The logbook
Notes from the dock.
Ship notes, deep dives, and honest engineering. No growth-hack listicles.
AI hosting: what happens when your hosting has an agent attached
AI hosting isn't a chatbot bolted onto a dashboard, it's your local dev environment exposed as tools an agent can drive directly.
Read the post →AI scheduling: let an agent plan and queue your week's content
AI scheduling pairs an agent that plans your content week with an n8n queue that executes it, self-hosted, free, running on your own Mac.
No API key AI: run a local model that can actually do things
No-API-key AI means a local model that runs on your Mac and drives real tools, creating sites and editing WordPress, not just chatting. Here's how it works.
AI edits your WordPress site: patterns-first authoring explained
An AI WordPress editor works best when it composes from real Gutenberg patterns, not raw HTML, here's how patterns-first authoring keeps content clean.
Auto-generate product demo videos from your changelog
Turn your changelog into product demo videos automatically, Remotion templates read your release data and render an MP4 per feature, on your Mac, for free.
Claude Desktop + your local sites: connecting an MCP server that can ship
Connect Claude Desktop to a local MCP server at localhost:47200 and it can create, run, author, share, and deploy real websites, no terminal, no API keys.
Claude MCP tutorial: build and publish a website by chatting
A practical Claude MCP tutorial: connect Claude to ReDock's local MCP server and go from empty Mac to a published website in one conversation.
Let Claude write your launch video: agent-driven Remotion scenes
Describe the video, let an agent write the Remotion scene code, and render an exact MP4 on your Mac, AI video from code, no keys, free with ReDock.
Claude vs local models for agent work: an honest comparison
Claude wins on deep reasoning; a local model wins on privacy, cost, and offline. For agent work the honest answer is: use both, matched to the task.
Cursor + MCP: letting your editor's agent run real websites
Cursor's agent can call MCP tools. Point it at ReDock on localhost:47200 and it can create, run, author, and deploy real local sites, without leaving the editor.
Attach a custom domain to a free Cloudflare deploy, from an app, not a dashboard
Point your own domain at a free Cloudflare Workers deploy without editing DNS in a dashboard, ReDock attaches it in-app, one free domain included.
Deploy to Cloudflare Workers free tier: the honest guide
What the Cloudflare Workers free tier actually covers for static sites, and how to deploy to it from an app without touching a dashboard.
How to deploy a website for free in 2026 (no credit card, no server)
Build locally on your Mac, then deploy static assets to Cloudflare Workers' free tier in one click, no credit card, no server, no dashboard.
How to deploy a website without any money: the complete zero-budget stack
A genuinely zero-budget path from local development to a live, public website, free tooling, free edge hosting, and honest limits.
Docker for local web dev: when it's overkill and what's lighter
A fair look at Docker for local web development, its real parity and reproducibility wins, when it's overkill, and lighter native alternatives on macOS.
Easy hosting for side projects: from folder to https://name.test to the world
The easiest hosting for side projects: run them locally at https://name.test with ReDock, share via tunnel, deploy free to Cloudflare when ready.
Easy MCP setup: zero config, no terminal, no JSON files
Easy MCP setup means pointing a client at a running server, no JSON editing, no terminal. ReDock exposes its whole surface at localhost:47200.
Elementor vs Gutenberg in the AI era: which builder can agents actually drive?
Elementor vs Gutenberg for AI: agents drive block-native Gutenberg today because its content is structured data, not a proprietary canvas. An honest comparison.
Free AI video generation with Remotion: video as code, rendered on your Mac
Remotion makes video from code, React scenes rendered to MP4 on your Mac. The AI writes scenes; the renderer draws exact frames. Free with ReDock.
Free AI website builder that runs offline: agent + local model + WordPress
A free AI website builder that runs offline: a built-in agent plus a local model builds real WordPress sites on your Mac, no API keys and no internet needed.
Free hosting that's actually your Mac: local sites + Cloudflare tunnels
Your Mac can host real HTTPS websites for free: run sites locally with ReDock, expose them through Cloudflare tunnels, and pay nobody.
Free MCP server: give Claude real tools on your Mac in 5 minutes
ReDock is a free MCP server for macOS: Claude gets tools to create local sites, write WordPress content, share, and deploy, no terminal, no API keys.
Free scheduling with n8n: post everywhere while you sleep
Build free scheduling automation with self-hosted n8n on your Mac: cron triggers, a content queue, and posting flows with no per-task fees.
