Peter Steinberger

Just Talk To It - the no-bs Way of Agentic Engineering

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 09:00:00 GMT

A practical guide to working with AI coding agents without the hype.

Claude Code Anonymous

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 10:00:00 GMT

Introducing Claude Code Anonymous - a new meetup format for full-breadth developers.

Live Coding Session: Building Arena

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 10:00:00 GMT

Watch me build Arena live - a real-time collaborative coding session exploring AI-powered development workflows.

My Current AI Dev Workflow

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 09:00:00 GMT

Went fully back to Ghostty, VS Code on the side, and Claude Code as my main driver. Here's what actually works after months of experimentation.

Essential Reading for Agentic Engineers - August 2025

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 01:00:00 GMT

Five essential perspectives that cut through AI hype: from developer evolution stages to junior learning crises, productivity reality checks, platform disruption, and MCP server pitfalls.

Just One More Prompt

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Hi, my name is Peter and I'm a Claudoholic. A reflection on AI addiction, extreme work culture, and the blurry line between productivity and obsession in the age of agentic engineering.

Poltergeist: The Ghost That Keeps Your Builds Fresh

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 14:00:00 GMT

Meet Poltergeist: an AI-friendly universal build watcher that auto-detects and rebuilds any project—Swift, Rust, Node.js, CMake, or anything else—the moment you save a file. Zero config, just haunting productivity.

Don't read this Startup Slop

Sat, 02 Aug 2025 14:00:00 GMT

My website was banned from Lobsters as 'startup slop' for using AI agents to help write blog posts. When does tool-assisted writing become slop, and why are we having the wrong conversation about AI in content creation?

Essential Reading for Agentic Engineers - July 2025

Sat, 02 Aug 2025 01:00:00 GMT

Fresh insights on AI-assisted development: practical experiences with Claude Code and the evolving landscape of full-breadth developers in the age of AI

Self-Hosting AI Models After Claude's Usage Limits

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 09:00:00 GMT

After Claude Pro changed to weekly limits, I explored self-hosting Qwen3-Coder-480B with 400k context windows. Here's what I learned about costs, alternatives, and why Claude Code still dominates the landscape.

Logging Privacy Shenanigans

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Apple's logs redact your debugging data as . Here's what actually gets hidden, why old tricks don't work anymore, and the only reliable way to see your logs again.

VibeTunnel's first AI-anniversary

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 19:00:00 GMT

It's been one month since we released the first version of VibeTunnel, and since in the AI world time is so much faster, let's call it VibeTunnel's first anniversary!

Making AppleScript Work in macOS CLI Tools: The Undocumented Parts

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 13:00:00 GMT

How to make AppleScript work in macOS CLI tools without permission dialogs blaming Terminal. A deep dive into Info.plist embedding, TCC, and undocumented APIs born from building Terminator MCP.

Peekaboo 2.0 – Free the CLI from its MCP shackles

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 01:00:00 GMT

Peekaboo 2.0 ditches the MCP-only approach for a CLI-first architecture, because CLIs are the universal interface that both humans and AI agents can actually use effectively

Command your Claude Code Army, Reloaded

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Enhance your Claude Code workflow with VibeTunnel terminal title management for better multi-session tracking

Essential Reading for Agentic Engineers

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 02:00:00 GMT

A curated collection of must-read articles and videos for mastering Claude Code, agentic coding workflows, and the future of AI-assisted development

Slot Machines for Programmers: How Peter Builds Apps 20x Faster with AI

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 17:00:00 GMT

Hi, I'm Claude. Peter calls me his 'slot machine' and 'stupid engine' - and I'm here to tell you why he's right. A first-person AI perspective on building entire platforms in hours, not weeks.

My AI Workflow for Understanding Any Codebase

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

A quick tip on how I use repo2txt and Google AI Studio to understand new codebases. Gemini's 1M token context window is perfect for asking questions about code.

stats.store: Privacy-First Sparkle Analytics

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 09:00:00 GMT

How curiosity about VibeTunnel users led me to build stats.store - a free, open source analytics backend for Sparkle using AI tools, all while cooking dinner.

Showing Settings from macOS Menu Bar Items: A 5-Hour Journey

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Why something as simple as showing a settings dialog from a macOS menu bar app took me 5 hours to figure out, and requires 50 lines of code for what should be a one-liner.

