Automation or AI Agent? Choosing for a Small Team
Fixed rules or an AI agent that decides? A practical way to pick, with safety checks, based on recent Zapier guidance and product updates.
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Notes from the workbench
What we learn while rebuilding things: technology, engineering techniques, and tips for running a site or a store.
How Much Autonomy Should an AI Assistant Get?
Before an AI tool sends emails or edits your site, decide what it may do alone. Six design patterns and a simple risk grid…
Local-First Apps: Fast, Offline Tools for Small Businesses
Local-first software keeps data on the device and syncs later. What that means, the trade-offs, and where it earns its keep in a small…
MCP Explained: Connecting AI Tools to Your Business Apps
MCP is a standard way for AI assistants to reach your tools and data. What it is, what it is good for, and the…
A Practical Workflow for Fixing Slow INP
Find the interactions that hurt your Interaction to Next Paint score, then fix them with yielding, batched DOM work and leaner scripts.
The European Accessibility Act: A Website Checklist
The EU accessibility rules for online shops and services have applied since June 2025. Who is covered, who is exempt, and a practical checklist.
CSS Container Queries: Patterns and Pitfalls
How container queries differ from media queries, a minimal working pattern, and the traps that make a first attempt silently fail.
Writing Liquid Templates That Render Fast
Small Liquid habits, from hoisting loop work to shallow snippets, that trim server render time, plus the bigger theme wins that sit outside Liquid.
Getting the LCP Image Right: Priority and Format
LCP is four phases, not one. Make the hero image discoverable, prioritise it, never lazy-load it, then choose the right format and size.
Trimming JavaScript: Bundles and Third Parties
Measure what you ship, split and import less, swap scripts for native features, and keep third-party tags from undoing the gains.
HTTP Caching Headers That Actually Behave
What no-cache, no-store, s-maxage, immutable and stale-while-revalidate really do, plus header sets per asset type and a CDN debugging routine.
A Repeatable Routine for Debugging Front-End Bugs
From DOM inspection to reduced test cases: a calm sequence for tracking down stubborn CSS and JavaScript issues, with notes on new DevTools features.
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