How we built Plens, from idea to app
Six weeks from first commit to a test build on phones. How Plens came together with Claude Code, Codex and Cursor, and what went wrong on the way.

We build our own products and software for companies, with agents and checks. Here we write down what works, what went wrong and how we go about it.
Six weeks from first commit to a test build on phones. How Plens came together with Claude Code, Codex and Cursor, and what went wrong on the way.

Build logs
KNMI radar, Open-Meteo, openrouteservice and the PDOK Locatieserver: which source Plens uses for what, on which terms, and where it went wrong.
, 8 min read
AI at work
Putting AI agents to work starts with one process, a written goal and checks that run from the first version. A step-by-step plan with examples, pitfalls and the rules.
, 10 min read
AI at work
Private AI means models on machines you control. When a self-hosted LLM pays off, which options and tools exist, what you give up and how we do it with Northstar One.
, 8 min read
Agentic engineering
One model reading your code finds a lot and misses a lot. A council puts several specialists on the same code, has their findings checked and leaves the decision to a person.
, 6 min read
Agentic engineering
An agent that approves its own work misses its own mistakes. This is how ARCS keeps making and judging apart, and how we decide where a person has the final say.
, 7 min read
Decision models
Routing, classifying, verifying, ranking and approving. How to find the places in your software where a typed choice works better than a prompt.
, 8 min read
Decision models
Jev does not write text. It takes a state and a few typed questions and returns an answer with probabilities for each. What that gets you, and where it stops.
, 8 min read
Agentic engineering
Vibe coding is fast and fine for a prototype, but nobody reads the code. When that is fine, when it gets risky and how to get from prototype to production.
, 7 min read
Agentic engineering
Building software with AI agents while people set the goal, the limits and the final check. Where the term comes from, how it works and what breaks without checks.
, 10 min read