productivity
Developer workflows, tooling strategies, automation techniques, and approaches to working more effectively as a software engineer.
4 articles
My Local AI Setup, Six Months Later: 48 GB, Qwen3.8, and a Different Bottleneck
TL;DR Six months after the 16 GB setup: 48 GB, one default 27B model, Splash inference in LM Studio, and 64K context, because the constraint moved from fitting a model to keeping long agent sessions usable.
A few months ago, I wrote about running a useful local AI development setup on a MacBook Pro with 16 GB of unified memory. At the time, memory shaped almost every decision. I experimented with smaller models, limited context carefully, and looked for a combination that was capable enough for coding while still leaving room for my IDE, containers, browser, and the rest of my development environment.
Read more →My Local AI Coding Toolkit: How I Keep Agents Fast and Token-Efficient
TL;DR How I optimize the environment around AI coding agents to reduce token waste and keep sessions efficient.
AI coding agents have become part of my daily workflow. I use OpenCode and Claude Code for everything from exploring unfamiliar codebases and investigating bugs to implementing changes, reviewing code, and working through architectural questions.
Read more →Local AI on a MacBook Pro with 16 GB RAM: What Actually Works
TL;DR Practical guide to running local AI coding assistants on a 16GB M1 MacBook Pro, what works well, what doesn't, and the real setup trade-offs.
Running AI coding assistants locally sounds appealing: no API costs, your code stays on your machine, and you get a Claude Code-like experience for free. But getting it to actually work well on a 16 GB MacBook Pro M1 takes more trial and error than most guides admit.
Read more →Essential Development Tools: My Brewfile Setup
TL;DR My curated list of essential macOS development tools via Homebrew that significantly boost daily productivity and workflow enjoyment.
As a software engineer, our toolset shapes how we work and what we can accomplish. Over time, I've curated a collection of essential tools that boost my productivity and make development more enjoyable. Here's a breakdown of my Homebrew setup, featuring the tools I use daily.
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Ammar Najjar