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

Source: Dev.to

azkal-cli — AI project scaffolder

Problem
Every new project starts the same way: spend 30 minutes setting up folder structure, configs, tsconfig, ESLint, Tailwind, .gitignore, etc., before writing a single line of actual code.

Solution
Describe your project in plain English, and the AI picks the stack and generates everything.

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

The tool analyzes the description, selects an optimal stack (Next.js, Express, Vite, …), and creates a complete project with working configs, boilerplate, README, and .gitignore.

Tech stack: TypeScript, Commander.js, Claude AI.

Links:

• GitHub:
• npm:

azkal-pulse — Site audit Chrome extension

Problem
Lighthouse tells you what’s wrong with a site but not how to fix it. Translating scores into actionable advice for clients is manual and time‑consuming.

Solution
One‑click audit that provides scores and copy‑paste code fixes, plus a PDF report you can send to clients.

• Run an audit on any page with a single click.
• 30+ checks across performance, SEO, and accessibility.
• Click “Get AI Fix Suggestions” to receive actual code snippets.
• Export a professional PDF report for client communication.

The Client Report feature is the real killer: send prospects a PDF showing exactly what’s broken and how you’d fix it—natural upsell material.

Tech stack: React, Tailwind, Manifest V3, Claude AI.

Link:

azkal-ledger — Invoice generator

Problem
Most invoice tools are ugly, expensive, or require an account just to generate a PDF.

Solution
Open a browser tab, fill in your info, pick a template, and download a PDF—no sign‑up, no backend, no fees.

• 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.

Tech stack: React, TypeScript, @react-pdf/renderer, Tailwind.

Links:

• GitHub:
• Live demo:

What I learned shipping 3 projects in a week

• Ship ugly, then polish – Start with a rough prototype, get the core working, then refine the UI. Trying to make everything perfect before shipping prevents progress.
• Solve your own problems – I didn’t chase star‑count metrics; I built tools I actually needed. The CLI saves me time on every new project, the audit extension helps land freelance clients, and the invoice tool replaced a paid service I was using.
• AI boosts solo‑dev productivity – Claude was used throughout the build process, not to generate entire codebases, but to accelerate boilerplate creation, catch edge cases, and iterate quickly on ideas.
• README is marketing – A clear README with screenshots and a one‑liner install command makes the difference between zero stars and real users. Investing time here pays off.

Try them out

• Scaffold a project in seconds:
• Generate an invoice right now:
• Audit any site:

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