[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":376},["ShallowReactive",2],{"navigation":3,"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhy-you-should-make-a-toolbox-repository":204,"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhy-you-should-make-a-toolbox-repository-surround":371},[4,8,12,16,20,24,28,32,36,40,44,48,52,56,60,64,68,72,76,80,84,88,92,96,100,104,108,112,116,120,124,128,132,136,140,144,148,152,156,160,164,168,172,176,180,184,188,192,196,200],{"title":5,"path":6,"stem":7},"You do not have time to not have tests","\u002Fblog\u002Fyou-do-not-have-time-to-not-have-tests","2.blog\u002F20211217.you-do-not-have-time-to-not-have-tests",{"title":9,"path":10,"stem":11},"Migrate Vue 2 with Vuetify and Jest to Vite and Vitest","\u002Fblog\u002Fmigrate-vue-2-with-vuetify-and-jest-to-vite-and-vitest","2.blog\u002F20220109.migrate-vue-2-with-vuetify-and-jest-to-vite-and-vitest",{"title":13,"path":14,"stem":15},"I am a Dark Matter Developer","\u002Fblog\u002Fi-am-a-dark-matter-developer","2.blog\u002F20220626.i-am-a-dark-matter-developer",{"title":17,"path":18,"stem":19},"Why using Conventional commits is useful","\u002Fblog\u002Fusing-conventional-commits","2.blog\u002F20240623.using-conventional-commits",{"title":21,"path":22,"stem":23},"Why you should make a toolbox repository","\u002Fblog\u002Fwhy-you-should-make-a-toolbox-repository","2.blog\u002F20240630.Why-you-should-make-a-toolbox-repository",{"title":25,"path":26,"stem":27},"Apache Airflow Part 1 - Why and Goals for a near Serverless ELT","\u002Fblog\u002Fapache-airflow-part-1-why-and-goals","2.blog\u002F20240710.apache-airflow-part-1-why-and-goals",{"title":29,"path":30,"stem":31},"Oh My Zsh on your server","\u002Fblog\u002Foh-my-zsh-on-your-server","2.blog\u002F20240711.oh-my-zsh-on-your-server",{"title":33,"path":34,"stem":35},"Fire tablet and YouTube Kids","\u002Fblog\u002Ffire-tablet-and-youtube-kids","2.blog\u002F20240714.fire-tablet-and-youtube-kids",{"title":37,"path":38,"stem":39},"Using Ollama and Continue as a GitHub Copilot Alternative","\u002Fblog\u002Fusing-ollama-and-continue-as-github-copilot-alternative","2.blog\u002F20240723.using-ollama-and-continue-as-github-copilot-alternative",{"title":41,"path":42,"stem":43},"Debugging Local Packages Made Easy with pnpm","\u002Fblog\u002Fdebugging-local-packages-with-pnpm-link","2.blog\u002F20250422.debugging local-packages-with-pnpm-link",{"title":45,"path":46,"stem":47},"Two Weeks with Cloudflare AI and Tools","\u002Fblog\u002Ftwo-weeks-with-cloudflare-ai-and-tools","2.blog\u002F20250509.two-weeks-with-cloudflare-aI-and-tools",{"title":49,"path":50,"stem":51},"Adding Prompts to VS Code - How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love AI Context","\u002Fblog\u002Fadding-prompts-to-vscode","2.blog\u002F20250528.adding-prompts-to-vscode",{"title":53,"path":54,"stem":55},"My Best Practices","\u002Fblog\u002Fmy-best-practicies","2.blog\u002F20250607.my-best-practicies",{"title":57,"path":58,"stem":59},"Creating my own CLI Tool - Towles Tool","\u002Fblog\u002Ftowles-tool","2.blog\u002F20250607.towles-tool",{"title":61,"path":62,"stem":63},"Software Development Best Practices & ITIL","\u002Fblog\u002Fsoftware-engineering-and-itil-best-practices","2.blog\u002F20250612.software-engineering-and-itil-best-practices",{"title":65,"path":66,"stem":67},"Voice to Text","\u002Fblog\u002Fvoice-to-text","2.blog\u002F20250622.voice-to-text",{"title":69,"path":70,"stem":71},"Setting Up ComfyUI - A Better Alternative to Fooocus","\u002Fblog\u002Fcomfy-ui-setup","2.blog\u002F20250628.comfy-ui-setup",{"title":73,"path":74,"stem":75},"Voice to System","\u002Fblog\u002Fvoice-to-system","2.blog\u002F20250705.voice-to-system",{"title":77,"path":78,"stem":79},"Tips for Claude Code","\u002Fblog\u002Ftips-for-claude-code","2.blog\u002F20250713.tips-for-claude-code",{"title":81,"path":82,"stem":83},"Review That AI Code: Why I Read Every Line Generated Code","\u002Fblog\u002Freview-that-ai-code","2.blog\u002F20250720.review-that-ai-code",{"title":85,"path":86,"stem":87},"My Context Engineering Journey: From Dev Scripts to AI Collaboration","\u002Fblog\u002F20250803-1.my-context-engineering-journey","2.blog\u002F20250803-1.my-context-engineering-journey",{"title":89,"path":90,"stem":91},"Context