How I work
Every system I build for a client runs the same way the ones I run for myself do. The rules came from things that broke.
The gates
- Nothing publishes without a human gate where it matters. A video goes to a channel only after it is confirmed public. A post goes to a group only after the page it links to is live. The gate checks the live state, not the log.
- Every provider has a cost cap. Per task, per day. A pass that quietly reruns itself gets caught by the cap before the invoice. I have traced a month’s burn to a single automated fix loop and killed it the same day.
- Multi-model with a vote, free tier first. Two or three models draft, one scores, the cheapest capable model wins by default. Expensive models are called only when the scorer asks.
- An editor reads it. I edited a business desk. Every AI pipeline I run has an editorial QA pass: facts, sourcing, legal exposure, and whether Google would call it thin. Volume without that is how sites get penalised. Mine was.
- Kill switches and dry runs by default. Every pipeline has a switch file and a dry-run mode. Live is opt-in.
- Silent failures are the enemy. Scheduled tasks lie. A batch file that swallows an exit code can show green for weeks while nothing ships. I log outcomes, not launches, and check them weekly.
- Reconcile, then report. Numbers in a client report are checked against the source system, not the pipeline’s own log.
- Write down what broke. Every incident gets a dated note with the fix and the rule that came out of it. The rules above are that list.
Engagement shape
- First hour free. You describe what you’re trying to automate and what you’ve tried. You leave with a written plan whether or not we work together.
- Fixed-fee audit, two weeks. Then either a build-and-run retainer with milestones, or you take the plan and run it yourself.
- I bring skills and judgment, never another client’s data, code, or lists.