---
title: 'Why I build my own tools'
canonical: 'https://www.dealmobile.co.uk/writing/why-i-build-my-own-tools'
url: 'https://www.dealmobile.co.uk/writing/why-i-build-my-own-tools'
type: Post
published: '2026-11-04'
summary: 'I don’t want my work capped by any one account, plan or vendor. So I build the parts that matter: several accounts on one setup, a job runner that works overnight, and a large coding model on my own laptop.'
---

# Why I build my own tools

Published 2026-11-04

![Why I build my own tools. Several accounts on one setup, a job runner that works overnight and checks everything, and a large coding model on my own laptop. The same habit as the tools I already publish.](https://www.dealmobile.co.uk/sites/default/files/styles/almanac_shot_md/public/content/images/posts/why-i-build-my-own-tools/hero.png.webp?itok=kNrsTesH)

I use Claude every day and I think it’s very good, especially at design and review. I still don’t want my work to depend on any one account, plan or vendor. If it does, someone else’s decision becomes my limit.

So I build the parts that matter myself.

- A way to run [several Claude Code accounts at once on one setup](https://www.dealmobile.co.uk/writing/several-accounts-one-setup.md), so a session isn’t tied to the account it started on.
- A job runner, [Mullet](https://www.dealmobile.co.uk/projects/mullet.md), that [builds and tests software overnight](https://www.dealmobile.co.uk/writing/software-that-builds-while-i-sleep.md) and lets nothing land without its checks.
- A large coding model on my own laptop’s graphics card, for routine work that doesn’t need to leave the machine.

None of that is new for me. I build the tools I need and publish the ones I can: [a Markdown editor that exports PDF, Word and PowerPoint](https://www.dealmobile.co.uk/projects/printmd.md), [a library for uploading large files in chunks](https://www.dealmobile.co.uk/projects/turbopush.md) and [a tool for keeping a copy of a website](https://www.dealmobile.co.uk/projects/scrapepy.md). The AI setup is the latest of them, and the same habit.

Owning the tools has a price. I maintain every one of them, and when something breaks it is mine to fix. For now that’s a trade I’m happy with, because it means I can change my setup the day something around it changes.

- **Projects:** [Mullet](https://www.dealmobile.co.uk/projects/mullet.md)
- **Tags:** [AI](https://www.dealmobile.co.uk/writing/tag/ai.md), [Mullet](https://www.dealmobile.co.uk/writing/tag/mullet.md)

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