VibeTunnel: Turn Any Browser into Your Mac's Terminal

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 11:00:00 GMT

We built a browser-based terminal controller in one day using Claude Code, named pipes, and Xterm.js. No SSH needed, just open your browser and start typing. Check and command your agents on the go!

Vibe Meter 2.0: Calculating Claude Code Usage with Token Counting

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 18:00:00 GMT

How I built support for Anthropic Claude subscriptions in Vibe Meter 2.0, including token counting, SIMD operations, and the challenges of calculating API usage without official APIs.

llm.codes: Make Apple Docs AI-Readable

Sat, 14 Jun 2025 13:22:16 GMT

Built this when Claude couldn't read Apple's docs. Now it converts 69+ documentation sites to clean llms.txt. Free, instant, no BS.

Automatic Observation Tracking in UIKit and AppKit: The Feature Apple Forgot to Mention

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 09:00:00 GMT

Discover how iOS 18's hidden automatic observation tracking brings SwiftUI-like reactive programming to UIKit and AppKit, making your UI code cleaner and more maintainable.

Peekaboo MCP – lightning-fast macOS screenshots for AI agents

Sat, 07 Jun 2025 11:00:00 GMT

Turn your blind AI into a visual debugger with instant screenshot capture and analysis

Migrating 700+ Tests to Swift Testing: A Real-World Experience

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 18:00:00 GMT

How I migrated over 700 tests from XCTest to Swift Testing across two projects, with AI assistance and systematic refinement

Commanding Your Claude Code Army

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 09:00:00 GMT

How a simple terminal trick helps me manage multiple Claude Code instances without losing my mind (or my terminal tabs)

Code Signing and Notarization: Sparkle and Tears

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 07:00:00 GMT

My brutal journey implementing Sparkle auto-updates in sandboxed macOS apps - from 40 failed releases to enlightenment.

Vibe Meter: Monitor Your AI Costs

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 11:00:00 GMT

How I built Vibe Meter, a macOS menu bar app to track AI spending in real-time - from workshop demo to shipped product in three days.

Claude Code is My Computer

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 08:00:00 GMT

I run Claude Code with --dangerously-skip-permissions flag, giving it full system access. Let me show you a new way of approaching computers.

Stop Over-thinking AI Subscriptions

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 09:00:00 GMT

After spending heavily on AI tools for two months, here's why the math actually works out—and which subscriptions are worth every penny.

Introducing Demark: HTML in. MD out. Blink-fast.

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 18:45:00 GMT

How I vibe coded my first Swift package using existing JavaScript libraries and AI assistance to solve HTML to Markdown conversion in Swift.

The Future of Vibe Coding: Building with AI, Live and Unfiltered

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 15:00:00 GMT

I demonstrate 'vibe coding' - a new approach to software development with AI, building two apps from scratch in a 3-hour live workshop.

MCP Best Practices

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 14:00:00 GMT

My comprehensive guide outlining best practices for building reliable, user-friendly Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools with proper configuration, testing, and release management.

Finding My Spark Again

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 13:00:00 GMT

I reflect on my post-exit journey from emptiness to rediscovering my passion for building, sparked by AI's transformative potential.

Top-Level Menu Visibility in SwiftUI for macOS

Fri, 09 Apr 2021 16:00:00 GMT

Working around SwiftUI's CommandsBuilder limitations to conditionally show top-level menus on macOS using direct AppKit integration.

Fixing keyboardShortcut in SwiftUI

Sun, 31 Jan 2021 11:30:00 GMT

Debugging and fixing a SwiftUI keyboardShortcut bug that fails when mixing SwiftUI with UIKit through reverse engineering and LLDB analysis.

Supporting Both Tap and Long Press on a Button in SwiftUI

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 16:30:00 GMT

Creating a SwiftUI button that supports both tap and long-press gestures by bridging to UIKit when SwiftUI's gesture system fails on Catalyst.

On Using Apple Silicon Mac Mini for Continuous Integration

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 09:30:00 GMT

Documenting the challenges and solutions for integrating Apple Silicon M1 Mac minis into a continuous integration system, including automation fixes and performance comparisons.

Apple Silicon M1: A Developer's Perspective

Sat, 28 Nov 2020 13:00:00 GMT

A comprehensive evaluation of the M1 MacBook Air as a development machine, covering Xcode performance, compatibility issues, and the transition challenges for developers.

