDB to compile into an Expo app was torture due to outdated docs on both sides. Here's what I did to get it working:
https://humanwhocodes.co...
https://humanwhocodes.co...
September 15, 2026 at 9:14 PM
Getting WatermelonDB to compile into an Expo app was torture due to outdated docs on both sides. Here's what I did to get it working:
https://humanwhocodes.co...
https://humanwhocodes.co...
I've been wanting to for a while: treating PDFs and other documents as first-class citizens when I save them.
Bredbox can now save more than web pages.
You can keep PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and OpenDocument files in your library, search what’s inside them, and download the original file whenever you need it.
blog.bredbox.app/blog/2026-09...
You can keep PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and OpenDocument files in your library, search what’s inside them, and download the original file whenever you need it.
blog.bredbox.app/blog/2026-09...
Your Library Is More Than Web Pages
Save PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and OpenDocument files in Bredbox, search what's inside them, and download the originals whenever you need them.
blog.bredbox.app
September 15, 2026 at 2:37 PM
I've been wanting to for a while: treating PDFs and other documents as first-class citizens when I save them.
The VS Code Claude Code extension now shows you prompt cache information. This is quite useful.
September 14, 2026 at 5:13 PM
The VS Code Claude Code extension now shows you prompt cache information. This is quite useful.
Looking for something new to try this weekend? Give @bredbox.app app a try. It's my read-later app and I think you'll really enjoy it. ☺️
bredbox.app
bredbox.app
Bredbox - A trusted home for the content you care about.
Save articles, documents, recipes, images, videos, and ideas in one personal library. Read them when the time is right, find them again later, and take your library with you whenever you choose.
bredbox.app
September 11, 2026 at 9:21 PM
Looking for something new to try this weekend? Give @bredbox.app app a try. It's my read-later app and I think you'll really enjoy it. ☺️
bredbox.app
bredbox.app
This was a lot of fun to build. Uses the web speech APIs to read your articles out loud.
Sometimes you want the article, just not more screen time.
Bredbox can now read saved articles aloud in your browser, with separate listening progress so you can switch between reading and listening without losing your place.
blog.bredbox.app/blog/2026-09...
Bredbox can now read saved articles aloud in your browser, with separate listening progress so you can switch between reading and listening without losing your place.
blog.bredbox.app/blog/2026-09...
When You’d Rather Listen Than Read
Bredbox now lets you listen to saved articles on the web, keep listening progress separate from reading progress, and pick up where you left off.
blog.bredbox.app
September 11, 2026 at 3:05 PM
This was a lot of fun to build. Uses the web speech APIs to read your articles out loud.
In case you missed it, I wrote about the different ways software engineers interact with AI. There’s not a one size fits all approach and it depends on how much control you want over the output.
humanwhocodes.com/blog/2026/09...
humanwhocodes.com/blog/2026/09...
Five software engineering roles for working with AI - Human Who Codes
Software engineers can work with AI in different ways, from observing every change to managing an entire software factory.
humanwhocodes.com
September 10, 2026 at 4:31 PM
In case you missed it, I wrote about the different ways software engineers interact with AI. There’s not a one size fits all approach and it depends on how much control you want over the output.
humanwhocodes.com/blog/2026/09...
humanwhocodes.com/blog/2026/09...
Not everyone uses AI the same way. I like to think of these different interaction models as roles we can take to co-create code. In my latest post, I discuss the most common roles and what it means about how we build software going forward.
https://humanwhocodes.co...
https://humanwhocodes.co...
September 8, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Not everyone uses AI the same way. I like to think of these different interaction models as roles we can take to co-create code. In my latest post, I discuss the most common roles and what it means about how we build software going forward.
https://humanwhocodes.co...
https://humanwhocodes.co...
Cloudflare has so many amazing APIs that it's impossible to know them all. Today I discovered AI.toMarkdown() that converts multiple different file formats into Markdown. Such a time saver.
September 4, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Cloudflare has so many amazing APIs that it's impossible to know them all. Today I discovered AI.toMarkdown() that converts multiple different file formats into Markdown. Such a time saver.
Wow, the X API has different charges for posting content depending if it contains a URL.
No URL: $0.015 per post
With URL: $0.20 per post
I just don't understand the hostility towards URLs.
No URL: $0.015 per post
With URL: $0.20 per post
I just don't understand the hostility towards URLs.
September 4, 2026 at 1:59 PM
Wow, the X API has different charges for posting content depending if it contains a URL.
No URL: $0.015 per post
With URL: $0.20 per post
I just don't understand the hostility towards URLs.
No URL: $0.015 per post
With URL: $0.20 per post
I just don't understand the hostility towards URLs.
