Software engineer
Ali Arain.
I build, launch and sell software.
I work on AI products, desktop apps and developer infrastructure. I work with founders, build my own products, and sometimes sell or license them.
Right now I'm building the agentic desktop app at CommandCode.ai.
Featured on Product HuntNotchPrompt, #8 Product of the Day (opens in a new tab)
My app and game studioShiphouse (opens in a new tab), maker of ShipSeed (opens in a new tab)Building in public
What I've been shipping, live from GitHub.
Contributions in the last year
How I work
- I design, build and launch products myself: web, AI and native Mac.
- I start small and put it in front of real users early.
- I've shipped products in fintech, hiring and travel. NotchPrompt hit #8 on Product Hunt.
- Open source on npm and pub.dev: askai, Fluttrify, Bank Alfalah Payment, AssetKamKaro.
- I work with founders and small teams, two projects a quarter.
Work
Products I built end to end. Everything else lives in builds.
NotchPrompt
A teleprompter that sits in your Mac's notchIt stays hidden on screen shares and highlights each word as you speak.
SLCT
A simple hiring tool for small teamsPost a job, and it scores every CV so your team only reviews a shortlist.
Runway
A personal finance app for the MacBudgets, goals and invoicing that stay on your Mac. No cloud, no bank connections.
Cue
A calendar reminder you can’t missWhen a meeting starts, it fills your Mac screen. It reads your calendar on the device, with no server.
Open source and tools
Packages on npm and pub.dev with 4,000+ downloads, and free tools that run in your browser.
Writing
Launch notes and essays on how I build.
- complexity is easy. simplicity is the skill.: building CommandCode’s desktop app taught me the hard part isn’t adding. it’s deciding what not to build, and defending that decision against every voice that wants one more thing.
- why I built NotchPrompt: A teleprompter that hides in your Mac notch, stays invisible on screen shares, and tracks your words in real time. Here is why I built it.
- NotchPrompt v2.0: word tracking, floating mode, and 30+ new features: We shipped v1 a few weeks ago. Now v2 is out and it is a completely different app. Real-time word highlighting, 3 overlay modes, multi-page scripts, PPTX import, and a lot more.