what i use.
Not a shopping list. Why each tool earns a slot in an AI marketing operator practice, and when I reach for which.
hardware
- MacBook Pro (M2)Daily driver. Upgrading to the latest when M6 ships.
- iPad Pro12.9-inch 5th gen, 256 GB. Second screen, reading, markups.
- iPhone 16 Pro256 GB. Hermes on Telegram lives here more than desktop.
- Apple Watch Ultra 2 (49mm Titanium)Wrist layer with a data/cellular plan. Leave the house, take calls, listen to music and podcasts on walks without the phone. Love the independence.
iphone apps
What earns a home-screen slot when the Mac is closed.
- SublimeHeavy daily driver on iPhone. Capture and organize ideas that spark attention.
- MatterRead-later for articles and newsletters. The queue lives on the phone.
- TownTrying it. Useful enough that I am not building the personalization layer myself. These guys are doing a great job.
ai agents
Different surfaces for different jobs. I do not treat them as interchangeable.
- Claude Code + CursorThe pair that ships code. Claude Code owns architecture, review, and orchestration. Cursor owns bulk multi-file implementation in its own worktree.
- ClaudeLong reasoning, briefs, and anything that needs a durable thread.
- ChatGPTFast drafts and second opinions when I want a different model voice.
- GeminiGoogle-native context: Workspace, Search, multimodal dumps.
- PerplexityCited research when I need sources before I trust a claim.
- GrokxAI. News-adjacent questions and the X firehose when speed beats polish.
- OllamaLocal models when the data should not leave the machine.
- HermesTelegram agent on the VPS. Morning briefs, cron, /cc engineering dispatch from my phone.
browser
- Comet BrowserI swear by it. Primary browser for everything. Best agentic browser to actually get work done.
operator layer
How the stack stays connected without turning into a product pitch. Leverage for the AI marketing operator model.
- NangoCode Mode OAuth broker. One connectionId per client tenant. The agent writes TypeScript that calls the proxy; no tool-per-action ceiling.
- InfisicalRuntime source of truth for secrets. If it is not here, the long-running process does not see it.
- Google SA + DWDWorkspace, GA4, GTM, Search Console for Ascend and client Google surfaces that use domain-wide delegation.
- Client CRM & ads connectorsHubSpot, Salesforce, LinkedIn Ads (and peers) via Nango on the client tenant. Client-owned apps, clean handoff.
- TailscalePrivate network between Mac, VPS, and operator services.
- gogGoogle Workspace CLI when the UI is the wrong interface.
comms & news
- SlackAscend ops channels, plus client engagements that already live in Slack.
- TelegramPrimary mobile control surface. Hermes answers here.
- XLatest news that usually is not elsewhere yet. Heavy daily use.
gtm & work
- BitwardenPasswords, TOTP, vault for portals the API path cannot reach.
- Google Ads EditorBulk paid search edits when the UI is too slow.
- LoomAsync walkthroughs instead of another meeting.
- Affinity, Pixelmator ProDesign and image work without opening a full creative suite.
- Final Cut Pro, Logic ProVideo and audio when the deliverable is not a deck.
- Google Workspace, Microsoft OfficeThe boring shared documents every engagement still needs.