Notes from the studio
Product decisions, technical lessons, and reflections on building software from Latin America. Full transparency about what works and what doesn't — yet.
- Sep 21, 20266 min read
How we write copy for the person afraid of their legal problem
ReclamaAI's copy isn't marketing, it's tone. How we choose every word so a scared, non-legally-trained user feels respected. Before/after examples.
LegaltechReclamaAI - Sep 10, 20267 min read
Pinecone vs Postgres pgvector: when each makes sense
I started ReclamaAI with Pinecone. I considered migrating to pgvector. This is the honest comparison with costs, latencies, and the final decision with reasons.
AI & LLMsDatabaseReclamaAI - Aug 31, 20266 min read
Build in public: 6 months learning to publish what works and what doesn't
A reflection 6 months after starting to build VantLabs in public. The metrics that matter, the ones that don't, what kind of content generates real responses, and the mistakes I no longer make.
Building in publicVantLabs - Aug 6, 20266 min read
Accessibility in oklch: how I verify contrast with modern palettes
OKLCH changed how I write color palettes, but traditional WCAG checkers don't understand oklch directly. This is the methodology I use to guarantee AA without going crazy.
TailwindStack decisions - Jul 27, 20266 min read
Why Flutter (and not React Native) for VantFi
A technical decision with concrete criteria: why I chose Flutter over React Native to build VantFi as a solo founder with prior JavaScript experience.
FlutterStack decisionsVantFi - Jul 16, 20267 min read
NextAuth v5 (Auth.js) in production with Google + email/password
How I set up NextAuth v5 in ReclamaAI with Google OAuth and email/password coexisting on the same account. Sessions, callbacks, account linking, and the gotchas that almost made me go back to Clerk.
AuthenticationStack decisions - Jul 6, 20266 min read
From Tailwind v3 to v4: the honest migration
I migrated three VantLabs projects to Tailwind v4. What got better, what hurt, what changed in paradigm, and why CSS-based config is better than it looks at first glance.
TailwindStack decisionsVantLabs - Jun 25, 20266 min read
Bootstrapping from Colombia: the cost categories that matter
A map of the real costs of running a software studio from Colombia without external investment: what weighs, what doesn't, and why geography is more of an advantage than people tell you.
Building in publicLatam contextVantLabs - Jun 4, 20266 min read
The cron job that cost three days: real BullMQ + Upstash edge cases
A specific BullMQ + Upstash Redis bug that took three days to find and half an hour to fix. The story and the lesson on why idempotent retries aren't optional.
Stack decisionsReclamaAI