Every stack exists because we found evidence of a real problem. This page describes our approach to identifying pain points, validating they're worth solving, and designing solutions.
Signal Detection
We look for patterns across developer communities:
| Source | What We Look For |
|---|---|
| GitHub Issues | Recurring bugs, feature requests with high engagement |
| Stack Overflow | Questions with high views but poor or no answers |
| Complaint threads, "how do I" posts about AI integration | |
| Discord/Slack | Real-time frustration in AI SDK communities |
When the same problem appears across multiple sources, it's worth investigating.
Problem Analysis
Root Cause Investigation
We don't just note symptoms — we dig into why developers struggle.
Example: Context window issues. The surface problem is "app crashes." The root causes:
- No visibility into token usage
- No warning before limits hit
- No built-in truncation strategies
- Token counting requires external libraries
Existing Solution Audit
What are developers currently doing?
| Approach | Problems |
|---|---|
| Ignore it | Crashes in production |
| Drop old messages | Loses important context |
| Character approximation | Inaccurate, still crashes |
| External libraries | Extra dependencies |
Scope Definition
We define exactly what a solution needs:
- Must Have — Core functionality that solves the problem
- Nice to Have — Enhancements if they don't add complexity
- Out of Scope — Features that belong in separate stacks
Design Principles
Trade-off Analysis
Every design decision involves trade-offs. We document our reasoning:
| Decision | Options | Our Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Token counting | Accurate vs Fast | Accurate | Matters for limits |
| Truncation | Drop oldest vs Summarize | Drop oldest | Simpler, predictable |
| Display | Percentage vs Count | Both | Different users need different info |
Implementation Patterns
We choose patterns that work across the ecosystem:
- React hooks for state management
- Server components for heavy operations
- Edge-compatible when possible
Validation
After building, we verify:
- Does it actually solve the problem?
- Does it work across deployment targets (Vercel, Node.js, Cloudflare)?
- Are the edge cases handled?
- Is the documentation clear?
Iteration
Based on usage and feedback, we:
- Fix reported issues
- Add missing features based on demand
- Update for new SDK versions
- Deprecate stacks that are superseded
Have a problem we should solve?
Open an issue with:
- Description of the problem
- Where you've seen it discussed (GitHub, SO, Reddit)
- What you've tried and why it didn't work