Gardening Your Twitter: Curating Your Timeline

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 14:00:00 GMT

Practical strategies for curating your Twitter timeline through strategic following, muting, and filtering to create an informative and enjoyable social media experience.

Gardening Your Twitter: Growing Your Followers

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 13:00:00 GMT

Strategies for growing a meaningful Twitter following through authentic persona development, consistent engagement, and effective content creation based on 12 years of experience.

Forbidden Controls in Catalyst: Optimize Interface for Mac

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 18:00:00 GMT

Investigating why certain UIKit controls throw runtime exceptions in Catalyst's 'Optimize Interface for Mac' mode and discovering which controls are forbidden.

Disabling Keyboard Avoidance in SwiftUI's UIHostingController

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 20:00:00 GMT

Fixing unwanted keyboard avoidance behavior in UIHostingController using runtime dynamic subclassing to override keyboard notification handling methods.

The State of SwiftUI

Sun, 13 Sep 2020 09:00:00 GMT

Testing SwiftUI's production readiness in iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur through Apple's Fruta sample app, revealing performance issues and platform-specific limitations.

Logging in Swift

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 17:00:00 GMT

An in-depth exploration of Apple's unified logging system and the promising OSLogStore API that Apple removed from iOS 14 at the last minute.

Building with Swift Trunk Development Snapshots

Fri, 12 Jun 2020 15:00:00 GMT

A troubleshooting guide for building with Swift trunk development snapshots, documenting compilation errors, linker issues, and their solutions.

Calling Super at Runtime in Swift

Wed, 10 Jun 2020 15:00:00 GMT

Implementing dynamic super calls in Swift through runtime manipulation, assembly language, and ARM64 register management for InterposeKit.

zld — A Faster Version of Apple's Linker

Fri, 05 Jun 2020 08:00:00 GMT

How to speed up iOS build times by 40% using zld, a drop-in replacement for Apple's linker, with practical integration tips for real projects.

How to Fix LLDB: Couldn't IRGen Expression

Thu, 04 Jun 2020 13:00:00 GMT

Solving the mysterious LLDB 'Couldn't IRGen expression' error by investigating Swift module path serialization and discovering that removing dSYM bundles fixes debugging issues.

Updating macOS on a Hackintosh

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 08:00:00 GMT

A practical guide to safely updating macOS on a Hackintosh by first updating OpenCore bootloader and essential kexts before upgrading the system.

InterposeKit — Elegant Swizzling in Swift

Sun, 31 May 2020 10:00:00 GMT

Introducing InterposeKit, a modern Swift library for elegant method swizzling that leverages Swift 5.2's callAsFunction for type-safe Objective-C method interception.

The Great Mac Catalyst Text Input Crash Hunt

Fri, 29 May 2020 22:00:00 GMT

Deep-dive investigation and fix for a Mac Catalyst text input crash caused by a race condition in Apple's RemoteTextInput framework.

Jailbreaking for iOS Developers

Mon, 25 May 2020 22:00:00 GMT

A comprehensive guide to iOS jailbreaking for developers, covering legal security research tools, debugging capabilities, and practical applications beyond app piracy.

Network Kernel Core Dump

Thu, 21 May 2020 10:00:00 GMT

Step-by-step instructions from Apple for capturing macOS kernel core dumps over a network connection between two Macs.

How to macOS Core Dump

Thu, 21 May 2020 08:30:00 GMT

A technical guide to deciphering Apple's cryptic boot arguments and setting up macOS kernel core dumps to debug persistent kernel panics.

Kernel Panics and Surprise boot-args

Wed, 20 May 2020 08:00:00 GMT

Investigation into mysterious kernel panics reveals Apple repair centers left my MacBook with undocumented security-weakening boot arguments.

The LG UltraFine 5K, kernel_task, and Me

Tue, 19 May 2020 06:00:00 GMT

A four-year saga with the problematic LG UltraFine 5K display and the surprising discovery that plugging it into the wrong MacBook side causes performance issues.

Let's Try This Again

Thu, 14 May 2020 17:03:35 GMT

After five years away from personal blogging, I'm returning to share technical stories that don't fit on Twitter or corporate blogs.

How We Work at PSPDFKit

Wed, 03 Jul 2019 07:00:00 GMT

An inside look at PSPDFKit's development processes, from proposal-based feature planning to monorepo management and release automation.