Cloudflare’s lack of a multi-consumer event bus is a frequent source of frustration for me. It seems like a glaring omission from the offering that forces me into tight coupling where I don’t want it.
September 3, 2026 at 4:49 PM
Cloudflare’s lack of a multi-consumer event bus is a frequent source of frustration for me. It seems like a glaring omission from the offering that forces me into tight coupling where I don’t want it.
Reposted by Nicholas C. Zakas
Still have your Pocket export ZIP?
Bring your entire library back to life with Bredbox.
bredbox.app/from/pocket
Bring your entire library back to life with Bredbox.
bredbox.app/from/pocket
Bring your Pocket library with you | Bredbox
Upload your Pocket export and Bredbox rebuilds your library, including links, tags, collections, notes, and highlights.
bredbox.app
September 2, 2026 at 6:05 PM
Still have your Pocket export ZIP?
Bring your entire library back to life with Bredbox.
bredbox.app/from/pocket
Bring your entire library back to life with Bredbox.
bredbox.app/from/pocket
Reposted by Nicholas C. Zakas
"The role of software engineer has changed, probably forever, in the face of AI. There’s a collective feeling of grief as our jobs transition away from what we have been doing."
Nice post from @humanwhocodes.com on the changing identity of SWEs:
newsletter.humanwhocodes.com/posts/the-ch...
Nice post from @humanwhocodes.com on the changing identity of SWEs:
newsletter.humanwhocodes.com/posts/the-ch...
The changing identity of software engineers
newsletter.humanwhocodes.com
September 1, 2026 at 7:39 PM
"The role of software engineer has changed, probably forever, in the face of AI. There’s a collective feeling of grief as our jobs transition away from what we have been doing."
Nice post from @humanwhocodes.com on the changing identity of SWEs:
newsletter.humanwhocodes.com/posts/the-ch...
Nice post from @humanwhocodes.com on the changing identity of SWEs:
newsletter.humanwhocodes.com/posts/the-ch...
I never just ask an agent to implement something. If I don't know how to do it, I first ask for an overview of the approach. Then I ask questions until I understand it. Only then do I have it implement the change.
If you're not using AI to learn, you're missing out.
If you're not using AI to learn, you're missing out.
September 1, 2026 at 3:17 PM
I never just ask an agent to implement something. If I don't know how to do it, I first ask for an overview of the approach. Then I ask questions until I understand it. Only then do I have it implement the change.
If you're not using AI to learn, you're missing out.
If you're not using AI to learn, you're missing out.
New open source process:
1. You use AI to file a bug
2. I use AI to fix it
3. I use AI to review the fix
4. You use AI to integrate and validate the fix
Faster feedback loop but it doesn’t feel nearly as collaborative. 😢
1. You use AI to file a bug
2. I use AI to fix it
3. I use AI to review the fix
4. You use AI to integrate and validate the fix
Faster feedback loop but it doesn’t feel nearly as collaborative. 😢
September 1, 2026 at 12:35 PM
New open source process:
1. You use AI to file a bug
2. I use AI to fix it
3. I use AI to review the fix
4. You use AI to integrate and validate the fix
Faster feedback loop but it doesn’t feel nearly as collaborative. 😢
1. You use AI to file a bug
2. I use AI to fix it
3. I use AI to review the fix
4. You use AI to integrate and validate the fix
Faster feedback loop but it doesn’t feel nearly as collaborative. 😢
This setup has worked well for me with AI coding projects:
1. Have a repo template with AGENTS.md
2. Define the interface I want
3. Explain the algorithms, structures, and overall approach to use
4. Explain the tests to write to validate correctness
1. Have a repo template with AGENTS.md
2. Define the interface I want
3. Explain the algorithms, structures, and overall approach to use
4. Explain the tests to write to validate correctness
August 31, 2026 at 3:15 PM
This setup has worked well for me with AI coding projects:
1. Have a repo template with AGENTS.md
2. Define the interface I want
3. Explain the algorithms, structures, and overall approach to use
4. Explain the tests to write to validate correctness
1. Have a repo template with AGENTS.md
2. Define the interface I want
3. Explain the algorithms, structures, and overall approach to use
4. Explain the tests to write to validate correctness
Reposted by Nicholas C. Zakas
August 28, 2026 at 4:12 PM
I think we're at the point where new GitHub repos should have pull requests limited to contributors only by default.
August 27, 2026 at 6:54 PM
I think we're at the point where new GitHub repos should have pull requests limited to contributors only by default.
Your reading library shouldn't be trapped where you save it.
Your Bredbox library is yours to use your way.
You can now download saved articles and recipes as HTML, Markdown, or PDF, plus download stored images directly.
We wrote about why portability matters:
blog.bredbox.app/blog/2026-08...
