Observe
Make the state visible.
People should be able to see what the tool believes, where that belief came from, and what it will do next.
About · Michael Bolens
I like software that
explains itself.
I build practical tools near the boundary between people and their systems. A clear status, safe default, or repeatable command can save an afternoon.
My work tends to begin where a system’s answer is technically available but hard to see, trust, or act on.
Approach
Build for the moment something goes sideways.
I’m Michael, a systems builder focused on Linux tools, operational workflows, and local-first interfaces. I enjoy turning scattered signals into one useful answer without hiding how that answer was reached.
That can mean reconciling privacy-device state across a desktop, keeping DNS records current across providers, or making an incident scan honest about what it could not inspect.
Restrain
Keep the machinery inspectable.
Platform capabilities, plain formats, and narrow dependencies make small tools easier to understand and repair.
Recover
Design the way back.
A useful failure preserves context, names the boundary it reached, and leaves the operator with a clear next move.
Field notes
The same instincts travel off-screen.
- Preferred terrain
- Linux systems, operational tooling, and the seams between them.
- Working bias
- Inspectable over magical. Reversible over clever.
- Outside
- Hiking, camping, cycling, disc golf, and finding a good local beer.
Follow the work