I'm Andrew Riefenstahl, senior software engineer and AI specialist. I build resilient systems and write about where AI and humanity meet.
Long-form thinking on AI, work, and what we do with technology.
Announcing Whole Earth Curriculum, a free open source K-12 curriculum built by an agent loop across nearly two billion tokens, and why DeepSeek made it affordable enough to actually finish.
September 1, 2026
A call to protect our land against the intertwined forces of corporate extraction, unchecked AI infrastructure, and a government that has abandoned its stewardship. From Cancer Alley to the data center gold rush — this is the generational battle.
May 27, 2026
Late-night thoughts on why we're using AI wrong, why executives shouldn't fire people to chase hype, and why simpler was better.
May 22, 2026
I build software to make real problems smaller — for the people doing the work and the communities they serve. Deep technical range is the means; reducing friction is the point.
From high-performance frontends to robust, event-driven backends, I reach for the right tool — not the flashiest one.
Solve the real problem first. Avoid over-engineering, and keep a clear vision for the future.
Leading with empathy and clarity, so technology serves people and communities — not the other way around.
Scalable & Maintainable
CI/CD & Workflows
Core Vitals & SEO
Best Practices & Auth
Mindful & Ethical
RAG & Agents
A collection of projects I'm proud of - from helping nonprofits raise funds to building AI platforms that solve real problems.
Senior backend engineer and full-stack developer for Flockx.io's AI agent workflow platform built with Next.js. Architected LangGraph-based agent orchestration with RAG-powered chat over WebSocket, plus API routes, authentication systems, and data transformation pipelines while managing AWS S3, Cloudinary, and Redis. Implemented performance optimizations, database migrations, ElasticSearch integration, and third-party services like Intercom and Slack.
A single, coherent, drop-in K–12 curriculum built by an agent loop across nearly two billion tokens, made affordable by DeepSeek. Free and open source — develops people who are emotionally, physically, and intellectually aware of themselves, their context, and the Earth they live on.
Architected and delivered ISCPO.org as a WordPress membership platform that preserved native editorial workflows, reduced config drift, and made key site structure reproducible across environments. Built with Sage 11, Acorn 5, Blade, and a disciplined plugin/theme boundary so the organization kept the WordPress ecosystem it relied on while the codebase gained Laravel-style structure and a faster developer workflow.
Orchestrated the development of ABowlofRed.com, originally a Gatsby-based front-end that migrated to Astro for improved performance and developer experience. Utilized Strapi CMS on AWS EC2 with Node.js for content management, and integrated Stripe for secure ticket transactions that have surpassed $130,000 in annual ticket sales.
Co-developed and produced the site for a family-friendly charity concert benefiting Grapevine charities, presented by Tolbert's Restaurant & Chili Parlor and The Charity Grapevine. Covers lineup, FAQ, sponsors, and Stripe-powered ticketing for a full day of live music on the lake.
Co-founded a worker-owned technology cooperative dedicated to empowering local businesses and grassroots movements. As a founding member, I helped establish democratic workplace practices based on the seven cooperative principles while delivering tech solutions that strengthen community economic foundations.
A family of safety-first MCP servers that give AI assistants governed, read-only access to real systems: PostgreSQL (mcp-pg-db-reader), MySQL (mysql-db-reader), and Mezmo log retrieval (mezmo-logs-mcp), plus work on godot-mcp for AI-assisted game development. Built around the idea that AI tooling should be auditable, quota-conscious, and hard to misuse.
Spearheaded the development of Propane.com, an enterprise-level WordPress site featuring advanced customizations and integrations. Implemented a robust CI pipeline, 2FA authentication via OAuth Okta, and developed stateful web applications. Integrated Algolia for advanced search and HubSpot for CRM, and optimized React-based components for performance.
Architected a high-performance restaurant website using Astro with a headless WordPress CMS backend. Integrated third-party menu systems and food ordering platforms through custom API routes, with dynamic calendar integration, contact forms, and seamless third-party connections — all while maintaining accessibility and performance standards.
Developed, deployed, and provisioned a full-stack note-taking application that transcribes speech to text and uses AI to organize notes for later analysis. Handled all infrastructure provisioning on Railway, secure authentication with Clerk, and AI services for core functionality. Built with Vite and TanStack Router for a modern, type-safe experience.
A specialized steel calculator built for a steel-industry professional to make daily work easier. Simple, focused, and actually used — proof that the most valuable tool is often the least flashy one.
Interested in seeing more work or discussing a project?
Let's ConnectThe fundamentals come first — systems thinking, API design, and knowing when not to build. These are what I reach for when they reduce friction.
I help individuals and small businesses reduce friction — making the time-eating parts of their work simpler, with AI only where it actually earns its place.
See how I can helpWhether you want to chat about technology, music, philosophy, or potential collaborations - I'm always up for meaningful conversations.
Professional network & insights
Open source projects & code
Tech thoughts & discussions
Direct contact
I'm available for interesting projects, consulting work, or just good conversations. Let's see what we can create together.