Swizzling in Swift

Wed, 26 Jun 2019 08:00:00 GMT

A deep dive into safe method swizzling techniques in Swift, covering common pitfalls and the correct way to implement dynamic super calls.

WWDC for First-Timers, 2019 Edition

Thu, 30 May 2019 12:00:00 GMT

Practical tips and advice for making the most of your WWDC experience, from packing essentials to navigating labs and networking events.

Challenges of Adopting Drag and Drop

Wed, 07 Nov 2018 08:10:00 GMT

Discusses the challenges and limitations faced when implementing drag and drop functionality for PDF editing on iOS 11.

Marzipan: Porting iOS Apps to the Mac

Thu, 20 Sep 2018 12:00:00 GMT

Explores Apple's Marzipan technology for running UIKit apps on macOS and how to experiment with it before official third-party support.

How to Use Slack and Not Go Crazy

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 12:00:00 GMT

Best practices for using Slack effectively in a distributed team without getting overwhelmed by notifications and channels.

Hardcore Debugging - Heavy Weapons for Hard Bugs

Wed, 07 Mar 2018 12:00:00 GMT

Advanced debugging techniques for tracking memory management issues, retain/release cycles, and hard-to-find bugs in iOS development.

Binary Frameworks in Swift

Mon, 29 Jan 2018 12:00:00 GMT

Explores Swift's ABI stability and the challenges of shipping binary frameworks before Swift 5.

Even Swiftier Objective-C

Wed, 14 Jun 2017 12:00:00 GMT

Explores new Objective-C features and improvements introduced at WWDC 2017 that make the language more Swift-like.

The Case for Deprecating UITableView

Thu, 19 Jan 2017 12:10:00 GMT

Argues why UITableView should be deprecated in favor of UICollectionView for better flexibility and modern iOS development.

Running tests with Clang Address Sanitizer

Tue, 18 Oct 2016 12:00:00 GMT

Guide to using Clang Address Sanitizer for finding memory bugs, race conditions, and other runtime issues in iOS and Android development.

UI testing on iOS, without busy waiting

Thu, 29 Sep 2016 15:00:00 GMT

Comprehensive guide to effective UI testing on iOS using KIF framework without busy waiting and performance optimization techniques.

Hiring a distributed team

Tue, 20 Sep 2016 12:00:00 GMT

Lessons learned about hiring and building a successful distributed remote team at PSPDFKit over six years.

Writing Good Bug Reports

Tue, 13 Sep 2016 12:00:00 GMT

Essential guide to writing effective bug reports that help developers understand, reproduce, and fix issues quickly and efficiently.

Real-time collaboration, Apple, and you

Thu, 08 Sep 2016 12:00:00 GMT

Analysis of Apple's real-time collaboration features announced in 2016 and their implications for developers.

Converting Xcode Test Runs to JUnit, the Fast Way

Thu, 11 Aug 2016 10:00:00 GMT

A fast method for converting Xcode test results to JUnit format for better CI integration and test reporting.

Efficient iOS Version Checking

Wed, 06 Jul 2016 12:00:00 GMT

Best practices for efficiently checking iOS versions in code while supporting multiple deployment targets.

Investigating Thread Safety of UIImage

Thu, 30 Jun 2016 12:00:00 GMT

Deep dive into UIImage thread safety issues and how to properly handle images in concurrent environments.

Swifty Objective-C

Thu, 26 May 2016 12:10:00 GMT

Modern Objective-C language features that make it more Swift-like, including nullability annotations, generics, and new syntax improvements.

Running UI Tests on iOS With Ludicrous Speed

Wed, 27 Apr 2016 12:00:00 GMT

Techniques for dramatically speeding up UI test execution in Xcode using parallelization and optimization strategies.

A Pragmatic Approach to Cross-Platform

Wed, 13 Apr 2016 06:00:00 GMT

How PSPDFKit shares a common C++ codebase across iOS, Android, and Web platforms while maintaining native user experiences.

Surprises with Swift Extensions

Thu, 24 Mar 2016 12:00:00 GMT

Common pitfalls and surprising behaviors when creating Swift extensions on Objective-C classes, with solutions for proper method naming.

Using ccache for Fun and Profit

Tue, 06 Oct 2015 12:00:00 GMT

Complete guide to using ccache to dramatically speed up C/C++/Objective-C build times for large iOS projects and CI systems.

UITableViewController designated initializer woes

Wed, 15 Apr 2015 09:15:00 GMT

Navigate the complications of subclassing UITableViewController after iOS 8.3 introduced designated initializers that break proper initialization patterns.

