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Isaac Alkhabaz
Isaac Alkhabaz

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I built 3 open-source tools for developers and freelancers — here's what I learned published: false

#webdev #javascript #ai #opensource
  1. azkal-cli — AI project scaffolder

The problem: Every new project starts the same way. Spend 30 minutes setting up folder structure, configs, tsconfig, eslint, tailwind, .gitignore... before writing a single line of actual code.

The fix: Describe your project in plain English, and AI picks the stack and generates everything.

Run: npx azkal "build me a SaaS with auth, payments, and a dashboard"

It analyzes your description, picks the optimal stack (Next.js, Express, Vite, etc.), and generates a complete project with working configs, boilerplate, README, and .gitignore.

Built with TypeScript, Commander.js, and Claude AI.

https://github.com/Ialkyyyy/azkal-cli | https://www.npmjs.com/package/azkal

  1. azkal-pulse — Site audit Chrome extension

The problem: Lighthouse tells you what's wrong with a site but not how to fix it. And when a client asks "what's wrong with my website?" you have to manually translate scores into actionable advice.

The fix: One-click audit that gives you scores AND copy-paste code fixes, plus a PDF report you can send to clients.

Run an audit on any page in one click. 30+ checks across performance, SEO, and accessibility. Click "Get AI Fix Suggestions" and get actual code snippets. Export a professional PDF report for your client.

The Client Report feature is the real killer. Send a prospect a PDF showing exactly what's broken on their site and how you'd fix it. Natural upsell.

Built with React, Tailwind, Manifest V3, and Claude AI.

https://github.com/Ialkyyyy/azkal-pulse

  1. azkal-ledger — Invoice generator

The problem: Most invoice tools are ugly, expensive, or require you to create an account just to generate a PDF.

The fix: Open a browser tab, fill in your info, pick a template, download a PDF. Done.

8 beautiful templates (Modern, Minimal, Bold, Classic, Creative, Executive, Neon, Elegant). Live preview that updates as you type. Auto-calculates subtotals, tax, and discounts. Supports 10 currencies. No sign-up, no backend, no fees.

Built with React, TypeScript, @react-pdf/renderer, and Tailwind.

https://github.com/Ialkyyyy/azkal-ledger | https://azkal-ledger.vercel.app

What I learned shipping 3 projects in a week

  1. Ship ugly, then polish. Every one of these started as a rough prototype. I got the core working first, then cleaned up the UI. If I'd tried to make them perfect before shipping, none of them would exist yet.

  2. Solve your own problems. I didn't research what repos get the most stars. I built tools I actually wanted. The CLI saves me time on every new project. The audit extension helps me land freelance clients. The invoice tool replaced a paid service I was using.

  3. AI makes solo dev insanely productive. I used Claude throughout the build process. Not to generate entire codebases — but to move faster on boilerplate, catch edge cases I'd miss, and iterate on ideas quickly.

  4. README is marketing. A good README with clear screenshots and a one-liner install command is the difference between 0 stars and actual users. Spend time on it.

Try them out

https://github.com/Ialkyyyy/azkal-cli — scaffold a project in seconds
https://azkal-ledger.vercel.app — generate an invoice right now
https://github.com/Ialkyyyy/azkal-pulse — audit any site

All MIT licensed. PRs welcome. If any of these save you time, a star on GitHub goes a long way.

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