Engineering at Scale: Enterprise Lessons and the Future of Development","\u002Fblog\u002F20250803-2.context-engineering-at-scale","2.blog\u002F20250803-2.context-engineering-at-scale",{"title":93,"path":94,"stem":95},"Check That Your Tools and Linters Do Not Burn Tokens","\u002Fblog\u002Fcheck-that-your-tools-and-linters-do-not-burn-tokens","2.blog\u002F20250806.check-that-your-tools-and-linters-do-not-burn-tokens",{"title":97,"path":98,"stem":99},"Markdown + AI: The Communication Protocol That Changes Everything","\u002Fblog\u002Fmarkdown-plus-ai-the-communication-protocol-that-changes-everything","2.blog\u002F20250814.markdown-plus-ai-the-communication-protocol-that-changes-everything",{"title":101,"path":102,"stem":103},"Finally: Type-Safe AI in Production (And Why I'm Here For It)","\u002Fblog\u002Ffinally-type-safe-ai-in-production-and-why-im-here-for-it","2.blog\u002F20250819.finally-type-safe-ai-in-production-and-why-im-here-for-it",{"title":105,"path":106,"stem":107},"Dotfiles: Masterpiece or Late Stage Picasso?","\u002Fblog\u002Fdotfiles-masterpiece-or-late-stage-picasso","2.blog\u002F20250822.dotfiles-masterpiece-or-late-stage-picasso",{"title":109,"path":110,"stem":111},"Beyond API Wrappers: Building State-Driven MCP Servers for Long-Horizon Agent Orchestration","\u002Fblog\u002Fbeyond-api-wrappers-mcp-servers","2.blog\u002F20250907.beyond-api-wrappers-mcp-servers",{"title":113,"path":114,"stem":115},"Why Vertical Integration Wins: A Software Engineer's Case for Owning Your Stack","\u002Fblog\u002Fwhy-i-bought-tesla-model-3-vertical-integration","2.blog\u002F20250928.why-i-bought-tesla-model-3-vertical-integration",{"title":117,"path":118,"stem":119},"The Min-Maxer's Trifecta: Building Tools for the Game You Actually Play","\u002Fblog\u002Fmin-maxer-trifecta","2.blog\u002F20251004.min-maxer-trifecta",{"title":121,"path":122,"stem":123},"Read The Source: Learning by Cutting Out The Middleman and RTFM","\u002Fblog\u002Fread-the-source","2.blog\u002F20251010.read-the-source",{"title":125,"path":126,"stem":127},"The Exponential Shift: Why AI Progress Feels Different Now","\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-exponential-shift","2.blog\u002F20251015.the-exponential-shift",{"title":129,"path":130,"stem":131},"Plan Mode for Your Problems, Edit Mode for Claude's","\u002Fblog\u002Fplan-mode-problems-edit-mode-solutions","2.blog\u002F20251019.plan-mode-problems-edit-mode-solutions",{"title":133,"path":134,"stem":135},"AWS Aurora DSQL Looked Perfect Until I Needed the Connection String","\u002Fblog\u002Faws-aurora-dsql-postgres-serverless-authentication","2.blog\u002F20251028.aws-aurora-dsql-postgres-serverless-authentication",{"title":137,"path":138,"stem":139},"Switchback: Browser History for Your Thoughts","\u002Fblog\u002Fswitchback-second-order-reasoning","2.blog\u002F20251205.switchback-second-order-reasoning",{"title":141,"path":142,"stem":143},"AI Pairing: Notes to Self","\u002Fblog\u002Fai-pairing-notes-to-self","2.blog\u002F20251216.ai-pairing-notes-to-self",{"title":145,"path":146,"stem":147},"I've Been Sleeping on Zellij","\u002Fblog\u002Fsleeping-on-zellij","2.blog\u002F20251229.sleeping-on-zellij",{"title":149,"path":150,"stem":151},"Implementing a Ralph Wiggum Loop: The Secret is Session Markers","\u002Fblog\u002Fimplementing-ralph-wiggum-loop-for-autonomous-ai-coding","2.blog\u002F20260114.implementing-ralph-wiggum-loop-for-autonomous-ai-coding",{"title":153,"path":154,"stem":155},"Goodhart's Law Ate My Context Window","\u002Fblog\u002Fgoodharts-law-ate-my-context-window","2.blog\u002F20260119.goodharts-law-ate-my-context-window",{"title":157,"path":158,"stem":159},"Claude Code's Hidden Multi-Agent System Is Real","\u002Fblog\u002Fclaude-code-hidden-multi-agent-system","2.blog\u002F20260124.claude-code-hidden-multi-agent-system",{"title":161,"path":162,"stem":163},"Free Printable Math Sheets for Kids — Number Chart, Skip Counting, Multiplication, and More","\u002Fblog\u002Ffree-printable-number-chart-and-coin-sheets","2.blog\u002F20260214.free-printable-number-chart-and-coin-sheets",{"title":165,"path":166,"stem":167},"We Are Near the End