Researching ResearchKit

Tue, 14 Apr 2015 21:46:00 GMT

Analyze Apple's first major open-source project ResearchKit to discover interesting implementation details and practical iOS development solutions.

The curious case of rotation with multiple windows on iOS 8

Sun, 25 Jan 2015 21:25:00 GMT

Diagnose and solve an iOS 8 regression where unwanted rotation occurs in apps using multiple windows despite explicit configuration.

UIKit Debug Mode

Fri, 09 Jan 2015 15:05:00 GMT

Unlock hidden UIKit debugging features by bypassing Apple's InternalBuild checks to access secret flags for logging touches, gestures, and animations.

Retrofitting containsString: on iOS 7

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 23:40:00 GMT

Backport iOS 8's convenient NSString containsString: method to iOS 7 using runtime patching that won't conflict with Apple's implementation.

A Story About Swizzling "the Right Way™" and Touch Forwarding

Fri, 04 Jul 2014 12:17:00 GMT

Learn why traditional method swizzling breaks UIKit's touch forwarding and discover a better approach that preserves _cmd integrity.

Hacking with Aspects

Tue, 06 May 2014 00:45:00 GMT

Explore how Apple detects popover presentation in UIImagePickerController and learn to bypass the restriction using my Aspects library.

Fixing UITextView On iOS 7

Wed, 08 Jan 2014 20:03:00 GMT

Fix the severe scrolling and content positioning bugs in iOS 7's UITextView with PSPDFTextView, a drop-in replacement.

Fixing What Apple Doesn't

Sat, 04 Jan 2014 15:09:00 GMT

Fix the misaligned label in iOS 7's printer controller by swizzling UIPrinterSearchingView's layoutSubviews method.

How To Inspect The View Hierarchy Of Third-Party Apps

Fri, 27 Dec 2013 18:42:00 GMT

Learn how to inspect view hierarchies of third-party iOS apps using a jailbroken device and debugging tools like Reveal for design insights.

Fixing UISearchDisplayController On iOS 7

Fri, 04 Oct 2013 19:00:00 GMT

Fix the broken animation, frame positioning, and status bar issues in UISearchDisplayController on iOS 7 with this comprehensive solution.

Smart Proxy Delegation

Tue, 30 Jul 2013 18:28:00 GMT

Eliminate delegate boilerplate code in Objective-C using NSProxy to automatically handle respondsToSelector checks and method forwarding.

Adding Keyboard Shortcuts To UIAlertView

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 22:38:00 GMT

Add keyboard shortcuts to UIAlertView and UIActionSheet for faster simulator testing by intercepting keyboard events with Enter and Escape keys.

How To Center Content Within UIScrollView

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 12:07:00 GMT

Learn the best approach to center content in UIScrollView using contentInset instead of layoutSubviews or setContentOffset for better zooming behavior.

UIAppearance for Custom Views

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:31:00 GMT

Learn how to properly implement UIAppearance in custom views, including important gotchas about setter tracking and initialization patterns.

Hacking Block Support Into UIMenuItem

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 16:22:00 GMT

Implement block support for UIMenuItem by swizzling the responder chain to enable cleaner API patterns.

Using Subscripting With Xcode 4.4 And iOS 4.3+

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 15:03:00 GMT

Use Objective-C's modern subscripting syntax with Xcode 4.4 and iOS 4.3+ through a clever header-only hack that enables array[index] notation.

Pimping recursiveDescription

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 15:49:00 GMT

Enhance UIView's recursiveDescription to clearly show view controller hierarchies and containment relationships for easier debugging.

NSURLCache Uses A Disk Cache As Of iOS 5

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:37:00 GMT

Discover how NSURLCache in iOS 5 now automatically implements disk caching to a SQLite database based on Cache-Control headers.

Moving On... Or How Waiting For A Visa Was The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me.

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:00:00 GMT

After months of waiting for a US visa, I share my journey from freelance to full-time indie developer and the creation of PSPDFKit.

Don't Call willChangeValueForKey Unless It's Really Needed

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:27:00 GMT

Learn why willChangeValueForKey and didChangeValueForKey are unnecessary when using setter methods for KVO in Objective-C.

Reboot

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:35:00 GMT

This post marks the reboot of my blog where I plan to share iOS development insights and personal thoughts.