Satellite Logs
A running record of every project I've built — the process, the decisions, the Satellite assignments, and the parts that didn't go as planned.
The Indie PM Stack 2026: Next.js + Supabase + Vercel + Sanity
I've built four products in six months. I used the same stack every time. That's not lazy — that's leverage.
Grand Line vs East Blue: Choosing a Track Under Deadline Pressure
One-size framework = overhead or under-serving. Stella Protocol runs two tracks so ceremony matches stakes. Here's the rubric.
Deferred Scope Is a Feature, Not a Bug
Shipping with deferred features isn't a sign of scope failure. Shipping without a rationale for the defer — that's the failure. Here's the format that keeps deferrals honest.
The Pre-Launch Audit: 3 CRITICAL + 5 HIGH Findings Stella Review Caught
Hours before launch, my framework flagged three CRITICAL security issues. Here's what they were, why they mattered, and why 'vibes check' reviews fail exactly when you need them.
Rebranding in 30 Minutes: Design System as Deferral Buffer
Mid-testing, my product changed names. Deployed the same hour. No scope delay. Here's the design-system discipline that made 30 minutes possible.
Sanity + Supabase: The Hybrid CMS Pattern for B2B Content Products
I picked two databases instead of one. Non-technical editors now ship content 3x faster. Here's the architecture — and when it's the wrong choice.
Seven Lenses to Kill a Feature: Observation Haki as a Prioritization Tool
Most PRD frameworks are broad and shallow. Observation Haki is narrow and deep — seven lenses, each forcing one question you'd rather skip.
Try-Before-Signup: IndexedDB as an Adoption Lever
Signup is a tax. For a utility app, it's the tax that breaks adoption. Here's how I made Stoka fully usable before the user ever sees an account screen.
Receipt Scanning Almost Killed My MVP
Two weeks nearly lost to one 'cool' feature I parked in P0. How a single question in a 7-lens PRD framework caught it before a line of code shipped.
Solo Velocity vs Stakeholder Alignment: Building in Public, Shipping in Private
Solo + AI equals ship fast. But nobody is there to say 'that's a dumb decision.' Here's how I compensate — and why 'build in public per sprint' didn't work.
The Append-Only Decision Log: A Time Machine for 'Why Did We Ship This?'
Six months after shipping, I can tell you why I chose Sanity over Webflow for Amal Najib. In one grep. Here's the file that makes it possible.
Why I Named a Governance Rule 'Cipher Pol'
Evocative naming cuts cognitive load. 'Cipher Pol' sticks; 'scope-drift-monitor' is easy to forget. Here's the three rules I use for naming agent skills.
EXIT GATE, Not Prose: Why AI Codegen Needs Structural Enforcement
I put 'CRITICAL: always update Punk Records after shipping' in my agent skill. The agent shipped 4 times in a week without updating Punk Records. Here's the mechanism fix.
Tuning Cipher Pol: From Noise to Signal in Scope-Drift Detection
My scope-drift monitor flagged every new component file. Within a week I was ignoring 90% of its alerts. Here's how I rebuilt the definition so the log got its meaning back.
The Brutal Stella Review: When a Governance Framework Audits Itself
I ran my own AI-PM framework against its own codebase. In 24 hours it found 10 bugs, including one CRITICAL that had been silently fragmenting every audit trail. Here's what dogfooding actually surfaces.
I Had 11 AI Satellites and No Way to Brainstorm. Here's What Changed.
The Stella Protocol handled building and shipping. But it had no answer for the messy first hour of a new idea. I added a brainstorming satellite, killed the tools I didn't need, and rewired the whole workflow.
A Family Member Built an App for 223 Relatives. I Helped Make It Better.
How I planned a phase-by-phase upgrade for a family heritage platform — starting from a working codebase, not a blank page, and learning when not to rewrite everything.
My AI Workflow Broke on Real Projects. Here's What I Fixed.
The first version of my Satellite system looked great in demos. On real multi-week projects it fell apart in three specific ways. This is the breakdown — and the rebuild.
I Built This Site in a Weekend With AI. Here's What Actually Happened.
The origin story of Punk Records — what I set out to build, what the AI Satellites got right, what they got wrong, and what I'd do differently.