Free social media scheduler: build your own with n8n in an afternoon
Skip the monthly SaaS bill, build a self-hosted social media scheduler with n8n on your Mac using ReDock, with real HTTPS and no terminal.
Free staging environments: stop paying for preview hosting
You don't need a paid preview host to stage a site, run it locally and share a real URL, or deploy static output to a free edge tier.
Free website with a real URL in 10 minutes: QuickShare explained
Get a real, public HTTPS URL for your local site in minutes, no deploy, no account juggling, with ReDock's free QuickShare tunnels.
Free YouTube intro/outro maker: Remotion templates you own forever
Build a reusable YouTube intro and outro as code with Remotion on your Mac, free, no watermark, no subscription, and the template is yours forever.
Freelancers: demo client sites from your laptop like they're live
Freelance web dev tools that let you build client sites locally and share a real, named HTTPS URL for review, no staging host, no monthly bills.
Gutenberg MCP: how an AI writes real block content (not HTML soup)
Gutenberg MCP tools let agents compose pages from real blocks and theme patterns, editable in wp-admin, not pasted HTML. Here's how ReDock does it.
Headless WordPress with Astro: the free, fast way to ship a WP-backed site
Run WordPress as a headless CMS and render the front end with Astro, a fast, free local setup with real HTTPS .test domains and no terminal, via ReDock.
Laravel Herd vs ReDock: PHP-first vs agent-first local dev
Laravel Herd vs ReDock, compared fairly: Herd's fast, deep PHP/Laravel focus versus ReDock's native, multi-stack, agent-operable approach on macOS.
Local LLM on 8GB Macs: what actually fits and what it can do
On an 8GB Mac a local LLM means a small model with modest context, good for driving tools and short tasks, not deep reasoning. Here's an honest picture.
Local MCP vs remote MCP: where should your agent's hands live?
A local MCP server runs on your machine and reaches your files and sites; a remote one runs elsewhere and serves a shared service. The reach decides which you want.
Free local WordPress environment with real HTTPS, one click, no Docker
ReDock spins up a full local WordPress site, PHP, MySQL, https://name.test with a trusted cert, in one click on macOS. Free, no Docker, no terminal.
Local (LocalWP) vs ReDock: two takes on local WordPress
LocalWP vs ReDock, compared fairly: LocalWP's WordPress polish and Windows support versus ReDock's native, multi-stack, agent-first approach.
MAMP alternatives in 2026: what replaced the classic local stack
A fair look at MAMP alternatives in 2026, LocalWP, Herd, Docker, and ReDock, with honest strengths of each and where a native, agent-first Mac app fits.
MCP over HTTP explained: how agents actually talk to your machine
An MCP HTTP server exposes AI tools at a URL, clients discover tools, call them with JSON-RPC, and stream results. Here's how the wire actually works.
The MCP tools list every web developer should know
MCP tools are self-describing functions an agent can call, create a site, start it, author WordPress, share, deploy. Here's the working set ReDock exposes.
MCP vs plain APIs: why agents need tools, not endpoints
An API exposes endpoints a developer wires up; MCP exposes self-describing tools an agent discovers and calls on its own. That difference is the whole point.
n8n + Claude via MCP: an agent that builds its own automations
Connect Claude to n8n through ReDock's MCP tools and let an agent draft, wire, and test workflows on your Mac, no API keys, no cloud.
n8n on your Mac, one click: the free automation studio you already own
Run n8n free and self-hosted on your Mac with one click in ReDock, real HTTPS, webhook-ready tunnels, no Docker, no terminal, no monthly bill.
Webhooks on localhost: how n8n flows receive events behind a tunnel
Receive real webhooks on a local n8n instance, ReDock's Cloudflare tunnels give your Mac a public URL so Stripe, GitHub, and forms can reach you.
Automate WordPress publishing with n8n: draft → review → live
Build a draft-to-live WordPress publishing pipeline with n8n on your Mac, content flows through review to publish, self-hosted and free with ReDock.
ngrok alternatives: free tunnels with names you keep
A fair look at free ngrok alternatives, where ngrok's protocol breadth wins, and how ReDock's Cloudflare tunnels give you named URLs that persist.
The no-terminal dev environment: who it's for and who it isn't
An honest look at the no-terminal dev environment, who benefits from a no-code local setup, who shouldn't, and how ReDock handles it on macOS.