of the Exponential","\u002Fblog\u002Fnear-the-end-of-the-exponential","2.blog\u002F20260214.near-the-end-of-the-exponential",{"title":169,"path":170,"stem":171},"Free Printable Language Arts Sheets for Kids — Sight Words, Parts of Speech, Homophones, and More","\u002Fblog\u002Ffree-printable-sight-words-and-grammar-sheets","2.blog\u002F20260215.free-printable-sight-words-and-grammar-sheets",{"title":173,"path":174,"stem":175},"Interactive Code Execution with Artifacts","\u002Fblog\u002Finteractive-code-execution-with-artifacts","2.blog\u002F20260215.interactive-code-execution-with-artifacts",{"title":177,"path":178,"stem":179},"Free Printable Telling Time Worksheet for Kids — Clock Reference & Practice Sheet","\u002Fblog\u002Ffree-printable-telling-time-worksheet","2.blog\u002F20260216.free-printable-telling-time-worksheet",{"title":181,"path":182,"stem":183},"Claude Code Skills: Teaching AI Your Playbook","\u002Fblog\u002Fclaude-code-skills-guide","2.blog\u002F20260221.claude-code-skills-guide",{"title":185,"path":186,"stem":187},"Building a Multi-Agent Loan Approval System with Human-in-the-Loop","\u002Fblog\u002Fmulti-agent-loan-approval-human-in-the-loop","2.blog\u002F20260225.multi-agent-loan-approval-human-in-the-loop",{"title":189,"path":190,"stem":191},"The Inception of AI Infrastructure: Bottlenecks All the Way Down","\u002Fblog\u002Fbiggest-bottleneck-scaling-ai-compute","2.blog\u002F20260313.biggest-bottleneck-scaling-ai-compute",{"title":193,"path":194,"stem":195},"What I Tell Teams About Claude Code","\u002Fblog\u002Fwhat-i-tell-teams-about-claude-code","2.blog\u002F20260314.what-i-tell-teams-about-claude-code",{"title":197,"path":198,"stem":199},"The Hardest Part of AI Isn't the AI","\u002Fblog\u002Fthe-hardest-part-of-ai-isnt-the-ai","2.blog\u002F20260327.the-hardest-part-of-ai-isnt-the-ai",{"title":201,"path":202,"stem":203},"Claude Code Hooks: The Capability I Left on the Table","\u002Fblog\u002Fclaude-code-hooks-capability-left-on-the-table","2.blog\u002F20260401.claude-code-hooks-capability-left-on-the-table",{"id":205,"title":21,"authors":206,"badge":212,"body":214,"date":360,"description":361,"extension":362,"image":363,"meta":366,"navigation":367,"path":22,"seo":368,"status":369,"stem":23,"__hash__":370},"posts\u002F2.blog\u002F20240630.Why-you-should-make-a-toolbox-repository.md",[207],{"name":208,"to":209,"avatar":210},"Chris Towles","https:\u002F\u002Ftwitter.com\u002FChris_Towles",{"src":211},"\u002Fimages\u002Fctowles-profile-512x512.png",{"label":213},"productivity",{"type":215,"value":216,"toc":345},"minimark",[217,221,229,234,237,241,244,248,251,256,281,285,288,292,303,307,310,328,332,335,339,342],[218,219,220],"p",{},"As a software developer, you're probably no stranger to writing code. But have you ever stopped to think about the benefits of keeping a personal repository of your code? Think of it like a digital scrapbook, where you collect and organize all your coding adventures, tips, and tricks.",[218,222,223,224,228],{},"I keep one called ",[225,226,227],"code",{},"Toolbox"," that I use for everything. It's a place to put things that don't belong anywhere else.",[230,231,233],"h2",{"id":232},"one-off-learning","One-off Learning",[218,235,236],{},"Let's face it; we've all had those \"A-ha!\" moments where we figured out a tricky problem or learned a new skill. But what happens to that knowledge when you move on to the next project? It gets lost in the void of your brain, right? Instead, keep a personal repository. You're creating a journal of sorts, where you can store those \"A-ha!\" moments and reference them later. Think of it like a digital version of your favorite recipe book – only instead of cakes, you're collecting coding gems!",[230,238,240],{"id":239},"journal-of-skills-you-learned","Journal of Skills You Learned",[218,242,243],{},"When you revisit an old piece of code or a problem you solved in the past, it's like re-examining a familiar friend. You'll catch yourself thinking, \"Ah, I did that! And look how clever I was!