You can now download saved articles and recipes as HTML, Markdown, or PDF, plus download stored images directly.
We wrote about why portability matters:
blog.bredbox.app/blog/2026-08...
Take what you save with you
Download saved articles and recipes as HTML, Markdown, or PDF, and keep stored images in their original format.
blog.bredbox.app
August 26, 2026 at 9:34 PM
Your reading library shouldn't be trapped where you save it.
Another one of my 'todo list' projects I couldn't find time to finish before Claude: A CSS Paged Media polyfill. I loved PagedJS but it's not been updated in three years. This is my take.
https://github.com/human...
https://github.com/human...
August 26, 2026 at 8:50 PM
Another one of my 'todo list' projects I couldn't find time to finish before Claude: A CSS Paged Media polyfill. I loved PagedJS but it's not been updated in three years. This is my take.
https://github.com/human...
https://github.com/human...
The Astro team's triagebot-action looks fascinating, but I couldn't find any info on what it costs to run on the Cloudflare instrastructure. Does anyone know?
August 25, 2026 at 8:45 PM
The Astro team's triagebot-action looks fascinating, but I couldn't find any info on what it costs to run on the Cloudflare instrastructure. Does anyone know?
The new parser I'm working on, now called jskit, explores a direction I've been pondering: binary formats that allow you to easily switch between JS and native (Rust) at different phases with zero serialization cost.
Early returns vs. state of the art.
Early returns vs. state of the art.
August 24, 2026 at 6:36 PM
The new parser I'm working on, now called jskit, explores a direction I've been pondering: binary formats that allow you to easily switch between JS and native (Rust) at different phases with zero serialization cost.
Early returns vs. state of the art.
Early returns vs. state of the art.
This is one of the things I hate about the web: the SEO-ification of recipes. Bredbox fixes it.
There are a lot of great recipes online, but why do we have to scroll through all that other stuff first?
Bredbox fixes this by detecting recipes and pulling them out so you can get cooking faster.
blog.bredbox.app/blog/2026-08...
Bredbox fixes this by detecting recipes and pulling them out so you can get cooking faster.
blog.bredbox.app/blog/2026-08...
Save the Recipe. Skip the Rest.
Use Bredbox Pro to connect your personal reading library to your own tools with a REST API, MCP server, webhooks, and n8n.
blog.bredbox.app
August 24, 2026 at 1:37 PM
This is one of the things I hate about the web: the SEO-ification of recipes. Bredbox fixes it.
Reposted by Nicholas C. Zakas
New this week:
🧩 More control in the Bredbox browser extension: edit titles and tags, favorite, archive, and see when a page is already saved.
🗂️ Library lists now have compact, tile, and detailed views.
📱 iOS and Android apps are almost ready for the app stores.
🧩 More control in the Bredbox browser extension: edit titles and tags, favorite, archive, and see when a page is already saved.
🗂️ Library lists now have compact, tile, and detailed views.
📱 iOS and Android apps are almost ready for the app stores.
August 21, 2026 at 12:12 PM
New this week:
🧩 More control in the Bredbox browser extension: edit titles and tags, favorite, archive, and see when a page is already saved.
🗂️ Library lists now have compact, tile, and detailed views.
📱 iOS and Android apps are almost ready for the app stores.
🧩 More control in the Bredbox browser extension: edit titles and tags, favorite, archive, and see when a page is already saved.
🗂️ Library lists now have compact, tile, and detailed views.
📱 iOS and Android apps are almost ready for the app stores.
Reposted by Nicholas C. Zakas
Bredbox is more than a reading app. Your library can plug into the developer tools you already use.
🔌 REST API
⚡ Webhooks
🤖 MCP server
🧩 n8n integration
Save your content once, then build whatever workflow you want around it.
Read more:
blog.bredbox.app/blog/2026-08...
🔌 REST API
⚡ Webhooks
🤖 MCP server
🧩 n8n integration
Save your content once, then build whatever workflow you want around it.
Read more:
blog.bredbox.app/blog/2026-08...
Bredbox: The Programmable Reading Library for Developers
Use Bredbox Pro to connect your personal reading library to your own tools with a REST API, MCP server, webhooks, and n8n.
blog.bredbox.app
August 21, 2026 at 12:16 PM
Bredbox is more than a reading app. Your library can plug into the developer tools you already use.
🔌 REST API
⚡ Webhooks
🤖 MCP server
🧩 n8n integration
Save your content once, then build whatever workflow you want around it.
Read more:
blog.bredbox.app/blog/2026-08...
🔌 REST API
⚡ Webhooks
🤖 MCP server
🧩 n8n integration
Save your content once, then build whatever workflow you want around it.
Read more:
blog.bredbox.app/blog/2026-08...