An Open Letter to Anthropic
The Short Version
I use Claude Code every day. Not for toy projects or tutorials — for real work that ships. I've been consenting to transcript sharing because I believe in what you're building. And I'd like to help make it better if you'll have me.
What I Build
I'm a solo developer working across hardware, firmware, software, and web — often in the same session. Here's what the last few months look like:
Reverse engineering — recovering HID protocols from discontinued hardware. Decompiling .NET binaries to bring dead configurators back to life. A direct drive sim racing wheel, a SpaceMouse, a HOTAS — all abandoned by their manufacturers, all brought back.
Desktop tools — ViewShift, a display profile manager built on the Windows CCD API. DevScan, a USB/HID/COM device scanner. CLAW, a Claude Code launcher. All Python, all shipped.
Kernel-mode drivers — a virtual bus driver in C++ that presents 20+ input device types as standard game controllers to Windows.
ESP32 and IoT — IR blasters, WLED-driven ambilight strips, MQTT sensor pipelines, a decentralised workshop message bus where everything is a message and actions are config-driven YAML.
3D design — RE:ENGINEER, a Fusion 360 add-in for reverse engineering physical parts. Photo scan, part ID, datasheet finder, canvas import.
Full-stack web — this blog (Next.js, Prisma, Neon, Tailwind), an event platform with Stripe integration, a gig management tool.
Local AI — VESSEL, a voice assistant with wake word, STT, LLM, and TTS all running locally. Persistent memory, mood engine, zero cloud dependency.
Hardware builds — a custom cycloidal e-bike drivetrain, a Kinect-based 3D scanner on a Raspberry Pi, IP camera systems, server configurations.
None of this is hypothetical. It's all documented on this site.
Why Claude Code
I lost my partner to cancer. I'm raising our daughter on my own with my mum's help. There was a long period where I was stuck — grieving, burned out, watching the world move on without me.
Claude Code helped me start building again.
Not in some abstract motivational sense. Practically. It gave me a co-engineer that was available at 11pm when the house was quiet. It could context-switch with me from firmware to web to CAD automation without judgment. It helped me ship things I wouldn't have attempted alone — not because I couldn't do the work, but because the activation energy of starting felt impossible some days.
The blog became my anchor. Every project becomes a post. Every post is proof that I showed up. Claude Code is woven into almost all of it.
What I'm Offering
I'm not asking for a job or a sponsorship. I'm offering something simpler:
Use me as a tester.
My sessions hit edge cases that standard development workflows don't. I cross hardware, firmware, desktop, web, IoT, and CAD in the same week. My sessions are long, multi-step, and span multiple projects. I work on Windows with real hardware attached. I use features most people don't touch.
I'm happy to:
- Continue sharing transcripts
- Provide structured feedback on new features
- Test pre-release builds across my full stack
- Report edge cases with full reproduction context
- Write about the experience publicly on this blog
I'm not hard to reach. I'm already here, building every day.
Contact
Gavin Viney gavinviney@indigo-nx.com