Jonathan Melo

A little
perspective.

I build software that helps people think.
These are my notes from the work.

Field notes Observations / Experiments / Ideas

From the work,
into words.

Questions I’ve worked through in code.
Ideas I’m still working through on paper.

Claude Code
Context Engineering

7 min read

Write CLAUDE.md Files Without Poisoning Your AI Agents

Too many instructions do not merely consume tokens; they redirect Claude Code into unrecoverable doom loops.

Data Security
DX

12 min read

Designing a TypeScript helper to prevent accidental database field leaks

A lot of database code starts by selecting too much.

Product Design
Context Engineering

17 min read

Building the primitive AI coding loop around GPT-4

Before AI coding agents could read error logs, run commands, or inspect a codebase on their own, I was building a browser-based workflow around GPT-4 that tried to make the same loop faster.

Library
TypeScript Generics

8 min read

Type-First React State Tree

React makes local state easy to start with. That is one of its strengths.

All field notes

On the workbench Tools / Built through use

Tool report / TypeScript + React

Type-First
React State Tree.

Make the next state clear.

A way to model what a screen knows, what it can do, and what can happen next. Components bind to that contract.

Built for: Interfaces with changing states
Approach: Define the states. Type the actions.

Read the field note Explore the source

Interactive study / 01

Ready to compose

A small chat flow.

Edit the draft, then try the state transitions.

01 Compose02 Generate

Current stateCompose

Draft message

The draft is editable. Send it to enter Generate.

available: updateDraft · sendMessage

Waiting for your first transition.

A local state demonstration. No message is sent to AI.

Back at camp The person behind the notes

Hi, I’m Jonathan.

Curiosity is
the through line.

Software engineer. Builder. Still learning.

I’m drawn to the space between how a system works and how it feels to use.

My work explores AI workflows, explicit product state, and interfaces that keep people oriented. I write to understand the decisions behind what I build.

This journal is a place to share those decisions—the useful discoveries, the wrong turns, and the questions worth following.

Currently exploring

Tools for thinking.
Interfaces that make complexity clearer.