\" This process reinforces your skills and helps solidify them in your long-term memory. It's like exercising your coding muscles – the more you use them, the stronger they get!",[230,245,247],{"id":246},"examples-i-have-in-my-toolbox","Examples I have in my toolbox",[218,249,250],{},"Now, let me give you some examples to illustrate these benefits:",[252,253,255],"h3",{"id":254},"daily-note-taking","Daily Note-Taking",[218,257,258,259,268,269,274,275,280],{},"I'd bet most developers keep a scratch file somewhere. Used to pasting an error you're working on, quick tasks to remember to do. Meeting notes. Yeah, I keep all those in my toolbox repo. I even have a utility script so that when I run the command ",[260,261,265],"a",{"href":262,"rel":263},"https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002FChrisTowles\u002Fdotfiles\u002Fblob\u002Fmain\u002Fcli\u002Fsrc\u002Fcommands\u002FtodayCommand.ts",[264],"nofollow",[225,266,267],{},"today"," to create a markdown file in my toolbox named with the date of the week.\nIf you find that useful, you may find other \"Zettelkasten method\" apps like ",[260,270,273],{"href":271,"rel":272},"https:\u002F\u002Fobsidian.md\u002F",[264],"obsidian"," or ",[260,276,279],{"href":277,"rel":278},"https:\u002F\u002Fevernote.com\u002F",[264],"Evernote"," useful. I've tried but just a weekly scratch file I can search has been what I've found most useful.",[252,282,284],{"id":283},"sql","SQL",[218,286,287],{},"Remember that one off tricky SQL query you wrote using Common Table Expressions (CTEs)? I use them so rarely, but having an example in my own style always makes re-learning how to do them much easier! You can revisit that code and recall the logic behind it. Boom! One-off learning and skill reinforcement!",[252,289,291],{"id":290},"bash-script-to-fix-a-problem","Bash Script to fix a Problem",[218,293,294,295,298,299,302],{},"Ah, yes, those pesky shell scripting issues! How does ",[225,296,297],{},"awk"," work again, or is it ",[225,300,301],{},"sed"," I should use in this case. When you write a bash script to fix a problem, you might think it's just a one-time solution. But what if you need to use that same or similar script again?",[252,304,306],{"id":305},"other","Other",[218,308,309],{},"Just odd things that don't really have a place.",[311,312,313,317,325],"ul",{},[314,315,316],"li",{},"Profile Pic I normally use",[314,318,319,320],{},"It's where I used to keep most of my dot files before moving them to their own public repo ",[260,321,324],{"href":322,"rel":323},"https:\u002F\u002Fgithub.com\u002FChrisTowles\u002Fdotfiles",[264],"here",[314,326,327],{},"etc.",[230,329,331],{"id":330},"less-time-spent-re-inventing-the-wheel","Less Time Spent Re-inventing the Wheel",[218,333,334],{},"Your personal repository becomes a treasure trove of tried-and-true solutions!",[230,336,338],{"id":337},"conclusion","Conclusion",[218,340,341],{},"And hey, if you're still unsure, I'll give you another thing to consider: imagine having a collection of 10-20 code snippets or scripts that you've written over the last year. Now imagine 5-10 years. Those might seem insignificant on their own, but when combined, they become a valuable resource for learning and growth.",[218,343,344],{},"Now, go forth and create your personal repository! It doesn't have to be public, mine isn't.",{"title":346,"searchDepth":347,"depth":347,"links":348},"",2,[349,350,351,358,359],{"id":232,"depth":347,"text":233},{"id":239,"depth":347,"text":240},{"id":246,"depth":347,"text":247,"children":352},[353,355,356,357],{"id":254,"depth":354,"text":255},3,{"id":283,"depth":354,"text":284},{"id":290,"depth":354,"text":291},{"id":305,"depth":354,"text":306},{"id":330,"depth":347,"text":331},{"id":337,"depth":347,"text":338},"2024-06-30","the perfect place to put everything that doesn't belong anywhere else","md",{"src":364,"alt":365},"\u002Fimages\u002Fblog\u002Ftoolbox-hand-reaching-in.png","A Toolbox with hand reaching in",{},true,{"title":21,"description":361},"published","DQu59-oRkGNOxUbQPUDZZ0z-TPDhFEztR-Ch4k-bI2U",[372,374],{"title":17,"path":18,"stem":19,"description":373,"status":369,"children":-1},"Helping everyone to understand the commit history and its purpose",{"title":25,"path":26,"stem":27,"description":375,"status":369,"children":-1},"Reasons I want to use Airflow for a Proof of Concept near Serverless ELT",1776221196452]