The Lab

Open-source AI.
Tested in production.

Technical reviews of open-source AI tools by someone who actually ships real SaaS with them. Every review includes a merged PR — the receipts for every claim in the write-up.

The review charter →6 reviews · 6+ PRs submitted
Apr 19, 2026Lab Review14 min read

OpenClaw Dashboard: What I Fixed Before I Could Trust It

A deep review of the OpenClaw Dashboard — the open-source WebSocket control UI for the AI gateway OpenAI just acquired. Broken HMAC auth, no cost visibility, and two PRs that fix both.

Feb 19, 2026AI Development25 min read

How I Built a Visual Dashboard for OpenClaw: The AI Gateway OpenAI Just Acquired

The full story of building an open-source React/Next.js dashboard for OpenClaw — 12 pages, streaming chat, WhatsApp QR login, speech-to-text everywhere, and contributing to open source during an acquisition.

Jan 12, 2026reviews10

OpenCode Review: Benchmarking the 60k-Star Claude Code Alternative

Comprehensive benchmark testing of OpenCode Zen models including GLM-4.7, Grok Code Fast, and Big Pickle against real-world coding tasks.

Jan 12, 2026AI Tools12 min read

Chrome DevTools MCP: Finally, Your AI Can Actually See What It's Building

The frustration of AI coding blind is over. Chrome DevTools MCP connects your AI assistant directly to Chrome, letting it see console errors, inspect the DOM, run performance traces, and debug in real-time.

Jan 12, 2026AI Tools14 min read

Vibe Kanban: Revolutionary Orchestration or Overhyped Complexity? An Honest Review

A deep dive into Vibe Kanban - the tool promising to 10X your AI coding workflow. We examine what it actually does, who it's for, and whether the complexity is worth it.

Jan 11, 2026AI Tools15 min read

Anthropic Skills Explained: Fancy Prompts or Something Actually Useful?

A complete guide to Anthropic Skills - what they are, how they differ from agents and slash commands, real examples, and whether Anthropic is watching how you use them.