A one-person content pipeline: agent drafts, n8n schedules, Remotion renders
Build an automated content pipeline on one Mac: an agent drafts, n8n schedules, Remotion renders video, all local, all free, no subscriptions.
Your code never leaves your Mac: private AI for client work
Private AI development means running a local model where nothing leaves the machine, the honest way to use AI on client code under NDA. Here's how it works.
Programmatic video vs video editors: when code beats a timeline
When does programmatic video beat a timeline editor? A calm comparison of Remotion-style code video and tools like Premiere, and where each one wins.
Render farm of one: batch-rendering Remotion videos locally with Bun
Batch-render many Remotion videos on your own Mac, one template, a list of data, and the Bun runtime turn your laptop into a render farm of one, for free.
Remotion tutorial for non-video-people: your first rendered MP4
A gentle Remotion tutorial for developers who don't do video, go from a blank scene to a rendered MP4 on your Mac with ReDock, no timeline editor required.
How to show a client a work-in-progress site without deploying it
Share a live, in-progress local site with a client over a real HTTPS URL, no deploy, no staging server, no build, using a free tunnel.
From idea to shipped side project in one evening (everything free)
Ship a side project fast on a Mac: a real local site, an agent to build it, a shareable URL, and a free deploy, the whole loop in one evening, $0.
Shopify app development on localhost: tunnels, OAuth, and webhooks that work
A local Shopify app dev environment needs a public HTTPS tunnel, the right Node version, seeded env files, and a session store, here's how to get all four.
The Shopify dev environment checklist: Node versions, env files, Postgres
A pre-flight checklist for a working Shopify app dev environment, the right Node version, seeded env files, a session Postgres, and a public HTTPS tunnel.
Shopify MCP: what agents can (and can't) do for store developers today
An honest look at Shopify and MCP: ReDock exposes a local app dev environment to agents, not a store-management surface. Here's the difference.
Testing Shopify webhooks locally without ngrok
Shopify webhooks need a public HTTPS URL to reach your local app, here's how to receive and test them locally without wiring in ngrok.
Start a niche site with zero budget: build, host, and share for free
How to start a website with no money: build it locally in ReDock, share it via free tunnels, and deploy to Cloudflare Workers' free tier.
Vercel/Netlify free tiers vs owning your stack: an honest comparison
Vercel and Netlify free-tier limits versus running your own local stack, a fair comparison of hosted CI and edge against a native, self-owned setup.
What is MCP? The Model Context Protocol explained for people who just want things done
MCP is an open protocol that lets AI assistants call real tools on your machine, create sites, edit content, deploy, instead of just talking about it.
WordPress magic login: how agents get into wp-admin without passwords
WordPress magic login lets an agent open wp-admin through a single-use, expiring link, no stored passwords, no credentials pasted into a config file.
WordPress MCP: let Claude build, edit, and manage WordPress for you
A WordPress MCP server lets Claude create sites, write real Gutenberg content, and manage wp-admin, ReDock ships one on localhost:47200, free.
One-click WordPress plugin branch switching: test features on a living site
Switch a WordPress plugin's git branch with one click and test the feature against a real running site, no rebuilds, no reinstalls, no terminal.
XAMPP in 2026: a respectful retirement guide
A fair XAMPP alternative guide for 2026, what XAMPP still does well, why Mac developers move on, and how a native, agent-first app compares.
How to make YouTube videos without paid tools: the code-video pipeline
Make YouTube videos for free on a Mac with a code-driven pipeline: an agent writes Remotion scenes, ReDock renders them, no subscriptions.
The $0 creator stack: website, scheduler, and video renderer on one Mac
A complete free creator stack on macOS: a real website, n8n for scheduling, and Remotion for video, all running locally in ReDock, no subscriptions.
From .test to the edge: one-click Cloudflare deploys
Local sites are drafts. Here's how ReDock turns a running local build into a Cloudflare deployment with your own domain attached, without leaving the app.
Anatomy of an ask: how an agent builds a WordPress site on your Mac
A walk through the 40 seconds between 'spin up a site for the Aurora launch' and a shared, running WordPress install, tool call by tool call.
Introducing ReDock: your AI has a dock now
Why we built a native macOS dock where agents create real sites, share them through tunnels, and deploy to the edge, with honest status the whole way.