I used to pay for 11 different tools:
- Notion ($10/mo)
- Linear ($8/mo)
- Grammarly ($12/mo)
- Otter.ai ($16/mo)
- Zapier ($20/mo)
- Calendly ($10/mo)
- Loom ($12/mo)
- Figma ($12/mo)
- Postman ($12/mo)
- GitHub Copilot ($19/mo)
- ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo)
Total: $151/month
Now I pay for one thing: Claude Pro ($20/mo) + a custom automation layer I built myself.
The Architecture
Here's how my single-agent setup works:
Layer 1: Claude as the Brain
Claude handles:
- Code generation and review (replaced Copilot)
- Writing and editing (replaced Grammarly)
- Meeting summaries from transcripts (replaced Otter)
- API testing via code generation (replaced Postman)
- Project management via markdown files (replaced Linear)
Layer 2: Custom Scripts (The Glue)
I wrote ~500 lines of Python that:
- Watches my calendar and generates daily briefings
- Auto-summarizes Slack threads I'm tagged in
- Creates git commits with meaningful messages
- Generates weekly reports from my activity
Layer 3: Claude Projects (The Memory)
Claude Projects store:
- My coding style preferences
- Project context and architecture decisions
- Frequently used prompts
- Team conventions and standards
What I Kept
Notion — but only the free tier for personal wiki
Figma — AI can't replace visual design tools (yet)
GitHub — obviously
The Daily Workflow
Morning (5 min):
Claude reads my calendar + yesterday's git activity and generates a priority list.
During work:
Claude is always open. I paste code for review, ask architecture questions, generate tests, write documentation. One tool, one context window.
End of day (2 min):
Claude generates a summary of what I accomplished from my git commits and messages.
The Results After 3 Months
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly tool cost | $151 | $20 |
| Context switching (tools/day) | 8-11 | 2-3 |
| Code review time | 30 min | 10 min |
| Documentation time | 2 hr/week | 20 min/week |
| Meeting summary time | 15 min each | 2 min each |
The Caveats
What doesn't work:
- Real-time collaboration — You still need Figma/Miro for team design sessions
- Complex project management — If your team is 10+ people, you need proper PM tools
- Video recording — Claude can't replace Loom for async video
What surprised me:
- Claude's code review catches bugs I miss
- Writing quality improved because I iterate faster
- I actually READ documentation now because Claude summarizes it
How To Build This Yourself
- Start with one replacement — Pick the tool you use least and replace it with Claude
- Build the automation layer gradually — Don't try to automate everything at once
- Use Claude Projects — Context is everything. Store your preferences and conventions
- Keep what works — Not everything needs to be replaced
The goal isn't to use fewer tools for the sake of it. The goal is to reduce context switching and spend more time in flow state.
$131/month saved. Hours of context switching eliminated. One unified workflow.
Worth it.
I share AI productivity setups, coding tips, and tech career advice daily: SwiftUI Daily on Telegram
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