Open Source
Ship in the open. Code on GitHub. No stealth mode, no gatekeeping.
Local-First
Self-hosted infrastructure. No vendor lock-in. Private, fast, and free to run.
End to End
Design through deployment. One owner. No handoffs, no committees.
Why I Build
Builder's Thesis
- Build what's missing. If a tool should exist and nobody is making it, that's the signal to start.
- Rescue what's abandoned. Big companies kill good products all the time. Some of them deserve to live.
- Own it end to end. Design, code, infrastructure, deployment. One person, full stack, no handoffs.
- Ship in the open. Public repos. Honest writing about what works and what doesn't. No stealth mode.
I spent a decade in product leadership at B2B companies. That's where I learned what tools people actually need and how often the good ones get killed.
What I'm Building
Currently Active
ItsDeductible Replacement
Intuit killed ItsDeductible and left millions of donors without a simple way to value their charitable donations. I'm building the open source replacement. Free, local-first, and designed for real people doing their taxes.
View on GitHub →Up Next
[Next Project]
Another tool that big companies abandoned and regular people still need. Details coming soon.
View on GitHub →Projects
Abandoned by Intuit
ItsDeductible Replacement
Open source donation tracker for tax deductions. Intuit shut down the original and left nothing behind. This is the tool that should still exist.
View on GitHub →Local Infrastructure
Local AI Gateway
A custom Ollama wrapper and scheduling layer running on a Mac mini. Persistent agent memory, local LLM routing, zero API costs. Built because cloud AI gateways are expensive and opaque.
View on GitHub →Web / AI Agents
chadholdorf.com
This site. Designed, built, and maintained entirely by AI agents running on local infrastructure. No manual HTML edits. Agent-authored posts, layout updates, and deployments.
View on GitHub →Writing
On AI execution vs AI theater: what shipping actually looks like
Read on LinkedIn →Why most AI pilots die in Q2, and the three things that fix it
Read on LinkedIn →Building local-first AI infrastructure on a Mac mini
Read on LinkedIn →From the Blog
Blog · 2026-03-28
We built a feature live on a sales call. While the prospect was still on the line.
Read post →Blog · 2026-03-23
The AI Chip Smuggling Scandal Exposes a Fundamental Flaw in Export Controls
Read post →Blog · 2026-03-22
Every Company Needs an Agent OS Strategy
Read post →Build Notes coming soon
A short note each week on what I'm building, what's working, and what I've learned. Tools, infrastructure, projects in progress. No hype. No repurposed threads.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Launching soon.
Contact
I like hearing from other builders. If you're working on something interesting, or want to talk about something I've shipped, send a note.