AI design is getting better — but it's also getting more homogenous. First it was the Tailwind default. Now it's the Claude Design default. In this episode, Baird walks through how he rebuilt his personal portfolio site using a design-systems approach with AI skills — and why that process produces something that actually feels intentional.

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The hosts discuss the rising costs and tightening limits for AI tools as companies try to recoup massive infrastructure spending. They note signs that features like Claude Code may be removed from the $20/month Pro plan. They compare experiences hitting usage caps faster when using agent-style workflows like the “Get Shit Done” framework, which can burn tokens quickly especially during planning. To cope, they describe mixing tools and models—Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Windsurf, and free alternatives like Kimi—using cheaper models for research or simple tasks and reserving premium models for complex work. They also explore switching costs from tool ecosystems, differences between models and harnesses, and how reusable “skills” (often just markdown files) can improve reliability across platforms and help users stay productive on a budget.

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In this episode, the hosts share a hands-on update on using Claude Dispatch. They discuss how it works as a separate synced chat that can trigger and check on jobs remotely, create tickets from analysis results, and request new agents. They also reference the current friction around permissions and repository selection. The conversation then shifts to exploring local and lower-cost agentic AI workflows due to usage limits and subscription costs, including experimenting with Google’s Gemma 4 as a local “brain” via LM Studio and using Kimi in Windsurf to build a new local agent app (code-named “Loki”) with chat, tools, memory, and research capabilities.

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00:00 Dispatch Update Kickoff

In this episode, the hosts discuss practical challenges with Claude Cowork and scheduled AI jobs, focusing on friction points like needing a laptop to be awake for tasks to run, inconsistent scheduling behavior, and recurring permission prompts that can silently halt background workflows.

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00:19 Show Format And Goals

AI is powerful but risky in the wrong hands. We break down the real liability and security concerns founders face when using LLMs in local development — from overly permissive "YOLO mode" to production database wipeouts. Plus practical best practices for vibe coders who want to ship fast without blowing up their app.

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Link to The Bootstrapped Founder episode we discussed

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00:00 AI News Overload

After a bit of a hiatus, we are back this week to discuss AI-driven productivity and the challenge of staying focused amid rapidly evolving tools. We compare our approaches to using AI to help with productivity. We also discuss using multiple Claude instances to parallelize bug fixes, the difficulty of review/testing and maintaining understanding, and why safer integrated agent-style tools may beat early open-source alternatives.

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00:00 Back on the Mic

Thinking about switching AI coding tools? In this video, Baird breaks down his experience moving from Windsurf to Claude Code — why he made the switch, what each tool does well, and how they compare for real-world coding productivity. If you’re exploring AI coding assistants, VS Code extensions, or tools like Cursor, Claude, and Windsurf, this discussion will help you decide which is right for you.

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Struggling with AI losing track of your prompts? In this episode, we dive into the context problem in AI coding—why large language models forget instructions, how it impacts developers, and practical strategies to manage context windows effectively.

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Whether you’re a software engineer, AI enthusiast, or just exploring the future of coding with AI, this conversation will help you understand how to keep your AI tools on track and get better results.

👉 Listen now to level up your AI coding workflow and stay ahead of the curve!

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In this inaugural episode, brothers Brendan and Baird discuss their backgrounds as developers and share insights on AI-assisted coding. They delve into their experiences using AI tools like Cursor, Windsurf, and Claude, and explore topics such as AI coding workflows, the initial challenges of vibe coding, security concerns, and the long-term impact on coding skills. The episode also touches on innovative features in the AI world like Claude Swarm and AI-driven app development. Tune in to hear their candid thoughts and see how they navigate the evolving landscape of AI in software development.

00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview

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