If you are starting to build things in 2026 — or you have been building for years but your toolchain is a pile of half-remembered Gists — here is the entire toolkit I would hand you.
Five tools. All free. All zero-install. Total cost: $0.
1. ScaffoldX — for starting any project
npx scaffoldx-cli
Stop googling "how to set up React in 2026". Pick a template (React, Next.js, Express, FastAPI, Chrome extension, CLI tool, landing page, Discord bot, Electron), name your project, and get a clean folder with working configs — git init included.
This is the tool that replaces the first hour of every project.
2. SnippetX — for never losing code again
pbpaste | npx @wuchunjie/snippetx add my-snippet js
A snippet manager that lives in your terminal. Save with a pipe, find with search, use with copy. Your snippets are a single local JSON file — no account, no service that can sunset.
New developers lose snippets constantly because they have nowhere to put them. This is that somewhere.
3. DotGuard — for not leaking your first secret
npx @wuchunjie/dotguard .
Your first .env file is also your first leaked secret, statistically. DotGuard scans a project for exposed keys, passwords, and database URLs before it is a problem. One command, no config.
Learn this one early: scanning your repo is a habit, not a one-time thing.
4. GitPulse — for understanding any repo in 10 seconds
npx @wuchunjie/gitpulse
Opening someone else's repo (or your own, three months later)? One command gives you commit counts, contributor breakdown, file-type mix, and recent activity. You stop guessing what a repo is about from its README alone.
5. 14 Browser Tools — for everything in between
Base64, JSON/CSV conversion, JWT decoding, hashing, QR codes, UUIDs, password generation, diff checking, and more — 14 static pages that run in your browser with no install, no account, no tracking:
wuchunjie00.github.io/devtools
The Common Thread
Every tool here follows the same rules:
- Zero dependencies — nothing to break, nothing to update
-
npxor a URL — no install step, no global pollution - Local data — your code and secrets stay on your machine
- Free, forever — and if you use them, a Ko-fi buys the next tool
Bookmark this list. You will need it the first time a new project starts.
From the same toolbox
-
ScaffoldX — generate production-ready project templates in seconds:
npx scaffoldx-cli -
DotGuard — scan
.envfiles for exposed secrets:npx @wuchunjie/dotguard -
GitPulse — git analytics (commits, contributors, activity) in your terminal:
npx @wuchunjie/gitpulse -
SnippetX — save, search, and copy code snippets from the terminal:
npx @wuchunjie/snippetx
☕ If This Saved You Time
All of these tools are and will always be 100% free. If they make your day a little easier, consider fueling the next one:
Built with ❤️. Zero dependencies, zero tracking, zero bloat.
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