Notes from a Thinker Builder

#topic #system

A practical digital garden about AI agents, self-hosting, automation, access control, and personal knowledge systems — built from real experiments, working notes, and field-tested technical patterns.

This is not a blog or a polished documentation portal. It is a public field notebook: some notes are finished guides, some are decision records, and some are still growing.

Explore the Garden

Choose a workshop area below. Each path collects practical notes, guides, comparisons, and lessons from ongoing technical work.

🧠 AI Agents

Practical notes on agentic workflows, coding agents, local AI, model choices, and safe human-in-the-loop automation.

🛠️ Self-Hosting & DevOps

Infrastructure notes for Docker, Coolify, VPS work, backups, DNS, and practical self-hosted systems.

⚙️ Automation

Workflow automation notes covering n8n, WhatsApp automation, Supabase, and AI-powered app workflows.

🔐 Access Control

Field-oriented access-control knowledge, including Inner Range lessons, door hardware, biometrics, and system design concepts.

🗂️ PKM & Obsidian

Notes on Obsidian, personal knowledge systems, LLM-readable vaults, templates, and agent-assisted knowledge work.

Start Here

If you are new here, start with the path closest to what you want to do.

I want to understand AI agents — start with The Agentic Loop, then Hermes Agent.
I want to self-host systems — start with The Ultimate Guide to Docker, then Coolify.
I want to automate workflows — start with Automation, then n8n.
I work with access control — start with Inner Range Masterclass, then Power and Battery Backup.
I want to improve my PKM system — start with Obsidian.

Selected Field Notes

These are representative working notes and practical guides from the workshop. They are not a recency feed; they are selected because they best show the current shape of the garden.

Deeper Topic Links

For deeper browsing, use the grouped links below. These preserve the current public navigation while keeping the top of the page focused on orientation.

AI Agents & Coding

Concepts, tools, comparisons, and workflows for agentic coding and AI-assisted technical work.

Core concepts

The Agentic Loop — the shift from one-shot prompting to goal-driven loops with feedback, memory, and guardrails
Agentic Engineering Vocabulary & Patterns — harnesses, smart/dumb zones, AFK workflows, handoffs, skills, and operational vocabulary
Model Context Protocol (MCP) — the universal bridge for connecting AI agents to tools and services
Safe AI Workflows — audit-verify-plan patterns for reducing hallucinations and overreach

Tools and platforms

Hermes Agent — local/self-hosted agent operating system
Claude Code — Anthropic's coding agent
Codex — OpenAI coding and review agent
NotebookLM — source-grounded research assistant
Google Antigravity — AI development platform
VS Code Agent-First Development Series — official agent-first development curriculum

Comparisons and decisions

Master AI Agent Comparison Matrix — side-by-side comparison of major agent tools
Open-Source AI Model Comparison — open model comparison for local/private workflows
Hermes Desktop Setup Decision Guide — choosing between local, remote, and hybrid Hermes setups
Local AI Coding Workflow — practical local coding stack

Self-Hosting & DevOps

Practical infrastructure notes for running, deploying, backing up, and troubleshooting self-hosted systems.

Docker and containers

The Ultimate Guide to Docker — container fundamentals
Docker Commands — practical command reference
Deploy a Container using Docker Compose & .env — repeatable deployment pattern
Update an n8n Container — safe update workflow
Docker LXC Quick Reference — Proxmox helper-script reference

VPS and self-hosted services

Coolify — self-hosted Heroku/Vercel-style deployment platform
Hostinger — VPS hosting notes and setup context
Fix Hostinger VPS: DNS Filtering & DNS over TLS — harden DNS before public deployments
Install File Browser on a VPS — file-management service setup

Backup, infrastructure, and maintenance

Paperless-ngx Backup to Synology NAS via NFS — document backup pipeline
Mount a Synology NFS Share to an LXC — shared storage setup
Proxmox Power Optimization — reference steps for lower-power homelab operation
Orbi RBR750 Daily Reboot — automate daily router reboot via Synology NAS

Git, DNS, and databases

Git Cheat Sheet — common Git commands
GitHub URL Tricks Cheat Sheet — useful GitHub domain-swap tricks
Git Tutorials — beginner-to-intermediate Git learning path
Use dig to Resolve DNS Issues — DNS troubleshooting reference
Migration Guide: SQLite to PostgreSQL — migration path for production databases

Automation & Apps

Workflow automation, app-building platforms, and practical integration patterns.

Automation — AI-powered workflow automation landscape
n8n — low-code workflow orchestration
WhatsApp Automation — production AI agents on Meta's official API
Supabase — open-source backend for AI agent apps
Google AI Studio — AI-powered web development and prototyping
WordPress — AI-augmented CMS management via MCP

PKM & Obsidian

Local-first knowledge management, Obsidian workflows, and AI-assisted research systems.

Obsidian — local-first second brain and LLM wiki
Templater Cheat Sheet — practical Obsidian templating reference
NotebookLM — source-grounded research assistant often paired with Obsidian

Access Control

Practical access-control field knowledge, Inner Range lessons, hardware references, and India-focused research.

Start here

Inner Range Masterclass — structured training series for access-control installation and commissioning
Future of Access Control Systems in India — India-focused access-control trends and market research

Key lessons

Hardware references

Disclaimer

This site is a personal knowledge base, not affiliated with any mentioned company, product, or service. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. Content is provided for informational purposes only — no warranties, no professional advice.

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